Ronnie California: The King of Artesia

The self-contradicting facets of the immigrant experience are brilliantly dissected by Adi Kalidindi in Ronnie California: The King of Artesia, an imaginative and fun short film featuring an Indian man living in 90s America who tries to fit in in with his new country by taking up a classic pastime – organising an illegal gambling ring.

The titular Ronnie California (Anand Mahalingam), following successful application for a name-change, looks to cement his place in America by running an illegal gambling ring out the back of his failing Saree shop. With interest on the rise, he becomes more and more extravagant with his dealings, and takes on the persona of a shady 70s car salesman. But his recklessness isolates his friends, who sense the law closing in.

With impressive production, a canny and critical eye and plenty of laughs, Ronnie California is an accomplished and enjoyable short. It examines the immigrant experience using its title character, who wants nothing more than to fit in. And make lots of money. The use of ‘Ronnie’ to draw attention to discrimination and othering that Indians face in the United States is at the heart of the film. But where it shines comedically is in its devotion in never white-washing Ronnie’s shady qualities as a person. It’s hard to tell where his desire for acceptance ends and his willingness to bend the law for his own aims begins. There is a sympathy for the character in the film, but his sliminess and disregard for friends like Sidd (Nirvan Patnaik) adds real layers.

Ronnie’s slow breakdown culminates in the law closing in and a moral choice which is one of the film’s most chaotic, dramatic and funny moments. The build-up of the character and his place in the ‘American Dream’ consistently balances drama and comedy, ensuring to highlight the faceless bureaucracy that crushes everyday Americans under its feet as a force that breaks down communities as well.

Anand Mahalingham shines in the lead role. His performance as Ronnie – a man desperately trying to embody a mobster persona, is tragically hilarious. His Indian roots are never that far from the surface, and become more and more prominent as he gets more and more desperate. Nirvan Patnaik’s Sidd is more of a moral centre in the film – his quote about being a servant in both societies cuts deep to the core of Ronnie’s futile scheme.

There’s a ton of depth to Ronnie California, beyond some great laughs and performances. The deconstruction of societal pressure on immigrants and what we expect for them to fit in is quietly profound throughout the short plot – not least in the tragi-comic choice the protagonist makes for his new name. Ronnie California might not be authentic, but his story definitely is.