Product Description

When his conservative mom arrives to visit, a gay man attempts to keep his boyfriend and his London lifestyle in the closet with hilarious results!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17546 in DVD
• Brand: MISTRY,JIMI
• Released on: 2005-01-11
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Chinese, English, French, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .24 pounds
• Running time: 91 minutes

From the Back Cover
"Touch of Pink" is a comic clash of cultures, values, and sexuality. Alim ("The Guru"'s Jimi Mistry) seems to have it all: a great career, a handsome boyfriend, and a personal guide in the spirit of Cary Grant (Kyle MacLachlan from TV's "Sex and the City"). And living thousands of miles from his mother Nuru (Suleka Mathew) and his family in Toronto, he can keep his lifestyle hidden. But when Alim's conservative mom pays an impromptu visit, with the intention of dragging her son to a big fat monsoon wedding and getting him matched up with a "nice girl," the spirit of Cary Grant suddenly becomes indispensable.

Customer Reviews

The golden age of Hollywood romance, but with a modern twist
Touch of Pink would have to be one of the most enjoyable films to be released in some time. Although the Anglo/Indian cross-cultural themes have been done before in films like Bend It Like Beckham, A Touch of Pink would have to one of the first films where the narrative is given a wickedly gay slant. Combining his love of old Hollywood movies, with elements of his own culturally conservative background, writer-director Ian Iqbal Rashid paints a picture of a world where indulging in gentle, romantic fantasies helps one get through the day, and where young gay men can present many different identities and personalities.

The story revolves around the family and love life of Alim (Jim Mistry). He's an Indian who was born in Kenya, raised in Canada, and as an adult, moved to England. In London, Ali lives a great life - he has a nice apartment, he is openly gay, and Giles (Kristen Holden-Ried), his live-in boyfriend, is a kind, devoted, and supportive blond hunk. But Alim is still not out to his traditional Indian Muslim family, who now live in Toronto.

Alim also has a secret: he thinks he's living with the ghost of Cary Grant (played with dashing charm by Kyle MacLachlan). While Alim works at his job as a movie-still photographer, and hangs out in his pajamas to watch classic movies, Cary Grant sits beside him offering friendly advice and a sympathetic ear. Alim is obviously has a terrible crush on him, and Cary has become his most trusted companion. When Alim's conservative mother Nuru (a gorgeous Suleka Mathew) drops in unexpectedly for a visit, Alim must devise a plan to hide his gay life from her.

Nuru feels bitter and resentful about the Caucasian Brits. She's also angry because when she was a young girl she wanted to be an Indian Doris Day, but she realized pretty early on that no one wanted one. Wary of her astringency and suspiciousness, Alim and Grant devise their own charade: Giles must become is his flat mate, and Giles' cute, easygoing sister (Lisa Repo-Martell) his fiancée. Of course things don't go as planned, and things backfire when lies lead to more deception. Alim is eventually forced to confront the ghosts of his own making and come out to his mother.

A Touch of Pink is basically about the difficulties of coming out, particularly to one's family, but more importantly, to one's self. It isn't until Alim has exorcised many of the doubts and difficulties from his life, that he can be truly honest, and let the ghost of Cary Grant go. The adorable Mistry does a great job of conveying Alim's neurosis and uncertainty about his life and his mother's acceptance of him. MacLachlan also does a good impersonation of Cary Grant as he spews up all sorts of harebrained advice that gets Alim in more trouble. Although, towards the end of the film, his contestant presence does begin to get a bit wearing.

Nuru is a well-drawn, quite wonderful creation, and Suleka Mathew's stunning beauty adds to Nuru's mixture of vituperative sass and hidden vulnerability. She's torn between her desire to see her son happy and her urge to make it appear to her gossipy relatives that Alim is a happily married, well adjusted heterosexual. A Touch of Pink is a charming, graceful movie, full of heart-felt emotion and realistic, relevant characters. The notion that one must be true to one's self is of the utmost importance, but as Alim discovers, honesty and truly being happy, inevitably come at a price. Mike Leonard November 04.

Touch of Fun
Think Bend it Like Beckham with a La Cage Aux Folles twist, then you'll get a Touch of Pink.

In a fun nod to the comedies of the 1950's, with modern implications, Touch of Pink combines a culture clash with a generation clash, with an end result that's predicatable but fun. Written by Ian Rashid, Touch of Pink stars Jimi Mistry as the hapless protaginist Alim, forced to throw his life, and his saucy boyfriend played by Kristen Holden-Reid, back into the closet when his noisy Muslim mother decides to visit him in England. Alim's invented an imaginary friend in the form of Cary Grant, played refreshingly by Kyle McLaughlin, who offers advice through the film, not all of it good.

What follows is fairly predictable, and anyone can see the ending from a mile away. But still, the journey getting there is a wonderful ride. Rashid's script is witty, and several lines earn a good hearty out-loud laugh. The performances are sharp, especially Suleka Matthew, who's obviously way too young to be Alim's mother, but delivers her lines with zing and zest and a great deal of fun.

I recommend getting a Touch of Pink if you'd like a touch of fun and a good evening at the movies.

Bollywood Meets Hollywood
This review refers to "Touch of Pink" DVD edition(Columbia/Tristar)

Bollywood meets Hollywood in this simply charming romantic comedy. If you loved The Birdcage, you must give this one a look.

Alim's cousin is getting married. His Aunt and Uncle are well to do and are pulling out all the stops. Nuru, his mother, wants to keep up with the family's strict Muslim values and traditions, and decides to make a surprise visit to Alim at his apartment in London. Her intentions are to get him back to the impending nuptials in Toronto, and find a worthy girl for him as well.

The only little problem is, Alim is already spoken for. He has been enjoying life with his very handsome boyfriend. Living in London, with the rest of the family in Toronto, he has been able to keep his lifestyle a secret. It is not a relationship that his mother will understand.

The couple go to great lengths to hide their relationship, but eventually they know she must be told. How will she react? What about the rest of the family, will they be able to handle this news? It's a great view finding out.

Added to the fun of this comic and touching tale, is Alim's invisible friend, in the form of none other then Cary Grant,played impeccably by Kyle MacLachlan. Cary is always there to dole out advice to poor Alim in all his confusion. Cary cleverly uses scenes from his own films, to steer Alim in the right direction.

Written and directed by Ian Iqbal Rashid it is a film that will leave you smiling. One that will stand up to repeated viewings.
Jimi Mistry does a fine job in his role of Alim and Suleka Mathew is marvelous as Nuru. The DVD is very nice. A beautiful picture in anamorphic widescreen with excellent color and sound. There is a making of featurette and commentary as well.

Enjoy...Laurie
also recommended:La Cage Aux Folles