New Amsterdam Character Review: Rohan Kapoor

*For the foreseeable future, some Character Review posts may not be published every Thursday as they have in the past.

*Warning: This post contains spoilers about the characters from the television series New Amsterdam. Read at your own risk if you have not watched the show.

There is something to be said about a well written, human character. They leap off the page and speak to us as if they were right in front of us, as flesh and blood human beings, instead of fictional creations.

One of the core aspects of being an adult is taking responsibility for your actions, good or bad. However, not every adult is willing or able to do that.

On New Amsterdam, Rohan Kapoor (Vandit Bhatt) is the estranged son of Vijay Kapoor (Anupam Kher). Their attempt at a brief reunion is complicated by Rohan’s romance with Ella (Deirdre Friel). That relationship ends when Rohan runs away, leaving his father flabbergasted and Ella pregnant.

To sum it up: Unfortunately, Rohan’s choices are nothing new. There are many people who may appear to be grown, but whose reaction are far from grown. As a character, Rohan stands out because his actions force his father and Ella together in ways that are unexpected.

That is why he is a memorable character.

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Flashback Friday-Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)

Stories of political intrigue have existed since the dawn of human history. The question is, is the story unique or done to death?

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time hit theaters in 2010. Based on the video game of the same name, the movie tells the story of Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal), a prince who must save the world from the evil lord Nizam (Ben Kingsley). Assisting Dastan is Tamina, (Gemma Arterton), a princess in her own right. Together they must prevent Nizam from getting his hands on a dagger that will allow him to rule the world.

In an essence, this movie is a low rent Aladdin. It tries, but whatever elements Aladdin had that made it successful, this movie has none of it. In addition, this film reinforces the idea that only Caucasian actors can play ethnic roles. Among the three lead actors, the two actors playing the heroes are definitely not of Middle Eastern descent. Of course, the villain is a person of color, additionally reinforcing the idea about first and second class citizenship in this world.

The critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave this movie a 37% rating and frankly, I can’t disagree with that.

Do I recommend the film? No.