wheels of memory

Sam Sharma’s exploration of The Royal Enfield, a Symbol of

South Asian Heritage, Time, and Generational Love

article by Aryana Arian

The past often fades into the background of our fast-paced overstimulating lives; however, Sam Sharma, director, actor, and producer held us momentarily to look back at the past through his latest film that explores the poignant meditation on culture, heritage, and the profound value of objects.

At its heart, the film is not just a story, it is a symbolic exploration of how identity, time, and memory are interwoven, carried forward by the material world and the human connections surrounding it. From the outset, the film delves into intergenerational relationships, examining the subtle ways in which families evolve through time. Its brilliance lies in its simplicity: though the narrative is straightforward, the themes it grapples with are anything but. Through the lens of a British Indian family, Sam investigates the complexities of culture, movement, ageing, and the ever-present tension between the past and present. It is a film that challenges the viewer to consider not just who they are, but who they have been and how the seemingly ordinary objects of their lives hold great meaning and connection.

Sam himself describes the film as one that:

“Will definitely resonate with a lot of people regardless of their backgrounds or their socioeconomic status, but it will resonate a lot more with the South Asian diaspora just because it’s a true and authentic South Asian story, told by us. We ensured authenticity by having a cast with a widespread Indian background. It’s based on a truly authentic story - mine - in which a Royal Enfield has been in our possession for generations.”

Sam Sharma

by Roger King

This universality arises from the film’s engagement with longing, memory, and familial love. Sam’s personal story, though rooted in his own heritage, reflects a shared experience among many South Asian families and beyond, revealing how objects like the Royal Enfield hold profound significance across different lives.

One of the film’s emotional moments features family members reflecting on photographs of their younger selves. In these scenes, the film subtly interrogates the nature of identity and memory: who were we then? Who are we now? What bridges the two? These reflections extend beyond the individuals themselves, tying their personal journeys to the collective heritage of their family.

The film proposes that objects of the past, in this case, a Royal Enfield motorcycle, are not merely vessels of personal memory but symbols of shared culture and heritage.

For the family in the film, this is a heritage shaped by the British Indian experience, with its unique blend of migration, adaptation, and tradition. Sam speaks to this dual experience:

“We’re telling a story of a family who migrated to the UK from India and had to leave everything behind. The memories and desires remain the same despite the changes in their socioeconomic situation. The longing for the family heirloom, in this case, a motorcycle, along with all that a motorcycle stands for—such as freedom.”

The motorcycle becomes the central metaphor of the film, representing the passage of time, the persistence of memory, and the continuity of familial love. Early on, we see a child playing with a toy bike, a tender reminder that, even as generations move forward, certain experiences remain timeless. When the child transitions from the toy bike to riding a bicycle and later to a car, the film eloquently captures the coexistence of tradition and modernity. These objects are not static relics of the past; they evolve alongside the family, reflecting shifts in technology, culture, and movement.

The song created by Charlie Kloos was made specifically for the film and amplifies this theme. Its lyrics echo the idea that, despite the inevitable passage of time and the replacement of old with new, the essence remains unchanged. Perhaps the film’s most moving sequence involves a younger family member (he’s the son grown up), surprising his father with a motorbike identical to the one he had as a young man. In this act, the film suggests a profound truth: sometimes progress does not mean leaving the past behind but rather returning to it with renewed appreciation. The father’s joy upon seeing the motorbike is not merely about the object itself but what it represents—a recognition of his sacrifices, his culture, and the love his son holds for him. It is a moment of gratitude, bridging generations and reaffirming the importance of heritage in shaping identity.

“I can say with 99% certainty that this is a similar experience for most Indian families when dealing with a Royal Enfield,” Sam explains. “It was my father’s first motorcycle experience at the age of 15 and my father taught me how to ride at the age of 14. My parents migrated to Germany, having to leave all the luxuries of life behind, to start from scratch, with no room for desires, wishes or dreams. The Royal Enfield embodies the fulfilment of all those.”

It is this deeply personal connection that imbues the film with authenticity, making it feel at once intimate and universal. Beyond its cultural commentary, the film serves as a quiet critique of how immigrant families often wrestle with the tension between assimilation and cultural preservation. Too often, children of immigrants feel compelled to distance themselves from the traditions of their parents, viewing them as relics of a life left behind. Yet, as the film demonstrates, these traditions and symbols carry great significance. They are reminders of the sacrifices made to build a better future and of the deep bonds that tie us to those who came before.

Sam believes that stories rooted in migration backgrounds hold a unique power in marketing and storytelling:

“It’s always the goal to reach as wide an audience as possible. I dare say that people with migration backgrounds are only a niche audience when it comes to a very specific product. Otherwise, people with or without those backgrounds are just the same when it comes to dreams, needs, desires, etc. When you do have a very specific product that can include a minority as well as the majority and vice versa, I truly think people see past background/heritage, which makes it so powerful.”

“Yes, I do, just like in Harry Potter with the wands,” Sam laughs, “There’s so much out

there, so many brands, bikes and versions of those bikes—there must be bilateral

‘attraction.’ Everyone knows the feeling they had when they had their first car, bicycle,

motorbike, plane ride, boat—whatever… the feeling of freedom.”

The film concludes with father and son riding the motorcycle through the streets of London—a city that itself symbolizes a collision of past and present. Here, the motorcycle transcends its material form to become a poetic embodiment of history, heritage, and love. It is a reminder that objects, when imbued with meaning, can connect us not only to the people we love but also to the broader story of who we are as a family, a culture, and a community. When asked if objects choose us as much as we choose them, Sam responded:

Feelings such as these do not only arise through storytelling, objects, and watching films, but also could be developed through making them as well. Stanley Cavell, a renowned art and film philosopher argued that the process of filmmaking itself reveals truths about human experience, self-knowledge, and our relationship with the world. Through his work, he demonstrated how cinema is not just a medium for storytelling but a philosophical act that allows both creators and audiences to discover new dimensions of reality.

When asked whether Sam had a similar experience to this, and how his crew

contributed to shaping the emotional and visual language of the film, he told us,

“Constantly. One thing about filmmaking I’m still learning to navigate is the constant compromise. It’s so difficult to exactly 1:1 capture the idea as it’s played in your head, at least on the level of filmmaking I’m still at. As soon as you start working with other people, their ideas and understanding of the story flow into the project as well, hence opening new pathways to explore. So yes, the original treatment is somewhat different from what we now see in the final film, yet so much more beautiful in a new way because of the contribution of all these brilliant minds. The crew has contributed in every way, everyone was a pro storyteller in their respective field and so hard working, I owe everything to everyone involved. A special thanks goes out to Elliott Gonzo (Co-director), who from the moment I pitched this idea to him in a hotel bar, stuck beside me and put his visual brilliance into this film. The same goes for our producers Hereward Gibson & Johan Cheah who have fed and raised this project like their own baby. Everyone contributed their own bits to this final product and therefore, what you see now is the brainchild of many beautiful minds.”

Ultimately, Sam’s film is a simple yet profound reminder of the value of remembering, cherishing, and continuing the legacies of those who came before us. It calls on us to recognize the depth of our parents’ sacrifices, to honour the traditions they hold dear, and to understand that progress does not mean discarding the past. Rather, progress is the ability to carry the past forward, to let it inform our present and shape our future. In doing so, we not only connect with those who came before us but also create something enduring for those who will come after. As a final question, we asked Sam, whether his film treats memory not as something static but as something alive and evolving. How does memory shape the present rather than just reflecting the past?