Sixth Happiness
Encyclopedia
Sixth Happiness is a 1997 film
directed by India
n director
Waris Hussein
. It is based on the autobiography of Firdaus Kanga
entitled Trying To Grow. Kanga played himself in this film about Britain
, India
, race and sex
.
Sixth Happiness is about Brit, a boy born with brittle bones who never grows taller than four feet, and his sexual awakening as family life crumbles around him. It is also about the Parsi or Parsees - descendants of the Persian empire who were driven out of Persia by an Islam
ic invasion more than a thousand years ago and settled in western India. Parsees had a close relationship with the British during the years of the Raj
. Brit is named by his mother, both after his brittle bones, and in tribute to his mother's love of Britain.
Brit's family is non-stereotypical: his parents are ardent Anglophiles with fond memories of the Raj and World War II
. Brit is bright, spiky, opinionated and selfish with a razor-sharp wit, never a martyr
or victim. He prefers the Kama Sutra
to Shakespeare and does not allow gender
or disability to come in the way of his desire for sex and love.
Sixth Happiness also features performances from Souad Faress
, Nina Wadia
, Indira Varma
, and Meera Syal
.
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
directed by India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Waris Hussein
Waris Hussein
Waris Hussein is a British-Indian television director and film director best known for his many productions for British television....
. It is based on the autobiography of Firdaus Kanga
Firdaus Kanga
Firdaus Kanga is a writer and actor who lives in London. He has written a novel, Trying to Grow a semi-autobiographical novel set in India and a travel book Heaven on Wheels about his experiences in the United Kingdom...
entitled Trying To Grow. Kanga played himself in this film about Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, race and sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
.
Sixth Happiness is about Brit, a boy born with brittle bones who never grows taller than four feet, and his sexual awakening as family life crumbles around him. It is also about the Parsi or Parsees - descendants of the Persian empire who were driven out of Persia by an Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic invasion more than a thousand years ago and settled in western India. Parsees had a close relationship with the British during the years of the Raj
Raj
Raj and Rajya mean "royalty" or "kingdom" in many Sanskrit and Hindu languages, and may refer to:- Indian history :*British Raj, the British Empire in India...
. Brit is named by his mother, both after his brittle bones, and in tribute to his mother's love of Britain.
Brit's family is non-stereotypical: his parents are ardent Anglophiles with fond memories of the Raj and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Brit is bright, spiky, opinionated and selfish with a razor-sharp wit, never a martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
or victim. He prefers the Kama Sutra
Kama Sutra
The Kama Sutra is an ancient Indian Hindu text widely considered to be the standard work on human sexual behavior in Sanskrit literature written by Vātsyāyana. A portion of the work consists of practical advice on sexual intercourse. It is largely in prose, with many inserted anustubh poetry verses...
to Shakespeare and does not allow gender
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
or disability to come in the way of his desire for sex and love.
Sixth Happiness also features performances from Souad Faress
Souad Faress
Souad Faress is a stage, radio, television and film actress. Born in Ghana to Irish and Syrian parents, she is now best known within the United Kingdom for her portrayal of the solicitor Usha Gupta, in the long-running BBC Radio 4 serial The Archers....
, Nina Wadia
Nina Wadia
-Television and film:Wadia first came to prominence in BBC sketch show Goodness Gracious Me, playing characters such as Mrs "I can make it at home for nothing!" and one half of The Competitive Mothers...
, Indira Varma
Indira Varma
Indira Varma is an English actress. Her first major role was in Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love. She has gone on to appear in the television series Rome and Human Target.-Early life and background:...
, and Meera Syal
Meera Syal
Meera Syal MBE is a British comedienne, writer, playwright, singer, journalist, producer and actress. She rose to prominence as one of the team that created Goodness Gracious Me and became one of the UK's best-known Indian personalities portraying Sanjeev's grandmother, Ummi, in The Kumars at No...
.