Dude Where's the Party directed by the international director, Benny Matthews featuring famous Hollywood actor Kal Penn, is about the Indian American experience. The film is about an FOB (fresh off the boat) Indian, Harish (Hari). Hari goes to America to further develop his education and find the girl of his dreams. The film acts upon Bollywood clichés and Indian stereotypes.
The idea of cultural flattening can be applied to this movie. The director adds all the Indians into one group and doesn't really acknowledge the different types of Indians from Punjabis to Tamilians and their traditions. The majority of the characters aren't even described to which group they belong to giving one larger identity for Indians. The only idea we get of the different types is from Hari, a Gujarati, and the Sri Lankan guy. As the director did not recognise different Indians, this shows that society sees most brown Asian as Indians and doesn't acknowledge their individual historical background. The story had flattened the various types of minor cultures within the Indian culture. The different stereotypes of Indians that were visible in this film can relate to other countries. This idea of these stereotypes being global can flatten the idea of Indians as they are seen the same all around the world shows that they are seen as individuals and as all the same.
This film turns the tables of comedy and shows a sense of comic inversion. The film shows the minority group on the dominant structure of the American life, it shows the dominant structure from the Indian point of view. As this film makes fun of Indian stereotypes and plays on them, and in a way brings out the lightness of those stereotypes.
This film can show a sense of polysemic bimodality, the different readings of the film can portray different meanings. The potential readings that can come from this film include straight up racism of Indians or just a classic laugh and laughing at the stereotypes of Indians. The ethnicity of the individual matters on the reading of the film and what you get from it.
The film can show multiple types of Indian stereotypes. The stereotypes of Indians having long names can be seen in Hari, short for, Harishkumar Satishkumar Patel. This becomes stereotypical of Hari, the fob, to have a long Indian name and use it every time he introduces himself. The representation of this character can clearly see the typical fresh of boat Indian. From the oily hair to the sneakers and pants. This plays on this stereotypes of how all Indians that come straight from Indians are and how they are dressed. The stereotypes of Indians owning a type of business are obviously shown in the film. The old man owns a petrol station. It also mentions the stereotype of Indians study, but it alters by showing Surpriya doing a fashion major which is outside the box.
The film also plays on the clichés of Bollywood films. The scene when Supriya falls in Hari’s arms is a typical Bollywood scene. Both characters look into each other's eyes, and Hari falls in love with her. The scene when Mohan goes to Janvi’s house and starts dancing in the rain is another cliché. There are much more Bollywood clichés throughout the film.
The film approaches the idea of Indians in a western society and how they feel about it. And how they should fit in this new society, where they are the minority and how they should act in western society. This can be seen in the scene when Mohan’s mother adds little American flags on them to prove that they love the USA, and they are for America. This can show how Indians can't be themselves because if they are, then they are seen differently. 
In conclusion, Dude Where is the Party is a typical comedy film that uses humour to battle and brings up that idea of Indians in a Europeanised community. The film plays on and accepts the Indian stereotypes and clichés of Bollywood.
Photos from
http://stagevu.com/img/thumbnail/myrwyeowzzarbig.jpg
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