Sureel: Aalok Mehta	Maya: Sheetal Sheth
Engineering Sam: Aasif Mandvi	Toby: Josh Ackerman
Sureel's Dad: Paresh Rawal	Sureel's Mom: Bharti Desai
Jen: Jamie Hurley	Sejal: Reena Shah
Writer/Director: Anurag Mehta

30 Second Bottom Line: A comedy, which uncovers dramatic results for a first generation Indian-American college student struggling with his parents' acculturation.

Story Line: Talk about strict parents! Sureel's folks don't expect him to date (certainly not American girls) even though he is about to graduate from Jersey University. When the time is right they will choose a bride for him…and bring her over from India. They also think he is pre-med, not a music major and a performing artist.

The inside joke on campus among the Indian students is to refer to each other as Engineering Sam or Medical Bob. Among these high achievers in law, medicine and engineering, there is no place for

Sureel heads a rock band that plays around town and expects to win a contest for a record deal. Band members literally drum Sureel out when he nearly misses a big rehearsal, as he often does, because he has to keep his mom and dad in the dark.

During auditions he meets Maya (Sheetal Mehta), a beautiful dancer who combines traditional Indian dance with contemporary movement. This allows Sureel to realize that a fusion of his original Indian music with a folksy soft rock riff is his unique blend to offer. He lets go of the band and his blonde, American girlfriend Jen (Jamie Hurley) as he and Maya fall in love.

Sureel also has support from his two best friends, Engineering Sam (Aasif Mandvi) and Tobey (Josh Ackerman), who help him run interference with his meddling, big mouth cousin Hari (Ajay Naidu). Hari is anxious to share any disparaging news he can with Sureel's parents. Tobey and Maya's best friend Sejal (Reena Shah) are in love and want to marry. Sejal's parents threaten to disown her if she continues to see this American boy. This film makes me think of another one, Mississippi Masala, which starred Denzel Washington, in 1991. Although there is not the African-American issue here, race and culture do rear their heads. What are we to make of this mix¾ this "Jersey Masala?"

Tell Me More About It: Writer/Director Anurag Mehta, in his first feature film, uses the talents of his real-life brother, Aalok as his lead actor and co-composer of the wonderful soundtrack. I am reminded of another, more recent film, (with a lively musical score as well) which explores Indian culture, Monsoon Wedding. The setting for that film is India but it deals with parental expectations, and has a look at the Western viewpoint and shares an American connection.

There are no bad guys here, just people who have a slightly different take on the American dream and how much of yourself and your own inherent culture you should invest in it, or more accurately, how much should this culture divest you of your own. Chase your own original American dream.

Aalok Mehta: Debut	Sheetal Sheth: Princess & the Marine (TV)
Aasif Mandvi: The Mystic Masseur, Analyze This	Josh Ackerman: Evolution, The Random Years (TV)
Ajay Naidu: K-Pax, Dinner Rush, Hannibal	Paresh Rawal: Several Indian Films
Bharti Desai: Third Watch (TV)	Jamie Hurley: Debut
Reena Shah: Debut	Anurag Mehta: Feature Film Debut