Bride & Prejudice (2004)

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Gurinder Chadha does an admirable job of transferring Jane Austen's famous characters and story to modern day India. There are four daughters in the Bakshi family, which lives in a grand, but somewhat rundown home in Amritsar (a bit of an Indian backwater I gather). Handsome and successful London based lawyer Balraj (Naveen Andrews) arrives along with his supercilious sister (Indira Varma, familiar to many as Game of Throne's venomous Ellaria Sand), and handsome and very rich buddy Will Darcy (Martin Henderson). Anyone familiar with Pride and Prejudice will recognize the characters and set-up and know that another couple of men are on the way (duplicitous Johnny Wickham and obsequious Mr. Kohli) and that romance will be in the air, much to the excitement of high-strung Mrs Bakshi (Nadira Babbar). Chadra does a good job of modernizing the classic story, staying true when possible but making changes to scenes that just would not be creditable these days (e.g. the burden of 'debt' is much reduced) and the concept of 'inherited class' and associated opportunity that is central to Austen's Regency England tale is replaced by more generic snobbery and cultural ignorance. While there is still stratification in Indian society, 'caste' never comes into the story: the setting is the sub-continent but the 'values' are very Western (IMO). Typical Bollywood (in my limited experience), the film is unsubtle, bright, flashy and colourful, with lots of spontaneous singing and dancing by good-looking, stylish people. What 19th century spinster Jane Austen would make of the 21st century fashion and dancing is hard (but fun) to imagine. Good, harmless fun that should not upset Austen purists (if it does, they should examine their own pride and prejudice) and may help bring the attention of another generation to a timeless book.

Even though I am not Indian, I just love her culture! They know how to party and their food is so great! It can turn even the most fanatical carnivore into an vegetarian (though their tandoori meat dishes are also excellent)! Indians are a great people! Shrewd business people but very warmhearted! I'm not a big Bollywood fan but India has a very rich film industry as well. Jai Hind everyone!!!!

When marriage has two different meanings, Lalita and Darcy have trouble with love. Mrs. Bakshi wants nothing more for her four daughters than a rich husband of her choosing, but when her two eldest play by their own rules, trouble stirs. The oldest sister, Jaya, falls in love with an Indian man who lives in London named Balraj, who brought along a friend, Will Darcy. Lalita, the second oldest, caught Darcy's eye the moment he saw her. However, coming from two different cultures, they find themselves in multiple disagreements. With Lalita's mother trying to set her up with Mr. Kholi, Johnny Wickham showing up and charming the sisters, and Darcy trying to win her over, it is hard for Lalita to know what or who she wants. Personally, I loved the film. I'm a sucker for cheesy love stories.I thought Bride and Prejudice was a great film to introduce me to Bollywood. Aside from the love story, the song and dance numbers were my favorite part. The song "Marriage has Come to Town" had an amazing set and such intricate costumes that could draw anyone's eyes. Not to mention the incredibly quick and sharp dance moves. Watching this crossover Bollywood film actually made me want to watch more, full-on Bollywood movies. The one critique I have is that the actors need to practice their lip-syncing because that was not so great. Overall, Bride and Prejudice is a great Bollywood introductory film.Although the plot was a basic, cheesy, love story, there was a lot that could be learned from the film. Indian culture was very prominent in this film, more specifically, their values of marriage. In India, arranged marriages are very common. It is likely that the parents will find their child a suitor who the parents think they will later on (in the marriage) fall in love with. Whereas, in America, it is most common to fall in love and then get married. Mrs. Bakshi wanted Lalita to marry Mr. Kholi, a rich Indian who lives in America and could provide her with a beautiful home. Lalita, on the other hand, wanted her parents to have nothing to do with her marriage, she wanted to find love on her own like an American. Another value learned is family. Family will always come first in India, especially with the Bakshi family. When Lachi left with Wickham, Lalita did everything in her power to search for her and save her from what could have been done to her. Adding on to that, Mr. Bakshi wanted to keep his four daughters close when they married so marrying a man who didn't live in India was unsettling to him. We can also learn how important India is to its natives. Tourists tend to see the beautiful, rich, Americanized side of India, when in reality most of India is not very "upper-class", but the natives appreciate it. When Darcy claims to have seen the real India Lalita is the first to step up and prove him wrong, showing him how he's only seen what he's wanted to see, not what was truly there.

Back in 2000, Aishwarya Rai made a wonderful film ("I Have Found It"). It was an Indian film made in the Tamil region (sometimes called 'Tamilwood' as opposed to 'Bollywood' which are films made in Hindi) and it was an Indian retelling of Jane Austin's "Sense and Sensibility". I thoroughly loved the film and was captivated by Rai's acting and great beauty. So, it certainly wasn't very surprising that I bought a copy not only of this film but "Bride & Prejudice"--as once again, Rai is in an Indian film based on an Austin novel. However, "Bride & Prejudice" isn't exactly a Bollywood film, but is an interesting hybrid. Parts of the film were made in Northern India, as well as the UK and the US. The director, Gurinder Chadha, is of Indian descent but was born in Kenya and raised in the UK, so her making a film that blends cultures (like her other famous film, "Bend It Like Beckham") is a natural.It's Bollywood roots are apparent in several ways. First, much of the film is made in India and is about Indians. However, in addition, the song and dance numbers that make Bollywood films so unusual and endearing are also present. They don't look and sound 100% authentic, but like the Jane Austin novel, they seem "inspired" by Bollywood.Interestingly, in this film, the differences between the leading lady and Mr. Darcy are not just social but cultural, as Darcy is an American. BUT, being a true hybrid film, the handsome actor that took on this role Martin Henderson) is actually a Kiwi--a New Zealander who now lives in the US! Some other nods to the West is the brief appearance of Marsha Mason as Darcy's mother as well as a surprise appearance by the pop singer, Ashanti! Wow--now THAT'S an interesting combination! Now for Austin purists, this is a mixed bag. While the essence of the novel is definitely there, many, many story elements from the original story are gone--mostly because you must do this to make a film that is only about two hours long! While I missed a lot of the subplots, I understood why they were excised. If you MUST have the definitive version that is closest to the book, try the Colin Firth version from 1995. Still, if you are like me you'll see and love them both.Overall, a very interesting take on the original. Excellent acting, a fun and vibrant pace and a story that can't help but bring a tear to your eye (hey, it's Jane Austin!) make this an exceptional film. I just can't see why it's overall score on IMDb is so low.Also, unless you are a total knucklehead, see "I Have Found It". It actually is a tad better but both are wonderful films.Finally, if you are interested in films of other female directors of Indian descent, try seeing the films of Deepa Mehta (I love her films). "Hollywood/Bollywood" is the most approachable and fun of her films, but "Fire", "Water" and "Earth" are terrific as well. Also, Mira Nair did the wonderful and touching "Monsoon Wedding".