POLITE SOCIETY

Director: Nida Manzoor

2023, 103min., PG-13

Cast: Priya Kansara, Ritu Arya, as Lena Khan, Nimra Bucha, Akshay Seraphina Beh.

 

The first film written and directed by Nida Manzoor is part Bollywood, part British comedy, part action movie and part feminist fable. Above all, it is a celebration of young British-Pakistani women making their way in London, following their dreams in spite of the expectations of an older generation. Priya Kansara stars as teenager Ria, whose ambition of being a stuntwoman like her hero (real life martial arts/stunt double Eunice Huthart) is cheered on by her sister Lena (Ritu Arya) and best friends, if not her more traditional family and teachers. But when Ria suspects that Lena has been tricked into an engagement with a charming & “crazy rich” geneticist, her spirit, determination and kickass moves may just yet save the day. Not unlike Everything Everywhere All at Once, Polite Society is hard to categorize…but even harder to forget. “Come for the action and loving send-up of martial arts films, and stay for the sisterly support that shines through.” – Alejandra Martinez, Austin Chronicle.