From fight sequences to ride-or-die friendships, sisterly spats to psychopathic in-laws, Polite Society is unhinged and unequivocally cringy in all the best ways. As Riya’s sister is set to enter into a too-good-to-be-true marriage, her dreams of being a stuntwoman get flung into reality as she has to battle for her family. We had the chance to speak to Seraphina Beh, who plays Clara, one Riya’s best friend and techie confident.
Thanks so much for having this quick chat with me. When I watched this film, it really pulled out like my childhood and preteen years of having these movies that have these awkward cringy moments but are really heartwarming at the centre of it as well. Why do you think it was kind of important to have these characters such as such as Clara, Riya and Alba on screen and bringing that wacky narrative back?
I guess my experience during my teen years and even before that, with childhood, I was exposed to stuff like Looney Toons, Tom and Jerry or all those kind of like really animated, extremes of storytelling and that kind of like really quirky exaggerated way of getting really clear narratives across. I agree with you, in that in this day and age there has been a movement towards a more mature kind of storytelling towards younger audience. Having characters such as Riya, Clara and Alba shows that we don’t have to lose that kind of sense of innocence. I think there’s really something in having a kind of go-getting winning attitude, and they have this kind of wacky belief and faith in each other despite what the world around them is saying.
That friendship that they have as it develops throughout the movies is a running theme no matter what they’re going through, the chaotic ups and downs and all the different adventures they kind of embark on. It is such an important element to have going through and also have this mixture of personalities. You have Clara who is on the techie side and you have Riya wanting to be a stuntwoman. Both are moving through ideas of what they want to do with their lives in ways that might subvert expectations for them. What do you think is the impact of having that element of resistance against the norms and friendship within that?
I think the friendship is very important, you know, to the grand storytelling of Polite Society. I remember when we got into production we had the chance to establish our character backgrounds, which really helped paint a picture of the world and the kind of support system these girls give each other. As much as we are following the story of Riya, we very much highlight the importance in these three young teen girls. I very much am a giant nerd so for me it was like the dream come true. I thought, oh my gosh, I get to play that on screen.
Between what you not only watched but also what you wanted to see on TV, how do you think that influenced what you bought to your role as Clara?
I was exposed to like anime as a teenager, and the animation and way it’s written is again very exaggerated. But then it’s this very solid narrative line going through, I mean debatable now with Dragon Ball Z. Getting back into conversation of craft, I realised I wanted to kind of get into acting cause I didn’t see those kind of examples of things I loved watching growing up from a Black female perspective on screen. So when I got to read Polite Society 11 years into my into my career, it was like a breath of fresh air. I didn’t even have to do work which sounds really bad, but I didn’t have to think. I didn’t have to do so much homework. This is my first feature film, so I’m happy to be part of this, and I am so proud of what Nida has written.
It was a breath of fresh air, like you said, to see these characters of multi-ethnic backgrounds just being themselves and being really uninhibited in doing so, because for all intensive purposes this film is just a reflection of the realities that we have in London. How important do you think it is to have that being pushed in films?
I think when it’s done so perfectly it doesn’t feel like it’s being pushed or like we’re hitting a quota. I’m sure people are bored of me saying it but I’m a little Croydon girl at heart. In my experience growing up from primary school to high school, I was around very diverse cultures and formed friendships. I went to a Roman Catholic high school but it was very much welcoming of different diverse backgrounds, like people coming in from Filipino backgrounds, Pakistani backgrounds, Polish backgrounds, African and Caribbean children, so I was always around that melting pot growing up; it was natural to me.
That is definitely a testament to the writing and being able to, like you said, seamlessly put that in without having it feel like you know and duty. Just to finish off on a light note, what is one memorable experience that you either had on set kind?
To be honest, I think everything was just so great for me. The one that actually comes to mind now that you said it is during the big wedding scene, all the cast were basically on set together and Riya comes in with the gun and does the whole climactic scene. We were kind of just having lots of fun with it like, oh my gosh we’re all dressed up, it’s so fun. Then Priya (Riya) suggested we all just sing a song during one of our takes and I’m like girl you’re gonna get me fired. But everyone was so on board like yeah let’s do it. So we’re on set singing In the Name of Love, and I’m bricking it thinking we’re getting fired today. But it was great and such fun. That was a special day.
More about Police Society
A merry mash up of sisterly affection, parental disappointment and bold action, POLITE SOCIETY follows martial artist-in-training Ria Khan who believes she must save her older sister Lena from her impending marriage. After enlisting the help of her friends, Ria attempts to pull off the most ambitious of all wedding heists in the name of independence and sisterhood.
Written and directed by: Nida Manzoor
Starring: Priya Kansara, Ritu Arya, Nimra Bucha, Akshay Khanna, Seraphina Beh, Ella Bruccoleri
Producers: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Olivier Kaempfer
Executive producer: John Pocock
Interviewed by Kianna Best
Feature image: Universal Pictures
