UK filmmaker’s web series starts on YouTube.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: A new web series, from the U.K., aims to satirize the many different flavors of desi there are around the world.
Not every Non-Resident Indian (NRI) is the same; while some hold firmly to their roots, other stray far off the beaten path, while some straddle a middle ground between tradition and modernity. Shai Hussain, a UK-based filmmaker, has tapped into this with his new web series entitled “Three Shades of Brown,” which follows the exploits of three NRI friends in England who each have wildly different ways of dealing with their heritage.
The three central characters are Nas, Ravi, and Harry, each of whom is dubbed as representing a certain NRI stereotype: the “rude boy,” the “freshie,” and the “coconut,” respectively.
Nas is played by Muzz Khan (the British comedy hit Four Lions), as a would-be DJ whose grasp of Indian heritage is there, but hanging by a thread in a losing battle. Living off of his parents’ money, Nas spends his time at the computer, creating new mixes and generally being somewhat obnoxious.
Harry (Navinder Bhatti) is the FOB (Fresh Off the Boat) of the group, a “coconut” who is called that because of his brown exterior and white interior. Harry has spent his whole life trying to be white instead of Indian. The most normal of the group, Harry is the straight character when compared to the two other extremes, and acts ostensibly as the audience’s window into this world.
That roommate situation is suggested by the third friend, Ravi (Omar Khan, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani), who is the definition of “Fresh Off the Boat” (FOB). New to the UK after emigrating from India, he operates under the belief that his life will be like a Bollywood melodrama as he searches high and low for his true love, only to find disappointment and harsh reality at every turn.
Eventually, the three move in together, cracking jokes at each other but also developing a mutual bond and respect as they reconcile their differences and grow to appreciate each other. Although just one episode in, the show lays the groundwork for what is sure to be an entertaining and insightful look at the various different kinds of NRIs around the world, not just in the UK.
The show, written and directed by Hussain under his Shai Guy Productions banner, premiered on YouTube Monday, April 14, and plans to roll out subsequent installments over the next few weeks. A student of film, with an M.A. in screenwriting from the Northern Film School in Leeds, Hussain has a handful of credits already to his name. According to his Twitter, he is the writer of “Til Jihad Do Us Part” for BBC Radio 4, and the writer for Cloud 9 on Zee TV. Additionally, he is the Film Editor for The-NRI.com, and DJs under the pseudonym DJ Shai Guy.
With the premise of NRI dysfunction and a tagline that says “Three Shades of Brown. Same Color. Different s***,” it’s not a stretch to imagine that this could be a very funny and effective insight into the desi experience (having seen the first episode, I can say that it really is).
Below is the trailer for “Three Shades of Brown;” episodes can be viewed on YouTube via the show’s official Channel Page.
Three Shades of Brown – Teaser Trailer from Shai Hussain on Vimeo.