‘Bazodee’ fun but unremarkable

Bazodee (a Trini colloquialism for being disoriented) is the story of Anita Panchouri (British actress Natalie Perera) the daughter of Ram, an indebted businessman (internationally acclaimed Indian actor Kabir Bedi). Anita is engaged to Bharat Kumar (Game of Thrones actor Staz Nair), a handsome and wealthy suitor and the marriage is intended solidify her father’s plan for a beachfront resort. But things go awry when Anita falls for singer Lee de Leon (Montano).

The film is directed by Todd Kessler, award winning co-creator and show runner of preschool series Blue’s Clues.

From a production standpoint Bazodee is a pretty movie. It is very colourful and bright and does capture some authentic Trinidadian experiences like taxi drivers, going to a fete and J’ouvert. The palatial home of the Panchouris is impressively shot and the idyllic Pigeon Point is gorgeous. There was one particular scene without dialogue which I thought was quite poignant; I will not spoil it here.

On the performances I thought Perera was capable and believable as the conflicted Anita, torn between her devotion to her father and her growing feelings for Lee. Montano, however, was uneven and his performance varied from natural to stiff, from character to caricature of his soca personality. The two do have a decent chemistry and the romance does produce some heat.

And on the subject of romance there is a subplot with Anita’s cousin Poorvi (local actress Teneille Newallo) and Bharat’s brother Partiv (Rahul Nath), which I found charming but a bit rushed. Generally the local cast put in good work, though some of them did not have much to do. I will single out Chris Smith (who seems to be everything these days) as Lee’s manager Bud and Remy RemBunction as Soul Boy for bringing some levity to the movie. I would also praise Cindy Daniel, who played Anita’s friend Lalima, for one potent scene where she does not speak but emotes powerfully.

Of the foreign cast Nair as Bharat was good, but did little other than stand around looking handsome. Bedi, who I will always remember as an intimidating villain in the James Bond film Octupussy, is solid as the happy-go-lucky father. Kriss Dosanjh is also fun as Bharat’s father Lokesh, who wholeheartedly embraces the Trinidad and Tobago culture.

The standout in the cast is Britain-based Trinidad and Tobago- born actor Valmike Rampersad who plays Bharat’s other brother, the sneaky Nikhil. For me he is the real star of the movie and steals every single scene with his scheming and plotting.

He is smooth and slithery and almost every word out of his mouth is hiding another motive.

And though he is set up as villain, when you think about it he actually has good reason for all his machinations. There is one very memorable scene with him which is a highlight of the film; trust me, you cannot miss it.

Bazodee is a musical so you have to talk about the music.

And if you are a fan of Montano’s music you should enjoy it because it was all Machel, all the time. The film is clearly a vehicle to promote his music and makes no effort to hide this fact, even if it seems strange in the movie that at every event you hear his songs and no one else’s.

The use of the music was hit and miss though. It worked well with some scenes as background or plot device and then in other scenes was distracting. I was also taken out of the experience when Machel, sorry “Lee”, performed “Real Unity”. Although you were seeing him singing alone you were hearing the track for the song, which included vocals from chutney singer Drupatee.

Also the duets between Lee and Anita, including one where the latter is auto tuned, probably should have been left out.

Finally the plot of the film falls firmly in the category of generic.

There are no surprises or twists here to be had, and it all goes strictly according to a well-worn formula. I will not spoil the ending but I will say that it spoiled the film for me a bit. It was deus ex machina with a pretty bow and felt so unreal that I was reminded of a dream sequence or a juice drink advertisement. It was hugely disappointing after the rest of the movie was relatively believable. Or as believable as you can get in a film where a woman cheats on her handsome, wealthy fianc? for a singer trying to find himself.

In conclusion, Bazodee was better than I had hoped but did not exceed my expectations by any stretch of the imagination.

An enjoyable, whimsical film with a few gems scattered throughout but overall nothing remarkable.

Rating: Bazodee gets an average two out of four woman-stealing Machels.