Their Characters Are Stuck, but the Filmmakers Are Anything But

The inverted musical numbers scattered throughout “Definition Please” illustrate her point: Whenever a conventionally attractive man enters a scene, the camera cuts to a close-up, slow-motion shot, colorized in blue, backed by upbeat romantic music. No explanation is given about the Bollywood trope of musical numbers inserted into films (often objectifying women) — but none is necessary to enjoy the bit.

“I just said to myself, ‘Let’s take these risks, let’s see what happens,’” Day said. “‘And if we fall flat on our faces, we fall flat on our faces.’”

But in both films the family is greater than the sum of its parts. In “Donkeyhead,” Mona’s successful siblings — Parm, Sandy and Rup — descend upon their parents’ home in Canada from London, New York and Toronto.

“Mona’s probably the most honest, compared to the other three,” Darshi said. “She’s the one who will say it as it is. And is like, ‘Well, you do this, and you’re like this, and you’re doing this. Yeah, I might be a mess, but at least I’m honest about the fact that I’m a mess.’”

While Mona holds her siblings accountable, Monica’s mess is still hidden in “Definition Please.” As she tries to force her brother, Sonny (Ritesh Rajan), onto medication for his bipolar disorder, it becomes apparent that she needs help, too.

“I wanted to show that they are feeding each other,” Day said. “Monica and Sonny’s relationship is really important for the growth of both of them to occur at the same time, even if the growth of one is minuscule as opposed to one leaping over a giant mountain.”