Praying with Anger

Praying with Anger
Directed by	M. Night Shyamalan
Written by	M. Night Shyamalan
Produced by	M. Night Shyamalan
Starring	M. Night Shyamalan Michael Muthu
Cinematography	Madhu Ambat
Edited by	Frank Reynolds
Music by	Edmund Choi
Production company	Crescent Moon
Distributed by	Cinevistaas
Release dates	12 September 1992 (1992-09-12) (United States) (Toronto Film Festival)
Running time	107 minutes
Countries	India United States
Language	English

Praying with Anger is a 1992 independent drama film directed by M. Night Shyamalan, who made his directorial debut. Shyamalan also wrote, produced, and starred in the film.

It is about a young Indian American's return to India and explores the clash of Western values with those of the Indian subcontinent.

Plot

M Night Shyamalan plays Dave Ramen, an Indian-American immigrant studying abroad in India. He is treated with distrust by most people he interacts with including the family he is living with and university professors.

Dave stays at the house of a family that is getting paid by the University to house students studying abroad. There he meets the families two children, Sanjay and Rupal. Rupal asks if he’s met Michael Jackson.

Sanjay and Dave go to temple. Dave notices everyone praying very intensely. Sanjay explains there are different Gods that represent different things, and you pray to a different one depending on what you’re praying for.

Later in the film, Sanjay addresses a rumor that Dave is violent, and Dave admits that he punched a bully for making fun of him for being Indian. The bully knocked his head on a locker and his family sued. Dave admits he has a temper, but someone would really have to push him for it to get out of control.

In the next scene, Sanjay and Dave go to class, where The Professor gives him a dressing down and tells him he doesn’t put up with any nonsense. Dave notices that the class is separated by gender, with the male students on the right side of the room and the female students on the left. We are introduced to Sabika, the main love interest of the film. She comes from a very traditional family.

Sanjay asks Dave if he believes in ghosts. Dave says not really, but that those kinda things freak him out. Sanjay teases him and implies that he’s seen ghosts, just not in this house.

Dave speaks with Rupal. She confides in him that she wants to marry a boy who works at a bank, but her parents disapprove. She says they’re in love, regardless of what her parents say. Rupal gets called away and gets disciplined for talking with Dave.

Later, Dave approaches Sabika in public. She freaks out because he touches her shoulder to get her attention. Sanjay tells Dave that touching a woman you’re not married to is inappropriate here.

We are then introduced to main antagonist of the film, Raj, who enters with his gang. They start interrogating the boys and pushing Dave around and demand he salute them. When Dave refuses, they start getting rough with him. Dave retaliates, and then the bullies really start laying into him, as The Professor stands and observes from the doorway. The Professor blames Dave for the incident, and brings up Daves history of violence. Dave is reprimanded despite being the victim in the situation.

Sanjay explains that what happened was a common occurrence, like hazing. He says he’s been through the same thing many times.

Dave then gets kicked out of class for disagreeing with the professor about Shakespeare.

Sanjay and Dave agree to visit Daves fathers old apartment before going to temple again, where Sanjay explains the origin of the God Ganesh. Dave questions the legitimacy of the story, but Sanjay replies “it doesn’t matter who you’re praying to, as long as you’re praying”.

In the next scene, Raj is suspended for cheating and Dave starts to think things are getting better. He runs into Sabika again and apologizes for their introduction. Sabika, seeing Dave is American, says her uncle lives in America, and that she sometimes thinks Indians only feel hate or love, nothing in between. She predicts that many people who feel negatively towards Dave will favor him soon.

Sanjay and Rupal ask if Dave wants to see a swami (which is a Hindu saint). Dave says he wants to see as much of India as he can, and agrees to go see the Swami. Dave doesn’t know how to act, asking him “what’s up” and trying to give him a high five. The Swami infers that Dave is from America, and asks if he knows Michael Jackson. Dave talks to him about his family. He tells the Swami that he doesn’t feel like he measured up to his fathers expectations. Then the Swami tells Dave an inspiring story that lifts his spirits.

Sanjay and Dave get harassed by some other upper classmen, who knock books out of their hands and force them to ask the female students inappropriate questions.

