Afterlife flick struggles for balance

‘It’s A Wonderful Afterlife’

(Cert 12, 96 mins, Comedy/Romance)

To her overweight daughter Roopi and Jewish next-door neighbour Mrs Goldstein, Mrs Sethi is a doting mother and incredible cook, who tends to everyone around her.

Little do they know that the matriarch is a serial killer who has slain all of the people who have thwarted her efforts to marry off Roopi.

Now Mrs Sethi is haunted by the ghosts of these unfortunate victims: Curry Man, Kebab Woman, Naan Man and Rolling Pin Woman. When Roopi’s childhood crush Murthy moves back into the area, Mrs Sethi thinks her prayers have been answered.

Unfortunately, Murthy is a cop, who is attempting to catch the killer.

Equal parts humour, horror and romance, ‘It’s A Wonderful Afterlife’ is warm and fluffy as a freshly baked naan bread — which just happens to be one of Mrs Sethi’s weapons of choice.

Director Gurinder Chadha and co-writer Paul Mayeda Berges struggle to strike a perfect balance between the genres, and the tonal gear changes are occasionally crunching.

Yet for its obvious flaws, Chadha’s film holds its characters in high affection and effortlessly curries our sympathy for its overweight heroine as she searches for everlasting love in a society that values good looks above a good heart.

Rating: ***