"Basmati Blues" is the directorial debut from Dan Baron. Baron also has a writing credit alongside Jeff Dorchen and Danny Thompson. Brie Larson (Room) plays Linda, 'A brilliant scientist [who] is plucked out of the company lab and sent to India to sell the genetically modified rice she created - which she doesn't realise will destroy the farmers she thinks she's helping'. Larson's co-stars include Utkarsh Ambudkar (The Mindy Project), Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap), Donald Sutherland (The Hunger Games) and Tyne Daly (Cagney & Lacey). The trailer was met with controversy when it debuted in November. Was "Basmati Blues" unfairly represented? Have this group of first-time writers succeeded?

"Basmati Blues" was filmed more than five years ago and is only now getting released. It is unsurprising that the director and writers have not signed on to any further projects as "Basmati Blues" is a poor effort. The film has been shelved for years so why has it only just found a distributor? Two words. Brie. Larson. Larson's star has been on the rise over the past few years, after an Oscar-winning performance in 2015's "Room" to being cast as the title character in "Captain Marvel". "Basmati Blues" suddenly became so much more attractive to distributors after Larson's prolific success. Unfortunately, this is one (and I'm sure Larson would agree) that should have stayed on the shelf - it fails as a musical, it fails as a romance, and it fails to represent Indian culture respectfully. When a completed film made by amateurs is suddenly revived after five years on the shelf, it should be no surprise that it is pretty terrible.

Brie Larson does try her best, but the Oscar-winning actress is tasked with a rushed and silly script. Larson does not have a terrific singing voice, but fortunately, none of the songs are too vocally challenging. Despite being part of such a lousy film, Larson remains enthusiastic and devoted to her role; she shamelessly sings and dances down a busy city street. Watching "Basmati Blues" made my love for "Room" grow so much more; it fast-tracked Larson's career and ensured she never has to make a film like this again. I was surprised to see Donald Sutherland's face appear on-screen; another actor who is likely dreading the release of this film. Sutherland plays a corporate villain and is apart of the film's best musical number. Sutherland is not embarrassingly bad, but this is an embarrassing film to be on his resume. Utkarsh Ambudkar and Saahil Sehgal give forgettable performances and both lack chemistry with Larson. Scott Bakula begins by literally phoning his performance in but even when he does appear on-screen, he offers nothing to write home about. If "Basmati Blues" was released five years ago, it would not have been a good stepping-stone for Brie Larson, and even though the cast, as a whole, are not terrible, the script and songs do not allow their talents to shine.

The most surprising thing about "Basmati Blues" was that it was a musical; I had done little research before watching and was therefore stunned and confused when Brie Larson first burst into song. Sometimes a musical can make up for a weak story with great songs. Unfortunately, the songs in "Basmati Blues" are generic, cheesy and uninspired. The first song begins in quite a creative way, setting a fun tone. However, the lyrics are exaggerated and cliche (e.g. Larson calls herself a 'science hero'). The best song was an ensemble piece; it was the most comparable to performances seen in most musicals. It seemed to be the sequence that was given the highest budget. Donald Sutherland and Tyne Daly are not amazing vocalists, but they were enthusiastic throughout the entire performance. Despite this being the film's strongest musical number, it felt like a down-graded, recycled version of what exists in superior productions. There is also something problematic about this sequence; it occurs on Diwali, most would expect a film set in India to be bright and colourful, there are no scenes like this until this song. It is the American corporate characters who perform an energetic song on Diwali, not the characters who are celebrating the festival. Otherwise, the music is lacklustre and forgettable. There is one song that feels like a music video; the characters are all staring directly at the camera, there is an overuse of green-screen; it is hilarious! Overall, the entire musical element of "Basmati Blues" feels shoe-horned in; it just is not necessary. Musicals tend to make you feel something; there is no song or moment in "Basmati Blues" that is touching, powerful or moving.

This is a poorly written film; it is a script that is under-developed and bland. I do not think there was a demand for a musical about the production of rice. The title of the film appears on a grain of rice, exemplifying how laughable and dumb this movie is. The way the narrative unfolds is mostly ridiculous; Linda (Larson) needs to get a phone charger which is what results in her bumping into Rajit (Ambudkar). The characters all suffer from a lack of development; the audience learns the most about Rajit: he has aspirations but has to return to farming. The film demonstrates Rajit's transition from scholar to farmer hilariously; he is introduced wearing glasses and relatively formal attire whereas as a farmer, he wears scruffy, dirty clothes. For the majority of the film, the American corporates are portrayed positively. I thought this was an odd choice as it was blatant that they were the antagonists of the story, it contributed to the extremely messy final ten minutes. In such a short space of time, Linda finds out that the special rice is seedless, that the farmers will lose money and have to sell their land and starts an uprising. So many unnecessary scenes earlier on in the film could have been cut to lengthen out and develop what ended up being a rushed and confusing finale. Let's also not forget the kiss Linda and Rajit decide to share seconds before a train is about to hit them. I think "Basmati Blues" will struggle to find an audience because it is based on a subject matter that few will care about; what's worse is that it struggles to execute such a mundane plot.

The film's trailer has caused controversy for representing the people of India stereotypically. After watching the movie, while there are many moments and characters based on stereotypes, there are also characters who try to challenge such preconceptions. For example, Rajit argues with Linda over cultural appropriation. However, the film is its own worst enemy as its portrayal of Indian culture is full of stereotypes. The writers clearly thought they were progressive with some of Rajit's dialogue, but they end up coming across very hypocritical with everything else. This is epitomised by one particular moment: Rajit explains why the Taj Mahal is not looked at fondly by most Indian people; Linda then later says that she is going to enjoy visiting the Taj Mahal. I think this line will be borderline offensive to some. Indian farmers are portrayed as naive; they are won over by the genetically modified rice only because Linda is a trusting face, they do not think logically or business-minded. The representation of Indian culture is quite problematic; I've seen worse, but this is far from a respectful portrayal.

Is "Basmati Blues" one big joke? I struggle to understand why anybody would decide to make a film about genetically modified rice and on top of that, make such film a musical! Larson and Sutherland are the film's biggest stars; they will be dreading its release (February 12th). This is a musical that lacks even a mediocre song; they are all generic, pointless and do not move the narrative along. The film attempts to set up a love triangle which fails due to a lack of chemistry between the cast members and a nonsense script. Some will likely be offended by "Basmati Blues" and its hypocritical portrayal of Indian culture. I do not know who to recommend this film to. Larson fans? This is far from her best work. Musical fans? The music is forgettable and uninspired. Rice lovers? I doubt anyone loves rice that much that they would watch an entire film about it. Nevertheless, "Basmati Blues" might just be one of the most bizarre film-watching experiences I have had.