Priya Kansara kicks butt in the new upcoming comedy movie Polite Society. No, really. In the hilarious new film written and directed by the incredible Nida Manzoor (We Are Lady Parts), the actress stars as Ria Khan, a teenage stuntwoman in training who attempts to pull off an elaborate and ambitious wedding heist in order to save her older sister, played by Ritu Arya, from an impending, doomed marriage to a seemingly picture-perfect man she hardly knows.
With the gloves most certainly off, this laugh-out-loud comedy kills two birds with one stone by not only being boldly imaginative in its action-packed charm but also by addressing the complexities of South Asian British culture through the eyes of Ria, whose unwavering feminist values mean she's unwilling to settle for anything less than independence and sisterhood. Importantly, the scattering of nuanced references to traditional South Asian stereotypes makes for a necessary watch, not just for the Brown female community but for everyone worldwide.
Here, Priya candidly speaks to GLAMOUR UK about championing the strengths of the South Asian community, how her own societal experiences helped mould Ria's inspiring self-belief and what she hopes the audience will walk away with after watching Polite Society.
GLAMOUR: Polite Society has got to be one of my favourite films of the year! It was such fun watch while hilariously addressing rampant issues within the female South Asian community. What personally drew you to the role of Ria Khan?
PRIYA: Well, the script is brilliant, and Nida Manzoor (Polite Society's director) is a genius. Her writing is filled with such nuance and fun, and you can't help but fall in love with the script. I mean, it's absolutely bonkers, so part of me was just like, "What is this?" I don't even know how to describe it. It's so mad. But I think that it felt so fresh and fun that you want to be a part of it. Then also with Ria, she's such an incredible kid, so spirited and feisty, and her thought process inspires me at this age. Also, her love for her sister as well, that's just such a beautiful storyline, it's like the crux of this film!
Ria's main passion in life is becoming a stuntwoman, which tells her a lot about her desire not to need male protection and be an independent woman. Why is she so empowered in that sense, especially in a community where finding a significant other and a woman's reliance on a man is expected?
It's really interesting because I explored this part of her so much. Like, why does she feel this way? Why does she feel so strongly about it? I think part of it is just her wanting to be a rebel. She's still young, and she's still trying to figure out what being a feminist means, what that means to her, and how she feels about romantic relationships. She's very clearly inexperienced as well, and I think that all of these things create such a complex relationship with how she deals with the expectations of being a woman and the need to be in a relationship. Part of it, as I said, is this rebellious state of, "No, I don't need to feed into societal norms. I don't have to have a man to achieve everything that I want to."
She clearly grew up in a household with a strong-headed mother and strong-headed sister, and I think strong women come from strong women. It's the one thing that I've always believed my whole life, and Ria is just such an example of that. And it's not just the women in her family, but her friends, the people she surrounded herself with. All of these things have a huge impact on how we view the world, which certainly does for Ria. Yeah, she's one feisty kid!
Absolutely! However, quite early on, we see many stereotypical references, such as those around Ria expecting her to become a doctor. How damaging and limiting do you think these stereotypes are for women in the South Asian community today?
It's so hard to speak for everyone because our community's so big. Like if I even take my own experience, I studied science, and I was trying to be a doctor and failed at it. But I've always wanted to be an actor. I remember sitting at my dinner table with my family just as Ria sits at her dinner table with her family and she says, "I'm going to be a stunt woman," I sat at my dinner table with my parents and my brother, and I was like, "I'm going to quit my job and be an actor!" Everyone was like, "Oh, do you want to book a role first?" And I was like, "No, no, no, I have to do this!"
But I'm so thankful that I've had such incredible support from my family and those around me, and I can't imagine how difficult it must feel to be misunderstood within your own community, amongst your own people. It's so important for us to encourage diversity in this way within our own community and allow people to feel free. This is what people fought for, right? It was for us to have the choice. Our parents came here so that we have the freedoms they didn't have, but now that we are granted that, isn't it wonderful that we get to utilise that and showcase our stories and tell our stories and be a part of that? So I hope that people feel empowered when they watch this film and take inspiration from Ria, from her self-belief and the value she holds in striving for her dreams and not letting anybody else get in the way of that.
