`It`s A Wonderful...` pays tribute to `Ealing Comedies`

New Delhi: Did you Notice the looming presence of comic ghosts in the trailers of her new film ‘It`s A Wonderful Afterlife’? Britain-based Indian filmmaker Gurinder Chadha`s upcoming outing is a tribute to the classic `Ealing Comedies` of London.

‘It`s A Wonderful Afterlife’ has ghosts present throughout the film in a more comical than scary fashion just like in the `Ealing Comedies`. "I have seen few Ealing Comedies of early 1950s and have loved the genre. While scripting `It`s A Wonderful Afterlife`, I thought it will be fun if there are ghosts in the film with funny punchlines," Chadha said in a statement. "In the film they are always there on screen but only Mrs. Sethi (Shabana`s character) can see them. It`s funny to see how she interacts with them and everybody around her thinks there is something wrong with her because she is talking to herself," she added. The `Ealing Comedies` were a series of film comedies produced by Ealing Studios during the period 1947 to 1957. These usually included a degree of social comment. Some of these films were "Kind Hearts and Coronets", "The Lavender Hill Mob" and "The Ladykillers" to name a few. Shabana Azmi is hoping the genre, which is new for India, is accepted well here. "`It`s A Wonderful Afterlife` is a typical Gurinder Chadha film -- completely wacky. In Britain, the `Ealing Comedies`, which were comedic but also had an element of horror, have been very popular. However, it`s a completely new genre for India. I`m hoping the film does well and opens up the doors for a new genre in India," she said. Releasing May 7, ‘It`s A Wonderful Afterlife’ is a romantic comedy about a mother (Shabana) who goes to extreme lengths to get her daughter married. It also stars Sendhil Ramamurthy, Goldy Notay, Sally Hawkins, Jimi Mistry, Zoe Wanamaker and Mark Addy. IANS