''Triads, Yardies and Onion Bhajees'' is a 2003 British

crime film Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...

directed by Sarjit Bains, telling the story of a hitman working in London. The film stars real-life ex-gangster and underworld don Dave Courtney. Brainchild of Manish Patel, who plays the role of Singh, the story's protagonist, ''Triads, Yardies and Onion Bhajees'' was showcased in a

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...

documentary on the making of the film. The film draws upon the imagery of Hindu deity

Kali Kali (; , ), also called Kalika, is a major goddess in Hinduism, primarily associated with time, death and destruction. Kali is also connected with transcendental knowledge and is the first of the ten Mahavidyas, a group of goddesses who p ...

, traditionally invoked to vanquish evil, with the three gangs being likened to modern-day thugees. After its Cannes showcase the film was optioned by 4 Digital Media and went on UK wide release through the independent cinema network.

Plot

''Triads, Yardies and Onion Bhajees'' is primarily an action movie but it has a mythological and spiritual vein running through it. The character of Chacha worships the Hindu goddess

, and a statue of Kali is shown both in his home and in his office. Chacha is seen praying to the goddess in a temple. Chacha's influence and teachings have also influenced members of his gang. The image of Kali can be seen in the homes of his various gang members. The smoke emanating from the incense surrounding the Kali statue in the temple is deemed to be holy, and Chacha names his crime syndicate "The Holy Smokes". The film suggests that the goddess Kali is watching the proceedings unfold before her and ultimately will decide who lives and who dies.

Cast

*Manish Patel as Singh * Dave Courtney as Mad Dave *Jass Bassi as Chacha *Jonathan Reason as Greaves *Peter Rnic as Big Kev *Jamille Riverol as Tia *Ashvin Kumar Joshi as Jaz *Fran Labbe as Abz *Sukie Ghajminger as Rocky *Yasmine Maya as Trudy *Native as Lloyd *Charles Udemezue as Errol *Richard Angol as Rufus *Peter Peralta as Billy Chan *Alex Fung as Li Fung *Ines Boughanmi as Chacha's daughter

References

External links

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''Triads, Yardies and Onion Bhajees''
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British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lang ...

''Triads, Yardies and Onion Bhajees''
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India Today ''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media, Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' laun ...

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Lancashire Telegraph The ''Lancashire Telegraph'', formerly the ''Lancashire Evening Telegraph'', is a local tabloid newspaper distributed in East Lancashire, England. It is edited by Richard Duggan. The ''Lancashire Telegraph'' prints Monday to Saturday. There a ...

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Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, Engl ...

2003 films 2003 crime drama films British crime action films British Indian films British independent films Films shot in London Films set in London 2003 directorial debut films 2000s English-language films 2000s British films British gangster films English-language crime drama films {{2000s-UK-film-stub