Off the back of that, a lot of judgement our women get comes from the elders in our community. However, it's one of those things where changing their mindset is difficult. What sort of advice would you give to young girls who are feeling the pressure of being crippled by this overbearing judgment?
It's so hard to speak on behalf of everyone, as I do appreciate how complex some people's situations are. I know some sets of parents are stricter than others. I've had my fair share of people being like, "What are you doing?" But it's hard, as it's not as simple as sitting around a dinner table and having a conversation sometimes. However, I think the one thing I would say is to find your tribe. Find people that you do connect to and that help support you. Like, I don't talk to my family about everything that I talk to my friends about. Not everybody in our lives plays the same role. It's nice to have people who understand you and support you in different ways. Even if your parents aren't supporting you, it makes a difference if you have people in your life who understand and are willing to be there for you in that way. It allows you to feel less alone, which is really important.
Another fabulous thing about Ria is that as well as being independent, feisty, and rebelling against norms in her culture, she doesn't necessarily drag her culture. Why was it essential for Nida to incorporate that into the character?
Absolutely, Ria is definitely all based on Nida's writing. I think, even personally, that's really important to me because we are proud of where we come from and who we are because of our family, our surroundings, and our upbringing. And you can't deny that. You can't just run away from it. It doesn't just exit you. Do you know what I mean? And it's about embracing our dual culture as well. She's both British and Pakistani, and it's important that she's able to embrace both of them. Her school life is her school, she's not pretending to be white because she has friends that are. Do you know what I mean?
And also, it's realising that even as a kid, I didn't walk around the world being like, "Oh, I'm Brown, and I'm like this, and I'm also this, and I have to present my way myself in this way." You are almost oblivious to it because you go into a routine of things. I think the main thing that is so evident in this film is how much she loves her family, right? And when you have such a deep love for the people who bring you up and who are the reason you are the way you are, you can't deny that connection. Even like, for example, the fact that at her sister's wedding, she wants to do Bollywood dance, but she doesn't shy away from it. The kid loves movies. She will go all out.
Another thing that I thought was brilliantly and hilariously addressed was how men in the South Asian community are treated over females. Have you ever seen examples of this in your life, and what do you make of it?
I've definitely seen examples of it, perhaps not this extreme, to be fair! In the movie, it's a really extreme version of it, quite gruesome too! I just think it's so fun to play around and make fun of these themes and the stereotypes within the community. But also, it really plays into the storyline, and it just makes the whole thing so much more fun, especially because, in a way, you see a lot of the story through Ria's eyes, and this exaggeration really exists. This is how she feels that boys are treated, and it's really annoying because, obviously, girls aren't treated the same. They're just not given the same treatment. So it was really fun to have a bit of fun poking at that.
In regards to that, there's also that notion within our community that our parents sacrificed a lot for us, so we have to repay them. Of course, we want to make our parents happy and proud but like to what extent? Should we really give up our ambitions to focus on making others happy?
I always say you can love and respect somebody but also understand that you require different things in your life. And I realise that's a pretty vague statement in terms of how we apply that in really complex and working relationships, especially when sometimes it's not as easy, again, as having a sit-down conversation with people or feeling like they're going to understand you. Even in the film, Ria's parents, they're like, "We let your sister go to art school, didn't we? Even if she did drop out." And they're kind of happy about the fact that she dropped out too, even though they are pretty chill in comparison to others, but also, maybe, less chill in comparison to others. It's tough to find that balance. It's like Ria trying to convince her parents, "I want to do an unorthodox job. Why can't you accept this as part of my life and accept this is who I amount? I get that you sent me to a cool school, but isn't this the point that I also get to be whoever I want to be?"
