HOW TO TALK AUSTRALIANS

Starring Vikrant Narain, Robert Santiago, Ria Patel, Rohan Ganju, Udara David, Vishal Kotak, Ms Kamala, Eddie Baroo and Shane Jacobson.
Writers: Tony Rogers and Rob Hibbert
Director: Tony Rogers

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½

Eleven years of honing the comedic essence of a premise ought to pay off for the creative team behind HOW TO TALK AUSTRALIANS, and it does. The first of what might be many big screen undertakings for the viral YouTube hitmakers is a consistently laugh-out-loud crowdpleaser, balancing raucous humour with a sharp satirical eye and big heart.

The class taking the titular tutorial at The Delhi School of Linguistics is offered a field trip to good to miss - a whirlwind tour of Australia (“10 days across all 10 states”), first stop Sydney. But when “some drunken yobbo drives his paddockbasher out onto the tarmac” at Charles Kingsford Smith Airport, their Kangaroo Airlines flight is diverted to a landing strip in the far north-western hillbilly burg of Dubbo (actually a culturally vibrant arts and crafts hub and a technologically high-end farming community, but...comedic licence, let’s say).   

Thus sets in motion a fish-out-of-water adventure that pits educated, ambitious Indians against a slice of the Australiana heartland populated by mostly lairish, drunken, stupid bogans. In the good-natured spirit of Tony Rogers’ and Rob Hibberts’ script, the casual racism of these outdated Australian stereotypes is played for both gentle laughs (on spotting an Indian at their front gate, one boorish Aussie asks his wife, “Kelly, did you order a cab?”) and targeted takedowns.

Under Roger’s direction, the mostly non-pro cast generate great chemistry - standouts include Vikrant Narain as the clueless Dean of Studies; Robert Santiago as his well-meaning offsider; Ria Patel, one of the few IMDb-listed cast members, as strong-willed Sharna; and, stealing most of his scenes with a consummate deadpan delivery, Rohan Ganju as unlikely ladies man, Chester.

HOW TO TALK AUSTRALIANS (the name of the course they are taking in Delhi) is broad and silly and crude, often brilliantly so, but it also a rare glimpse of ourselves through the lens of visitors to this country. While it doesn’t demand you apply some more profound meaning to their outback odyssey, it wouldn’t hurt for a few of us to take a step back and acknowledge that these visitors sincerely hope to love this land. And how we greet them is not always as the best versions of ourselves.