Breakaway

While checking the usual sources for upcoming movies to review, I made an observation:  There are many films listed that are coming out of Bollywood.  Having heard that India produces more films than anyone else in the world, but never really seeing many, there seem to be many listed in what are usually Hollywood forums.  I came across one called Bodyguard.  I watched the trailer.  A very cheesy knock-off of the Costner/Houston film except this bodyguard wire fights like you'd see in a Chinese martial arts movie.  After I nearly choked on my peanut butter bagel from laughing so hard, I couldn't bring myself to review the film.  Oops, I guess I just did.  Maybe it's a comedy.

Breakaway...

Russell Peters is a hilarious stand-up comic.  Rob Lowe has become a bit of an oddball, but in a cool way.  The premise in Breakaway is that a young Sikh man with a passion and talent for ice-hockey puts together an all Sikh team and enters a tournament.  He does this in the face of opposition from his family and community.  The clash between western culture and traditional Sikh/Indian culture seems to be a common theme in Bollywood films - at least it has been in the four that I've seen.

Sikhs wear turbans; it's a religious custom.  Over the years, and in different countries, the debate of whether Sikhs should be forced to remove their turbans in professions such as law enforcement, military service and general jobs requiring a uniform continues.  In Canada recently, the federal government lifted a long-standing ban preventing Sikhs in the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) from wearing turbans while on duty.
I think this film is a way for Russell Peters to make light of that debate. 

The trailer shows some odd Bollywood style choreographed dances with hockey sticks AND there will be a non-Sikh love interest for our hero to further the conflict.  Rob Lowe (who played hockey in the film Youngblood) is the coach of the team.  I guess Coach Lowe will show the Sikh players how to fight dirty like he was taught in Youngblood.

When I saw Slumdog Millionaire I enjoyed everything but the Bollywood dancing at the end.  Maybe this one will end with a Bollywood on ice performance... Bollywood on ice, eh?  Hmmmm....

Not enough films about hockey. I'll likely see this at the Rainbow.