I just think it's cool how we've approached that topic in a fun way. It also doesn't feel preachy. But this is such a family watch, and I hope everyone can take a little bit of something from this and recognise the importance of allowing people to live their lives while learning to love and respect one another despite our differences.
Earlier, you touched on the fact that the South Asian community is complex, and it's sometimes difficult for people outside of our culture to understand everything we go through. You had two excellent co-stars, Ella [Bruccoleri] and Seraphina [Beh], who play Ria's BFFs. What was their main understanding of what women have to go through in our culture while filming?
I think the thing is that as much as there are so many scenarios specific to the South Asian community as a whole, this [movie] is universal. Even if it's not specifically in this way, many of us have experienced this feeling in some way or another. So, with the girls, we all just got on a house on fire. We were all so open with one another, and it was such an easy relationship. We had so much fun filming! And there was so much mutual understanding between us all as I think it's not just about the South Asian community, but it's about womanhood and sisterhood as a whole, and that extends beyond just the South Asian community and beyond between just Brown sisters.
I also wanted to address your insanely mesmerising Madhuri Dixit Maar Dala dance scene. The dance to the song is, of course, legendary, and the lyrics perfectly sum up the moment. It was executed exceptionally well. I'd assume filming something as iconic as that was more powerful than all your stunt scenes?
I feel like the stunt scenes and the dance scene were both epic in different ways, and they both require their own kind of speciality. Obviously, the stunt team was so specific with all the fight scenes. And we had an incredible choreographer work with us for the Maar Dala dance sequence. We had a few rehearsals beforehand, and some incredible dancers came and worked with us to pull that off. Honestly, it was such a dream. I grew up watching Bollywood films, and I remember watching Devdas when I was little and being absolutely mesmerised by it. And then, to have worked with our costume department and PC Williams, our costume designer, who really wanted to pay homage to Madhuri Dixit by wearing a really similar outfit to her. Now, obviously, it's so Ria as well to just be like, "Yeah, if I'm going to do this, I'm going to go all out."
I remember speaking to Nida that day and said, "I just want you to know, literally, you made my dreams come true." Because it's just mad. I got to film a Bollywood dance sequence and be a part of something that I could only have, in my wildest dreams, imagined as a kid, but also, to do it in this really fun way that feels just perfect for me, for Ria, for this entire film. So it was just so special!
What conversations do you hope this movie will lend itself to when people watch it?
I feel like the main thing I want people to go and do is just to have fun. But after such a long time which feels like a dark era sometimes, it's really nice to have films that we can go into and laugh at and that are applicable to everyone. And as for the conversations, I think this is the beauty of art and film, and all of these things are that it is a reflection of our society. It allows us to think about things on a deeper level and communicate new stories.
I feel so proud to be a part of something like this that allows us to think about these topics. And again, it's what you want to take from it. If you just wanted to go and have a fun couple of hours, well, you got that. And if you wanted to explore something more about the South Asian community, sisterhood, equality, or all of these different topics, then there is that in this as well. So it really is up to the audience to take what they want from it. I just hope they love it, even a fraction of the amount that we all loved making this.
Lastly, the movie had its premiere at Sundance, and it opened up to excellent reviews. How does all this critical acclaim make you feel?
It's, honestly, such a mix of emotions because you are nervous, you are overwhelmed, you're excited, and you are also a bit terrified! This is like our baby, this is everything. We all feel so passionately about this project. We all had so much fun working on it, and it's like giving it up to the world for everyone to have a say on it. So that's terrifying.
But also, the anticipation of doing that and wanting it now to be released to the world and everybody can see it and enjoy it was also such a relief in its own way. I remember telling myself from the beginning it does not matter who else loves this, but I love it, and I'm proud of being a part of it. So, whatever happens, is a bonus. And we were so unbelievably lucky with the reception, it was really overwhelming, and it was just so wonderful to hear that other people enjoyed it too. So yeah, it was so cool. Honestly, it's just been such a whirlwind and rollercoaster!
Catch Priya Kansara in Polite Society, in UK cinemas now.
