Starting with a brief childhood movie experience and moving to what looks remarkably like India, the movie premise is quickly set up. Ramu Gupta (Jimi Mistry) teaches dancing to middle aged Indian ladies but yearns for the “good life” in America. Lured by fantastical tales from his compatriots already in New York, he dreams of Mercedes and penthouses, with a “Grease” soundtrack.

Dire warnings of driving taxis and working in restaurants fall quickly into place and Ramu soon finds himself serving in a restaurant & sharing a run down apartment with his sex starved Indian friends.

Before long Ramu has mistakenly been hired to star in a porn film (as you do) &
Improbably lands the role alongside Sharona (Heather Graham), who in real life is making a career of playing against type. Ramu not being quite up to the part, as it were, is promptly fired again.

Due to improbable circumstances, Ramu is required to fake “Guru” status at a wealthy socialite’s house party, hosted by the mother of lost rich girl “Lexi” (Marisa Tomei).

Faster than un-wrapping a turban, Rammy becomes the toast of the town filling a vacuum in the empty lives of the New York’s elite. At this point some fun could have been had, highlighting rich folk’s constant desire for something new and exciting & the never ending search for the mystical guidebook on how to run their lives.

This however, is not that film.

Instead we are straight into other plot devices to move things along at a clip.

Even in the movies there is tenuous link to reality and Ramu’s entry into this world is provided by the wide eyed Lexi, who provides a startling scene where she all but appears to have mental sex with herself whilst seeking enlightenment, whilst eschewing all material possessions.

The plot demands that Ramu will realise there is more to life than convertible Mercedes and penthouse suites overlooking 5th avenue and there are no prizes for guessing how this unwinds.

Many of the scenes break into Bollywood style dance set ups which I believe are played as tongue in cheek caricatures, gently parodying the source material of many Indian films.

Overall the actors do not look comfortable in their roles (apart from Heather Graham) and do not in any way appear believable. Mistry in particular, looks like he cannot believe he gets to bed Heather Graham and Marisa Tomei in one movie.

Summary

Gossamer thin in every sense but a bit of fun none the less. Not what it could have been, although Heather Graham sneaks in another good performance, whilst everyone else was out practicing dance routines.