Basmati Blues Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Basmati Blues Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf April 29, 2018

Film production can be an arduous process, but for “Basmati Blues,” it was an endless cycle of disruptions and delays. The picture was actually shot in 2013, long before star Brie Larson enjoyed a career boost with her Oscar-winning performance in “Room,” with the production spending the next five years reshooting and tinkering to create a final edit before finally seeing a theatrical release earlier this year. It’s an uncommon moviemaking story, but it helps to keep such chaos in mind while watching the effort, which opens with a big heart and desire to please, only to slowly grind its way to tedium as director Danny Baron tries to do too much with very little. The concept here is to rework Bollywood formula to fit an American tale of romance and corporate villainy, but Baron is lost at sea, sticking close to punishing formula to help find his way out of this mess. Larson does the best she can with such unchallenging material, and she ends up the lone highlight, smiling and dancing her heart out while the rest of “Basmati Blues” stumbles around, on a weird quest to be a proper musical extravaganza and a condemnation of Monsanto-style agribusiness corruption.

Linda (Brie Larson) is a young scientist who’s determined to solve the world’s ills by working on Rice Nine, a special lab-born creation that will revolutionize farming around the world, offering a GMO-laden grain with boosted nutritional value. The Mogil Corporation wants to test Rice Nine in India, with CEO Gurgon (Donald Sutherland) happy to send Linda to a small village to best show off the seed, with plans to entice local farmers to sign a contract that gives them access to Rice Nine, replacing their normal crops. Uncomfortable working away from her father, Eric (Scott Bakula), Linda agrees to the challenge for the greater good, soon overwhelmed by the local culture, needing help from Mogil employee William (Saahil Sehgal) to begin work. Also introducing himself is Rajit (Utkarish Ambudkar), a bright agriculture science student stuck without money or influence, hoping to use advances in stinkweed study to offer the farmers a natural rice defense from assorted harvesting issues, rubbing up against the Rice Nine takeover while slowly falling in love with Linda.

“Basmati Blues” doesn’t try to hide its musical urges, opening the film with a celebratory number from Linda, who sings about the wonders of science and the potential of her work to cure the world. Larson commits entirely to the moment, all smiles and dancing, but the energy that would normally build up during such a cinematic scene isn’t there. It’s strange to watch “Basmati Blues” try so hard to conjure the joys of performance and choreography and receive very little in return, but Baron (making his helming debut) isn’t seasoned enough to pull off the exaggeration of such fantasy. There’s pronounced awkwardness whenever the picture slips into Broadway mode, especially when one number is handed to Sutherland, who can’t dance and sing, ordered to keep up with background performers and co-star Tyne Daly (playing Gurgon’s right-hand woman), looking like Frankenstein’s Monster trying to figure out the steps to the “Thriller” dance. The feature has numerous problems and general vision for widescreen merriment is one of them, as Baron doesn’t have command of the stylistics necessary to pull off such advanced dream-weaving.

A young scientist with strong ideals and little life experience. A powerful corporation using deceptive business practices to move their GMO creation into local soil. Locals who gradually discover what Mogil is up to with the Rice Nine plan. The screenplay by Jeff Dorchen is riddled with clichés, and overall predictability isn’t challenged by Baron, who isn’t concerned with livening up the viewing experience with surprises. Instead, there are labored confrontations and dastardly plans. There’s a romance as well, but little takes hold, while minimal screen time for seemingly major players in the tale (including Eric) suggest some serious rounds of editing took place to slap “Basmati Blues” into existence, rendering a few characterizations incomplete. The production strives to keep waving its jazz hands throughout, hoping ballads and dance numbers might be enough to patch holes in the moviemaking, and there’s competition put in place by Rajit, who’s out to prove the natural world is enough to satisfy agriculture demands, challenging Rice Nine and the insidious business practices of Mogil, who want to own India, not just deliver GMO salvation.

Basmati Blues Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.39:1 aspect ratio) presentation preserves cinematographic sharpness, giving detail priority during the viewing experience. Locations are vividly textured, with dimensional distances and dense farmland. Facial particulars are appealing, identifying subtle reactions and aging. Costumes are fibrous, from science lab suits to more ornate celebratory creations. Colors are bright and bold, embracing the power of cultural hues, offering clear primaries, also delivering heightened purples and blues. Greenery is deep, taking in the vast network of rice farming. Delineation is comfortable.

Basmati Blues Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix carries an adequate presence for a musical, though vocals emerging from the center are noticeably louder than the music, creating a distinctly separated sound that takes a little time to get used to, varying in intensity during the movie. Instrumentation is appealing, with a sharp orchestral presence that also pushes into the surrounds to create an enveloping feel for the musical numbers. Low-end handles percussion well. Dialogue exchanges are tight and true, capturing accents and emotional intensity without trouble. Atmospherics are valuable, delivering a feel for outdoor activities and group interactions.

Basmati Blues Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features writer/director Dan Baron, actor Utkarsh Ambudkar, writer Jeff Dorchen, and producers Monique Caulfield and Jeffery Soros.

• Behind the Scenes (14:12, HD) pulls together members from the cast and crew to discuss the initial creation of "Basmati Blues," with the professionals initially detailing story and character concerns, also revealing that the material wasn't originally a musical, transformed into a Bollywood tribute after talent was secured. The featurette examines the various songwriters involved in the creation of the soundtrack, and the choreography involved to bring a sense of movement from actors who previously had little musical experience. Endless platitudes are a bit much, but BTS footage is terrific, capturing a strange shoot that was particularly hard on the production, which found its plans constantly changing due to India's unpredictable weather.

• Deleted Scenes (12:03, HD) offers ten snipped bits from around the movie, including expanded details on the key relationship between Linda and her father, which is only teased in the final cut. Additional songs and musical performances are included, and some clarification on a family history for William is presented. Short moments from an extended ending are also provided.

• Photo Gallery (9:24) collects publicity snaps and BTS pictures.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:39, HD) is included.

Basmati Blues Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The idea here is to sweeten corporate maliciousness with Bollywood-inspired formula and visuals. "Basmati Blues" becomes a bad cocktail of tones and ideas, going completely braindead in the finale, which involves a train chase and Linda trying to save the day on horseback. A full-throated scream toward predatory agribusiness practices is most welcome, but "Basmati Blues" is a candied version of a real-world issue, playing cute with a dark subject matter while musical selections aren't memorable, unable to save an increasingly laborious sit. Perhaps the best of intentions were in place when the production began shooting the movie five years ago, but now "Basmati Blues" comes across as a messy experiment in the merging of film cultures.