+ Live Podcast Recording

Dir. Nida Manzoor
2023 | 103 + 30 mins conversation with Anna Smith | UK
Priya Kansara, Ritu Arya, Renu Brindle

Join us for a screening of Polite Society, presented by the Girls On Film podcast as part of the BFI’s Art of Action season. Directed by Nida Manzoor (We Are Lady Parts), this genre-blending British feature debut weaves action and comedy into a spirited tale of a young martial artist who makes an elaborate attempt to prevent her sister’s wedding.

16-year-old Ria Khan (Priya Kansara) is an aspiring stuntwoman living in London with her family. Loyal to her older sister Lena (Ritu Arya), she’s aghast when Lena becomes engaged to surgeon Salim (Akshay Khanna) – the charming, wealthy scion of the prominent Shah family – and announces their imminent move to Singapore. Is it sibling envy or loss Ria feels, or is something genuinely awry? After enlisting the help of her friends, Ria attempts to pull off the most ambitious of all wedding heists in the name of independence, sisterhood and all stuntwomen, alive and dead.

This dynamic, energetic and wickedly funny film tells an Austen-esque tale of two sisters via anarchic genre shifts that take in action comedy, martial arts, Bollywood and social horror. Beautifully designed, fantastically choreographed and boasting a tremendously witty, punchy script, it’s the ultimate action smash-up which sets new levels for a genre which borrows and blends from the best.

After the film, stay for a live podcast recording with critic, broadcaster and host of Girls On Film, Anna Smith, joined by a special guest.