- Title: Four Samosas (and the Ill-Advised Grocery Store Heist)
- IMDb: link
Set in Little India and fitting into the same sub-genre of comedy heist flicks like Wes Anderson’s Bottle Rocket (but better), Four Samosas features a would-be rapper (Venk Potula) who bands together with his friend (Nirvan Patnaik), a repoter (Sharmita Bhattacharya) of a small free local paper, and a malcontent engineer (Sonal Shah) to rob a local grocery store run by the disapproving father (Tony Mirrcandani) of his ex-girlfriend (Summer Bishil) who has just gotten engaged.
A good-natured film on love, life, friendship, and making really dumb decisions, Four Samosas hits all the right notes delivering a fun romp with our foursome of newbie robbers and their crazy antics (I especially enjoyed the impossible plan vignettes shot from the imagination of Bhattacharya’s character).
The road to the robbery is full of misadventures including a foursome of ridiculous disguises and beating a band of equally ridiculous protesters in various impromptu tests in order to borrow the tools needed for the crime. Events after the robbery are no less bonkers such as the failed attempts to make money off stolen diamonds and picking up threads from the first act with tryouts for a cultural exhibition and a musical serenade for love.
Although the lack of extras is quite noticeable throughout the film, especially with characters walking around the neighborhood in the middle of the day, writer/director Ravi Kapoor gets the most possible out of his meager budget (also finding a small role for himself in the film as well). And the characters and settings we do get feel lived-in and real, helping to balance the ridiculousness of the script. Released today in select cities, and available on VOD, Four Samosas is the kind of little indie film which will warm your heart and tickle your funny bone.
Watch the trailer
