It’s possible that when William Shakespeare penned King Lear, what he really had in mind was a soapy, Bollywood-infused melodrama, 90 per cent of which is either told in flashback, soft focus or both. But even if that was the case, I suspect he would have drawn the line at all the slow-motion shots of women in saris running ecstatically through blossom-strewn meadows. It’s a pity that the writer and director of Life Goes On, Sangeeta Datta, didn’t reign in some of the cornier tropes of Hindi cinema which rather undermine the film’s good intentions.
Set within an affluent Indian immigrant family in London, the film touches upon hot button topics such as the tensions between Indian Hindus and Muslims; the legacy of partition and the generational stresses within immigrant families. Sadly, for all its gloss and eager nods towards Monsoon Wedding, Life Goes On feels at best a little over-earnest and at worst a faintly ridiculous attempt at issue-led cinema.
Sangeeta Datta, 12A, 120mins