Namastey London

atching Namastey London was a bit like viewing Gadar all those years ago. Despite knowing its mediocre cinematic values, you couldn’t help acknowledging its tremendous sway on the audience. There’s nothing remotely original in this remix of Purab aur Paschim and DDLJ, but it does have all the makings of another successful milepost in the NRI sagas. In a nutshell, it’s all about a Punjab da puttar (Akshay) marrying NRI kudi (Kaif) and eventually making her come to terms with her Indianness. Characters are portrayed with broad brushstrokes and with a marked inverse snobbery: subcontinental folks are divine but "Whites" are the villains. What works is yet another potent packaging of pop patriotism, romance and traditional Indian values with big helpings of rustic humour and smart one-liners.