I Proud to Be an Indian 2004

A night-time scene opens with a Sikh couple disembarking from a bus onto a quiet, isolated street, the pregnant wife adding a quiet tension to the air. This moment is punctured by a brutal onslaught as a group of National Front white-power skinheads closes in, leaving the couple violently assaulted and the wife subjected to a horrific act. The trauma of that night reverberates through the immediate days that follow.

I, Sohail Khan, and his father, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, then come to London and head to the home of their son, who lives with his wife, their young son, and a teenage daughter. The house is a snapshot of domestic life, a fragile patchwork of ordinary routines that stands in stark contrast to the violence outside. Soon after, the news breaks: the bodies of a Sikh couple have been found, and the incident is treated as a suspected racist attack. The family mourns with the community at a gurdwara during the last rites, where faith and grief intertwine in a solemn response to hatred.

The threat does not end with one attack. A subsequent assault targets an Indian shopkeeper, deepening the sense that England is being claimed by the indigenous population in the eyes of the aggressors. The family’s sense of safety fractures further when Kamal is cornered and molested, a brutal moment that forces them to face racism’s everyday reach. I learns of the incident and, in a decisive surge of protection, beats back three white assailants. His brother, however, chooses not to file a police report, weighing the risk to the family’s safety and the potential for further sexual assault charges, and urges I to keep quiet.

The tension shifts as I is drawn into a confrontation with a group of Pakistanis led by Aslam, Imran Ali Khan, who runs a grooming club and is suspected of stealing his sister’s necklace. After his sister confirms that I saved her from a white racist mob, Aslam is spared, a revelation that becomes the first bridge between two lives shaped by suspicion and fear. A surprising outing reveals that one of the attackers is the sister’s brother, underscoring how intertwined loyalties and betrayals can be in a climate of hostility.

Seeking resolution, I goes to a boxing club and faces Aslam in a match that ends in a respectful draw. In that moment, I articulates a powerful, unifying message: even across borders and different nations, people who share heritage and humanity must stand together and resist the lure of racism and the urge for a quiet, compliant life. The words resonate and begin to alter Aslam’s stance, giving him the courage to challenge the racist group. Tragically, this turning point triggers a brutal sequence in which Aslam’s resolve leads to him killing a member of the gang, but it also results in his own brutal fate—a gang-ordered rape and death.

In the climactic aftermath, I confront Nicky, the gang’s leader, and triumphs. The arc closes on a note of hard-won resilience: a personal victory against hate, tempered by the costs that such battles always entail, and a reminder that solidarity—across communities and borders—remains humanity’s strongest counter to racism.