Last week, the trailer for Basmati Blues – a new film starring Academy Award winner Brie Larson – hit the internet amid a slew of not-so-positive reactions.
The film follows Larson's scientist character to rural India, as she tries to sell a new form of genetically modified rice to local farmers.
The 150-second trailer alone ticks off a whole bunch of cringeworthy Indian stereotypes, like how the food is too spicy...
It has humour derived from the foreigner discovering local traditions and customs...
It has a white American playing saviour to the helpless villagers...
And, of course, it has a big, colourful, and choreographed song-and-dance number.
Needless to say, not many people are on board with this film. They've called out its cultural obliviousness...
...its perpetuation of the white saviour complex...
...and generally just how bad the production looks as a whole.
Even fans of Brie Larson haven't been able to get themselves to say anything positive about it.
It should be mentioned that she signed up for the movie in 2013, and it's been struggling to get a wide release for a couple of years now.
But, to be fair, a film titled Basmati Blues would be tacky any year it released.