Dave sees a chicken head hanging from a tree, a sign that someone has seen a ghost. They attend a séance. The medium says to Dave that the spirits appeared because of him, and that he has a clean soul that the spirits like.

Back at the house, Rupal argues with her parents as Dave explains Indian customs and how the various communities have their own traditions, and fears of their traditions not being carried on if their communities inter-mingle. Rupal runs to her brother crying, implying her parents still do not approve of her boyfriend.

Raj calls Dave out of class, which The Professor gladly obliges. Once outside, Raj punches Dave in the stomach, and leads him away. He forces Dave to drink until intoxicated, then forces him to cross a busy street. Dave nearly gets hit by a car.

Dave visits the old house where his father spent his youth. The man that owns the house was an old friend of Daves father, and shows him many letters from him, where he writes lovingly about his only son. Dave says he’s starting to get used to India, right before getting robbed by criminals. They wander into town and make phone calls, and in exchange for work, get enough money for a bus home. At the end of the workday, Dave plays football with some of the village children.

Dave sees a shadow on the wall even though no one is in the room with him. It is implied that this is a ghost of his father, but it looks more like a gay rendezvous.

In the next scene, Dave is getting disciplined for missing an exam while he was stranded in the village. The principal implies that Dave is cheating, and that’s the only reason his grades are the second highest in the class. He reveals that he takes personal pleasure in finding and expelling cheaters, and greatly enjoyed expelling Raj. He says he’ll be keeping a close eye on Dave.

Sabika and Dave sit by the big tree they met at earlier. They talk about how Rupal is getting married to the boy she loves, despite her parents wishes. Sabika tells Dave that she wants to be a dancer, but she’s set up with an arranged marriage, so she’s destined to be an obedient housewife.

Dave attends Rupals wedding. He meets her husband and he asks him if he knows Michael Jackson.

Final Exam time. The principal is looking in on the class to try to catch Dave cheating, but Dave holds up a note saying “I See You”.

After the test, Sanjay and Dave run into Raj and his gang. Raj taunts Sanjay, and they nearly fight, but Dave holds him back.

Back at the house, we see Rupal and her mother stewing. She admits to missing her daughter, they reconcile, and asks Rupal to bring her new husband over for dinner some time.

The night before his flight back home, Dave hears a riot outside. There was a car accident, and a drunk Muslim driver ended up killing a small Hindu boy. A crowd forms and tensions escalate. Raj shows up with his friends on motorcycles. More and more people pour out onto the street, and someone throws a brick through the window. Sanjay runs out trying to find who threw the brick, and Dave follows him. They see a man carrying gasoline towards the crowd. They see Raj, wielding a piece of broken glass, fighting the principal. Dave apprehends Raj and disarms him, throws him to the ground, and starts punching him. He hears the crowd shouting “Kill him, Kill him” and he immediately stops. As he’s walking away, he sees the mob throw Raj to the ground and douse him in gasoline. A man says “where is your Musliim God now?” lights a match, ready to kill him.

At the last second, Dave steps in and pushes the man aside. He grabs the can of gas and splashes it at the crowd. He holds out a lit match and asks them all “Whos God is gonna save them? Is it yours? How about yours?” He blows out the match and tells everyone to go home.

Dave says that Indians are the most passionate people he’s ever seen. When they’re praying, they’re devout, but when they are angry, they are furious. They go back to the school to check their grades, and he runs into Raj, who salutes him. Dave meets with Sabika one last time, and confesses his love for her. She tells him she’s engaged to a man she’s never met. Then she touches his hand which is a significant moment.

Sanjay finds Dave at temple, where he is praying. Dave tells Sanjay that he’s never felt more intense emotions before in his life since coming to India. Sanjay tells him it’s time to leave, and the movie ends.

Release

The film never received a wide release for mainstream distribution and has been shown primarily at film festivals. Praying with Anger screened at the 1993 AFI Fest, where it won the "First Film Competition" for American independent filmmakers.

Cast and characters

• M. Night Shyamalan as Dev Raman
• Mike Muthu as Sanjay
• Richa Ahuja as Rupal Mohan
• Sushma Ahuja as Mrs. Mohan
• Arun Balachandran as Raj Kahn
• Christabal Howie as Sabitha

External links

• Praying with Anger at IMDb