''The Ode'' is a 2008 film directed by Nilanjan Neil LahiriUSC: Asia Pacific Arts: Outfest 2008: capsule reviews
/ref> and starring Sachin Bhatt,

Wilson Cruz Wilson Cruz (born Wilson Echevarría; December 27, 1973) is an American actor known for playing Rickie Vasquez on ''My So-Called Life'', Angel in the Broadway tour production of ''Rent (musical), Rent'', Hugh Culber, Dr. Hugh Culber on ''Star Tr ...

and

Sakina Jaffrey Sakina Jaffrey (born February 14, 1962) is an American actress. Early life Jaffrey was born in New York City, the youngest daughter of Indian-born parents, actress and food and travel writer Madhur Jaffrey, and actor Saeed Jaffrey. Her parents ...

. The film is an adaptation of the novel, ''Ode to Lata'' by Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla. The biopic was shot on location in

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

and in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and produced by Ratna Maity, with Bharat Shah as executive producer. The film marks the acting debut of Indian actress, Manchu Lakshmi.

''Ode to Lata''

The film is an adaptation of the book ''Ode to Lata'' written by Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla. It was a critically acclaimed debut novel for the author published in 2002.Vada magazine: Review
/ref> It provides an insight into an often maligned realm of LGBT life through its focus on racial diversity on the scene. ''Los Angeles Times Book Review'' called it "An achievement... This story resonates for any and all of us. A book of healing, of a soul coming to terms with itself and the body and mind it inhabits". A 10th anniversary edition was published in November 2012.

Synopsis

The storyline spans two generations of Indians. There is the doomed but passionate love story of Parin (Sakina Jaffrey) and Shiraz (Anil Kumar). This is intertwined with the life of their gay son Ali (Sachin Bhatt) who discovers that the past is always present no matter how far you run from it. Ali flees to Hollywood, away from his overprotective mother and the memories of his father's violent death. A successful banker by day, at night Ali's life unravels in a blur of alcohol, drugs, and sex as he grapples with love, loss and ultimately, forgiveness. When his mother comes to Los Angeles to visit Ali in a last-ditch attempt to bring him back home and change his ways, the trapdoors of the past are flung open. Through Ali's struggle to break free and in his obsessive relationship with Richard (Diego Serrano), we glimpse into a troubled past he cannot escape and which threatens to destroy him unless he finds peace with his mother.

Cast

* Sachin Bhatt as Ali *

as Adrian *

as Parin *

Parvesh Cheena Parvesh Singh Cheena (born July 22, 1979) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Gupta in the TV series ''Outsourced'' and as Sunil Odhav on ''Crazy Ex-Girlfriend''. He also voices Bodhi in '' T.O.T.S.'' Early life Cheena was ...

as Salman * Diego Serrano as Richard *

Rebecca Hazlewood Rebecca Jane Hazlewood is a British actress. She was born in Wales and grew up in the village of Kingswinford in the Black Country, West Midlands. She is of Anglo-Indian descent. Career Hazlewood was discovered by Caryn Franklin, who select ...

as Young Parin *

Philip Anthony-Rodriguez Philip Anthony-Rodriguez is an American actor known for his roles on ''Jake 2.0'' as Kyle Duarte, the voice of disc jockey Maurice Chavez in the 2002 video game '' Grand Theft Auto: Vice City'', and as Jetstream Sam in the 2013 video game '' Me ...

as Nelson *

Lakshmi Manchu Manchu Lakshmi Prasanna (born 8 October 1977) is an Indian actress, producer, and television presenter who works in Telugu cinema and worked in American television. The daughter of actor Mohan Babu, Manchu holds a bachelor's degree in Theatre fr ...

as Najma *

Enrique Almeida Enrique () is the Spanish variant of the given name Heinrich of Germanic origin. Equivalents in other languages are Henry (English), Enric (Catalan), Enrico (Italian), Henrik (Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian), Heinrich (German), Hendrik, Henk (Du ...

as Cholo (1) *

Noel Gugliemi Noel Albert Gugliemi (also known as Noel G.) is an American actor best known for his portrayals of Southern Californian gangsters. Gugliemi has received some notoriety for having played characters named ''Hector'' in several movies and TV shows. ...

as Cholo (2) *

Ajay Mehta Ajay Mehta ( ) () is an Indian actor based in North America, known for his deep baritone voice. Early life and education Mehta was born in New Delhi, India and he was educated in New Delhi, in Mayo College and St. Stephen's College. Accordin ...

as Mr. Surani *

Anoush NeVart ''Anoush'' (also Anush, hy, Անուշ) is a five-act opera composed by Armen Tigranian, based on the 1892 poem of the same name by Hovhannes Tumanyan. Originally composed in 1912, it was first performed in Alexandropol, but it had to wait until ...

as Mrs. Surani (credited as Anna NeVart) *

Yasmine Delawari Yasmin, Yasmine, or Yasmina may refer to: People * Yasmin (given name), a feminine given name, and sometimes surname * Yasmin (musician) (born 1993), English singer, songwriter, and DJ * Yasmine (pornographic actress), Yasmine Lafitte, French actre ...

as Guli *Anil Kumar as Shiraz

Screenings

''The Ode'' premiered at the

Outfest Outfest is an LGBTQ-oriented nonprofit that produces two film festivals, operates a movie streaming platform, and runs educational services for filmmakers in Los Angeles. Outfest is one of the key partners, alongside the Frameline Film Festival ...

Film Festival on July 17, 2008 to a sold-out audience.

References

External links

*
''The Ode'' – film page on vimeo.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ode, The 2008 films American LGBT-related films Films set in Kenya 2000s English-language films 2000s American films