Plot
On Christmas Eve in London, selfish Indian businessman Eshaan Sood fires his staff after catching them holding an office party, sparing his accountant, Bob Cratchit. Sood is approached by his nephew Raj and invited to his house for Christmas, which he declines. On his way home, Sood is harassed by a racist drunk and annoyed by a taxi driver attempting to make smalltalk. Sood shames an Indian shopkeeper for making poor business decisions, but is himself shamed for forgetting his roots. Upon arriving at his house, Sood reprimands a choir near his house and sees the face of his deceased business partner, Marley, in his door. Sood's housekeeper Mrs. Joshi tells him off for keeping her in the dark by not wanting to pay more for his electricity bill.
Sood goes to bed but is disturbed by noises coming from the house, which are revealed to be from the ghost of Marley. Marley warns Sood that he is damned to walk the earth in chains once he dies unless he changes his ways, and that he will be visited by three spirits throughout the night. Sood attempts to go back to sleep, but is awoken by the Ghost of Christmas Past, who takes him back to his childhood.
Sood lived in Uganda with his friend Akiiki, but was forced to leave after Idi Amin's deportation of Indians in 1972. Sood would be taken to a refugee centre where his father died of a broken heart. Later as a young adult, Sood was employed by Mr. Fezzywig and met his future love, Bea. Sood is shown their romance, and an incident where he was attacked in a hate crime. Sood started his company after Bea's parents believed he wouldn't be able to financially support her, but refused to help Fezzywig when the latter fell on hard times. Despite proving his worth to Bea's parents, she discovered what he did to Fezzywig and left him.
Sood later meets the Ghost of Christmas Present, who tells him to be more open minded about the faith of others. He is then shown Cratchit's family, with Bob showing sympathy for Sood's depression. Sood is informed that Bob's son Tim has a tumor that will eventually kill him unless he gets to a specialist in Switzerland. Sood is then taken to Raj's party, where he finds his former employees badmouthing him and celebrating. Sood begins to feel remorse for his behavior, but tries to justify it to Present by bringing up the discrimination and hardship he faced, but is reprimanded and told that others should not suffer because of his pain.
Sood finally meets the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come, who shows him his future. Sood discovers that he died of a heart attack and that his funeral is only attended by Bob and Mrs. Joshi. Sood is then shown that Tim died of his condition around the same time. Sood promises that he will reform and make up for his ways and wakes up on Christmas day. Sood begins to make up for his actions from the previous night by donating to the choir's charity, engaging with the taxi driver, buying all the shopkeepers wares so that he can take the day off, re-hiring his employees, apologising to Raj, and giving Bob a promotion and higher pay. Tim's surgery is also funded by Sood, and a party is held at a Christmas fair.
Sood travels back to Uganda to reunite with Akiiki, sailing away with him to explore the country.
Production
Financing for Christmas Karma is from Civic Studios. Gurinder Chadha, Celine Rattray, Trudie Styler, and Amory Leader serve as producers, with Zygi Kamasa, Anushka Shah, Paul Mayeda Berges, Sophia Pedlow, and Hannah Leader as executive producers. [2]
The film is written, directed and produced by Chadha, who spoke in Parliament in January 2024, to discuss the British film industry. There, she told MPs her upcoming film would have an Indian lead character, saying "My Scrooge is an Indian Tory who hates refugees". [3] The project was subsequently described as a Bollywood musical inspired by Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol . It features music from Gary Barlow, Shaznay Lewis, and Nitin Sawhney. [4]
The ensemble cast is led by Kunal Nayyar as a contemporary Scrooge, called Mr Sood, who despises refugees and becomes haunted by three ghosts of Christmas past, present and future; played by Eva Longoria, Billy Porter and Boy George. [5]
The Expulsion of Indians from Uganda is a central narrative in the story of Mr Sood. [6]
Hugh Bonneville, Leo Suter, Charithra Chandran, Pixie Lott, Danny Dyer, Bilal Hasna, Allan Corduner, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Rufus Jones, Eve, and Nitin Ganatra also appear. [7] [8]
Principal photography began on 22 April 2024. [9] Images from the set in London appeared in the British media in May 2024. [10]
Ketchup Entertainment acquired US distribution rights. [11]
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