Writer/director Chris Smith moves a Randy Russell short story from Iowa to Panjim in the Indian state of Goa (and from English to Hindi) for this cross-class love story. Representing a significant change of tack for a director best known for the mirthful documentaries American Movie (1999) and The Yes Men (2003), the slow-burning drama here owes much to the neo-realist style favoured by the doyen of Parallel (ie non-Bollywood) Indian Cinema, Satyajit Ray. But this is very much a latter-day fairy tale, as 18-year-old hotel worker Venatesh Chavan builds a friendship with Ayesha Mohan, while cleaning the pool of her Mumbai businessman father Nana Patekar, whom she has not forgiven for a family tragedy. Mischievously supported by 11-year-old Jhangir Badshah, who gets by selling plastic bags to tourists, Chavan is an unlikely romantic hero. But Smith avoids clichés and stereotypes by maintaining a discreet distance, and allows the charming action to unfold through to its poignant finale.