Entertainment /
‘Meet The Patels’ Hits Theatres Today And You Don’t Want To Miss It!
A laugh-out-loud quest for love — the Patel way.
Dubbed “the perfect coping mechanism for something every human being suffers from: Family,” this real-life romantic comedy follows an almost-30-year-old Indian-American (Ravi Patel) as he searches for love only to find himself stuck in a love triangle between the woman of his dreams . . . and his parents.
The main character, Ravi, has a secret. He’s been dating a white girl whom his parents have no idea about. On the heels of a break-up and the realization that he’s hitting 30 and is still single, Ravi takes the plunge and embarks on a family vacation (with biodata in hand) to the motherland to find what his parents and so many other Patels have, a happy marriage through the fool-proof Patel matchmaking system.
In search of another American Patel like himself, Ravi — with sis and co-director Geeta Patel by his side — film this comedic worldwide search meshing documentary and narrative forms.
Winner of the Audience Award at the Los Angeles Film Festival, Meet the Patels proves that love being a family affair isn't only relatable to the South Asian community but also to the masses — regardless of age, gender or cultural background.
You’d be hard-pressed to not love mamma and papa Patel, who eagerly get to work “quarterbacking” Ravi's love life. Enjoy the quirky commentary from his sis, observe the well-oiled, foolproof Patel network of suitable dates set up across the states, and be ready to laugh at this social issue that’s been plaguing many first-generation Indian-American families.
Releasing in theaters this Friday, September 11, in New York City (AMC Empire 25 and Angelika), Chicago (AMC South Barrington and Music Box), and Los Angeles (Landmark), the hilarious comedy will hit more cities nationwide on September 18. For a full city listing, click HERE.
When asked about how the idea for Meet the Patels came about, Ravi admitted in a recent interview that he had run out of material in a hosting gig at an Indian lawyers' convention, so he began to talk about a topic close to home: his mom trying to set him up with Indian girls with the same name. He noticed that guests were not only laughing, but they were also engaged on an emotional level, what seemed like a cathartic laugh.
Geeta recalled people coming up to Ravi after asking him to write a book or do a comedy tour. A few months later, they found themselves in India recording their version of reality TV, Patel-style.
In true artistic form, hurdles such as not having a pro cameraman on site didn’t deter the two. Geeta taught herself via the good ole trial and error method how to use a camera. Ravi jokes that she never learned properly. PBS loves their footage regardless, and with so many South Asians being able to relate to this story, screenings of the comedy have sold out across the world for a year, according to Geeta, who also states that many South Asians have “seen it more than once, bringing their families and friends along. Even audiences in India love it. It's been a great surprise, and a great experience. Our aunties and uncles all love it too, and that was a great relief!”
When asked what they would want audiences to take away from this film in terms of relationships and marriage, they replied:
Geeta: We want everyone to remember how great it is to be part of a family, to love, and to be loved. We want everyone to remember that sometimes it takes more love than we ever imagined in order to get through a difficult conflict in the family.
Ravi: We want everyone who is searching for love to feel like they are not alone! Being single and South Asian is sad, scary, stressful — and hilarious.
To learn more about Meet the Patels, visit: www.meetthepatelsfilm.com.
Photo Credits: www.meetthepatelsfilm.com
Trailer: ALCHEMY – youtube.com
Interview: boxofficeguru.com
Monika Bhondy
Author
Monika Bhondy (@monikabhondy) is one of the original editors at ANOKHI. She wore many hats through the developmental years including creating the first Holiday Gift Guide as The Style Editor, putting down the first building blocks of ANOKHI's global blog community, handling the video department and ...
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