''Sixth Happiness'' is a 1997 British

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n director

Waris Hussein Waris Hussein (''né'' Habibullah; born 9 December 1938) is a British-Indian television and film director. At the beginning of his career he was employed by the BBC as its youngest drama director. He directed early episodes of ''Doctor Who'', inc ...

. It is based on the 1991 autobiography of Firdaus Kanga, entitled '' Trying to Grow''. Kanga plays a fictionalized version of himself in the film, which involves themes about

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

, race and

sex Sex is the biological trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing organism produces male or female gametes. During sexual reproduction, a male and a female gamete fuse to form a zygote, which develops into an offspring that inheri ...

. ''Sixth Happiness'' also features performances from Souad Faress,

Nina Wadia Nina Wadia (born 18 December 1968) is a British actress. She is known for portraying Zainab Masood in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', Aunty Noor in '' Citizen Khan'', Mrs Hussein in the BBC comedy ''Still Open All Hours'' and for starring i ...

Indira Varma Indira Anne Varma (born 27 September 1973) is a British actress and narrator. Her film debut and first major role was in '' Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love''. She is known for her television roles, such as playing Niobe in the BBC and HBO series ''R ...

, and

Meera Syal Meera Syal FRSL (born Feroza Syal; 27 June 1961) is an English comedian, writer, playwright, singer, journalist and actress. She rose to prominence as one of the team that created '' Goodness Gracious Me'' and by portraying Sanjeev's grandmoth ...

Plot

''Sixth Happiness'' is about Brit, a boy born with

brittle bones Osteogenesis imperfecta (; OI), colloquially known as brittle bone disease, is a group of genetic disorders that all result in bones that break easily. The range of symptoms—on the skeleton as well as on the body's other organs—may be m ...

who never grows taller than four feet, and his sexual awakening as family life crumbles around him. The story begins in the early 1960s in the

Parsee The Parsis or Parsees () are a Zoroastrian ethnic group in the Indian subcontinent. They are descended from Persian refugees who migrated to the Indian subcontinent during and after the Arab-Islamic conquest of Iran in the 7th century, whe ...

community of Mumbai. Parsees, descendants of the

Persian empire The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire, also known as the Persian Empire or First Persian Empire (; , , ), was an Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid dynasty in 550 BC. Based in modern-day Iran, it was the larg ...

, settled in western India after escaping an

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

ic invasion in Persia in the seventh century. Under the Raj, Parsees had a close relationship with the British. Brit is named by his mother after his brittle bone condition and in tribute to her love of Britain. Brit's family is non-stereotypical: his parents are ardent

Anglophile An Anglophile is a person who admires or loves England, its people, its culture, its language, and/or its various accents. In some cases, Anglophilia refers to an individual's appreciation of English history and traditional English cultural ico ...

s with fond memories of the Raj and

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. While Brit's mother accepts her son unconditionally, his father has a harder time coming to terms with his disability. As Brit matures into adulthood, he becomes aware of his attraction to other men. This is exacerbated with the visit of Cyrus, a handsome young lodger who comes to stay with the Kotwal family.

Cast

Critical reception

David Noh of ''

Film Journal International ''Film Journal International'' was a motion-picture industry trade magazine published by the American company Prometheus Global Media. It was a sister publication of '' Adweek'', '' Billboard'', ''The Hollywood Reporter'', and other periodical ...

'' gave a positive review, writing "What could easily have been a maudlin exercise a la TV-Movie Disease-of-the-Week is lightened throughout by a highly observant comic take on this eccentric, quick-witted family and their even more colorful neighbors." He added, "Veteran director Hussein (''

The Possession of Joel Delaney ''The Possession of Joel Delaney'' is a 1970 horror novel by American writer Ramona Stewart. Its plot follows a woman who comes to believe her brother has been spirit possession, possessed by the spirit of a serial killer. It was adapted into th ...

'', ''

Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx ''Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx'' is a 1970 comedy film directed by Waris Hussein, written by Gabriel Walsh, and starring Gene Wilder and Margot Kidder. It focuses on a poor Irish manure collector (Wilder) who falls in love with an ...

'') obviously loves these characters and fully shares that love with the audience. James Welland's rich-hued photography makes the most of both interiors and gorgeous Bombay settings." Lawrence Van Gelder of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' wrote, "Presented without sentiment, Brit is no angel. He can be manipulative and selfish as well as perceptive and funny. And as Mr. Kanga and Mr. Hussein know, these qualities make him human and very much worth knowing." '' Time Out'' was also positive, writing: "This adaptation conveys the book's joie de vivre and most particularly its gloriously non-PC take on the subject. Kanga wrote the screenplay, plays the lead and also does pieces to camera commenting on the action. Astonishingly, he pulls off all three with aplomb, assisted by a strong cast – notably Souad Faress as his mother. Waris Hussein's direction uses some interesting tricks without being tricksy. A witty film: perspicacious and generous in its gaze." In contrast, Dennis Harvey of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' gave a critical review in which he said the film's mix of drama and comedy does not cohere. He wrote, "Though story sports plenty of complications, script and direction downplay melodramatic potential and pathos in favor of a quirky, humorously anecdotal approach. Unfortunately,

he filmmakers He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...

seldom carry it off."

References

External links

* *
Sixth Happiness
' at

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sixth Happiness 1997 films 1997 drama films 1997 LGBTQ-related films British drama films British Indian films British LGBTQ-related films Indian LGBTQ-related films Gay-related films Films based on Indian novels Films directed by Waris Hussein Semi-autobiographical films 1990s English-language films 1990s British films English-language drama films Films set in the 1960s Films set in the 1970s Films shot in London Films shot in Maharashtra Films set in Mumbai Films shot in Mumbai Films about disability in India Films about dysfunctional families Films about sexuality Films about suicide Films about writers