“Ria, you’re being dramatic.”
A tale of two sisters was never before this entertaining! Polite Society is a blast from beginning to end, blending all sorts of unexpected genres into one delicious cocktail which is guaranteed to knock your socks right off of your feet.
Written and directed by Nida Manzoor (We Are Lady Parts), Polite Society takes a very simple Jane Austin-like premise as two sisters - opposite in almost every way - find themselves in interesting positions when marriage is on the line and then, with hints in edits at almost every turn, introduces a whole hell of a lot of James Bond action into the formula before hitting high on the cinematic blender and mixing it all up in the blender with other genres. That’s right, Polite Society is a horror, kung-fu (complete with wire stunts), western, and a musical!
And it works like hell to create an entirely watchable affair as Lena (Ritu Arya) and Ria (Priya Kansara) Khan discover that, when Salim (Akshay Khanna) enters Lena’s life as suitable man for her to marry, they are indeed quite different in what they want out of life. Ria feels like she must protect her sister, especially after what she has seen in her spy-like journey to root out the real reason for this romance to exist.
But is it all in her head?
With an awesome selection of music to showcase its wild edits and journey, Polite Society flexes in moments where Lena flexes free will and Ria, annoyed by Lena’s constant wearing of cardigans instead of hoodies, uses her imagination to get into her ass-kicking mood.
It is Ria who drives the chaos. Sure, you could argue that Lena, as the film opens and she’s looking all sorts of depressed, is the one who needs the most help, but this is Ria’s journey as she and her friends - Alba (Ella Bruccoleri) and Clara (Seraphina Beh) - work quite diligently to break up Lena and Salim’s wedding day. Ria wants to be a stunt woman and, as there are a lot of action beats in this forward-thinking film, she gets as much as gives when it comes to battles in this fast-paced glimpse into a very colorful Pakistani world.
Their parents(Jeff Mirza and Shobu Kapoor) do the best they can at keeping up with the two sisters, yet Ria feels betrayed when Lena sides herself to the posh life that Salim brings into their world. How could she do this? Time to fix that flying reverse high kick and get into action against the smarmy wanker who has stolen her sister!
Polite Society feels like an inspired calling card for Nida Manzoor and everyone involved here. The movie is fun, frenzied, and focused on challenging preconceived notions about feminism, regardless of age and whichever side of the fence you stand on when it comes to that subject. It is now streaming on Peacock.
Down with the patriarchy!!!!!??
MPAA Rating: PG-13.
Runtime: 104 mins
Director: Nida Manzoor
Writer: Nida Manzoor
Cast: Priya Kansara; Ritu Arya; Renu Brindle
Genre: Comedy | Drama
Tagline: Big Trouble. Little Sister.
Memorable Movie Quote: "The gods whispered to the warrior, 'You will not withstand the fury.' The warrior whispers back, 'I am the fury!'"
Distributor: Focus Featrues
Official Site:
Release Date: April 28, 2023
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: A merry mash up of sisterly affection, parental disappointment and bold action, POLITE SOCIETY follows martial artist-in-training Ria Khan who believes she must save her older sister Lena from her impending marriage. After enlisting the help of her friends, Ria attempts to pull off the most ambitious of all wedding heists in the name of independence and sisterhood.
