Adapted from Selvadurai's partly-autobiographical 1994 best-selling novel, Funny Boy, the film is a coming-of-age story of a minority Tamil boy growing up in Sinhalese-majority Sri Lanka. It explores a Tamil-Sinhalese gay love story, set in the '70s and '80s, at the onset of the 26-year civil war in Sri Lanka, that left about one million Tamils as refugees. A lavish, period film that swiftly draws you in, it is both moving and funny, and, I'd wager, Mehta's finest film yet.

Chelvaratnam, an affluent Tamil who runs a resort in Colombo, is embarrassed by his “funny boy” son Arjie (Arjun), 8, who prefers playing “bride-bride” than cricket (he's played as a boy by Arush Nand, and as a teenager by Sri Lankan actor Brandon Ingram). Although Arjie's mother (Nimmi Harasgama) defends him, his strongest ally is his US-returned Aunty Radha, who encourages him to be true to himself. As a teenager, Arjie falls in love with his Sinhalese classmate Shehan Soyza (Rehan Mudannayake). But the Black July anti-Tamil pogrom of 1983 escalates into a civil war, with devastating consequences for Arjie's family.

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Mehta's assured direction effortlessly holds together a love story underpinned by complex sexual, ethnic, class and gender issues. Ingram plays Arjie with boyish charm; superb British-Sri Lankan actress Nimmi Harasgama (August Sun; I Too Have a Name) plays the daring, married Nalini, who falls for their employee Jegan, a Tamil Tiger activist. Seema Biswas is delightful as the grandmother. The ensemble cast is good too, including Ali Kazmi, Agam Darshi, Rehan Mudannayake, Shivantha Wijesinha and Ruvin de Silva. The tech credits are very strong, including Douglas Koch's sumptuous cinematography, Teresa Font's editing and Howard Shore's (Lord of the Rings) music.

The appealing screenplay is at once personal and universal. In fact, this is Mehta's third feature shot in Sri Lanka, after Water and Midnight's Children were shot there, to bypass assorted fundamentalists. Funny Boy is a film for our times. Highly recommended.

Meenakshi Shedde is India and South Asia Delegate to the Berlin International Film Festival, National Award-winning critic, curator to festivals worldwide and journalist. Reach her at meenakshi.shedde@mid-day.com