Starring Sunny Deol. In Hindi with English subtitles. Rated PG. Now playing at the Granville 7

Although Bollywood produces a number of thoughtful dramas such as 15 Park Avenue, Black, and the recent Gandhi, My Father, a problem with a certain strain of Bollywood films (particularly those that entail the necessity to break into spirited song and dance routines every 15 minutes) is this: even when they want to be serious, they're silly. One can only hope that the Mumbai studios pumping out the latter type never decide to make their own Schindler's List.

Ammtoje Mann's Kaafila is a classic example of this conundrum. The film describes the attempts of a number of South Asians from all parts of the subcontinent to immigrate illegally to England, invariably for altruistic reasons. Instead, they are shipped to Russia and stranded there for five months without, interestingly enough, being exploited in any way.

After surviving a shipwreck (which makes no sense, considering their posted itinerary), 12 survivors try to continue on their way with the aid of the mysterious Sameer (Sunny Deol), a guide they don't entirely trust but must rely on because of his ability to kill dozens of bad guys in a matter of minutes (a talent he gets to demonstrate repeatedly).

Along the way they encounter such surprises as giant pythons in the "jungle" along the Ukrainian/Russian border and a version of the ongoing Afghan unpleasantness that makes even less sense than a Stephen Harper speech.

One could say that Kaafila is about brotherhood and the importance of family and roots. One could also say it's a total piece of crap. Which interpretation you prefer will depend on your tolerance for this sort of unsubtle entertainment.