"In Umrika, anything is possible."
Umrika is a Hindi-language dramedy directed by Prashant Nair.
Udai (Prateik Babbar) leaves his rural Indian village for the United States of America, and promises to write to his younger brother Ramakant (Suraj Sharma). After their father dies years later, however, Ramakant realizes that he and the postman have been forging Udai's letters. Ramakant heads to Mumbai with his childhood best friend Lalu (Tony Revolori) to find out what happened to his brother.
The film premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.
Not to be confused with Amreeka.
Tropes:
- The '80s: The bulk of the film is set in the '80s, and includes cultural references like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, the Cold War, and Indira Gandhi. The film was also shot on Super 16mm film, giving it a more period look.
- Childhood Friends: Ramakant and Lalu have been pals since childhood, and Lalu accompanies him to the city because of this.
- Country Mouse: Ramakant is a naive village boy thrust into the big city (Mumbai in this case).
- Disappointing Older Sibling: Finally, Ramakant learns that instead of living it up in America like he has been lead to believe for years, his brother Udai is a barber in Mumbai with a side hustle of helping illegally smuggle people to the US. Learning this crushes him, and he resolves to go to America in his brother's stead; Udai goes into debt in order to finance this trip.
- Eagleland: Ramakant's village has a very idealistic view of America, helped along by Udai's supposed correspondence portraying the nation as beautiful, welcoming, and full of sights and sounds.
- Everyone Loves Blondes: Lalu wants to go to America to hang out with busty blondes.
- Forged Message: Udai's father and uncle have been forging Udai's letters for years.
- An Immigrant's Tale: As far as Ramakant and his village know, Udai has immigrated to the US and lives a good life there. The entire film is a prelude to Ramakant's migration to America, and the film ends with him on a shipping container arranged by smugglers.
- Mexicans Love Speedy Gonzales: During an In-Universe showing of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indy is met with Produce Pelting. The Indian audience is rooting for the Indian villain, Mola Ram, despite him being a violent Hindu priest with various other 'thuggish brown people' stereotypes."Don't hurt Brother Amrish!"
- Never Sent Any Letters: Ramakant spent his childhood thinking that his older brother Udai was writing him and their backwater village letters from America. After their father dies, Ramakant learns that his father was forging them with the help of the postman, and decides to travel to Mumbai to find his brother.
- Starcrossed Lovers: Ramakant's romantic liaison with Radhika has two major wrenches: the first, that his mother wants him to marry a girl from their community, and the second, that he's leaving for the US, possibly permanently.
- The One Who Made It Out: At the beginning of the film, Rajan and Udai are the pride of their small village for going out and getting good jobs. Rajan stays in Mumbai and keeps in correspondence with the village; Udai straight-up vanishes (forged letters aside).
- Timeshifted Actor: Child actors play Ramakant and Lalu as children.
