Film: Lakshmi

I'm always worried about highly rated Indian films - they're generally overrated. Same goes for films about worthy causes, good projects and so on - the rating tends to reflect the worthiness of the subject matter, not the quality of the film. But I tend to give them the benefit of the doubt, which is why I went to see Lakshmi today - the opening gala film of the London Asian Film Festival, showing at the Tricycle. Subject matter: based on real-life stories, this film tells the story of a 13-year-old girl, kidnapped from her village and sold to a brothel in Hyderabad.

I've been to the Tricycle a couple of times before, and took the Overground straight there. Unfortunately, it was closed today - planned engineering works. As my flatmate remarked when I complained to him, it's always the Overground or the District Line! Well, my alternative route was to trek to Earl's Court again and take the Piccadilly Line - again - to Green Park, then change to the Jubilee Line, and take that to Kilburn. Which is just up the road from the Overground station I would normally have gone to. So, not that much extra trouble, except for the change of trains, and the extra charge for going through Zone 1. Mind you, I was lucky - the Jubilee Line was out of action until 11 o'clock this morning!

Again, I had time for a banana before I left. And thus began a long journey - nearly an hour. Kilburn, when I got there, was bathed in sunlight - temperatures seem to be recovering again. The closer entrance to the Tricycle is the rear entrance, so I missed coming in on the red carpet they'd laid down! There were also posters, information leaflets, and some women who'd made a real effort, wearing elaborate saris and shalwar kameez. And they'd laid on free snacks and wine! Now, that's what I call a film festival! So I had a bhaji and a small glass of wine - figured I'd better not have too much, given that my food of the day so far had consisted of a banana and a bhaji!

When the screen opened, I took my seat, which was lovely and comfy. It occurred to me that the only previous time I've been in the cinema part of this complex was for a Jewish film festival. Well, I suppose it would take a festival to get me up here for a film! Anyhow, after some brief speechifying, the lights darkened. And after protracted advertising for Oxfam, the film finally began.

In short, it's overrated. It's an ok film, but not a great film. The acting is pretty ho-hum in general, the direction is lacking. Which is a real pity, because the story is gripping, and the film does pick up as the tension ratchets up towards the end. You can see where they were going with this - they just didn't quite get there. It deserves its 18 rating all right, for the abuse scenes, and it's almost a good film. Just, as I say, not quite. And I didn't bother to stay for the director's Q+A.

I ate in Nando's on the way back, as I usually do when I'm in Kilburn. I love the fact that, no matter how often you use your points to get free food, they never take them away! They just keep increasing. So that was a cheap meal then - just pay for a drink and sides. Mind you, this branch is primarily for takeaways, which is what the staff focus on - I was left waiting more than half an hour for my food, and when it arrived, the mash was almost cold. Meantime, with my phone battery dead and not having thought to bring reading material, I was left with nothing more to do than stare at all the tables that hadn't been cleared yet. And weren't, while I was waiting. Neither did anyone come to me while I was eating, to ask me how it was - as they're supposed to. You're supposed to order dessert at your table, and I would have - but didn't fancy my chances of anyone ever coming near me, so I just left.

Guildford tomorrow, an early start and a late return, so I won't be going to anything tomorrow night. Top of my film list for Tuesday is a sci-fi, unusually - nice to see a good one released. Edge of Tomorrow is rating consistently highly, and showing in my local cinema, goodee. The ones with an unusual plot tend to rate highly, and to be good - this one has Tom Cruise fighting the alien invaders, but apparently there's some facility whereby he can go back and do it again and again till he gets it right, a la Groundhog Day. Emily Blunt is his trainer, or something, who keeps making him do it over until it works out. In order to repeat, however, he has to die. So she has the job of shooting him in the head, if something else doesn't get him first. What fun! We can all vicariously live out our kill-Tom-Cruise fantasies! And apparently he takes it all in good humour. There is, apparently, as one reviewer described it, a completely unnecessary sexual frisson between them, but it doesn't distract too much. We also have Bill Paxton as his master sergeant, and Brendan Gleeson as the general. Sounds like fun..