Dir. Gurinder Chadha, 2004, UK/USA, 111 mins
Cast: Aishwarya Rai, Martin Henderson, Naveen Andrews, Indira Verma, Namrata Shirodkar, Nitin Ganatra, Daniel Gillies
It would seem that Jane Austen's 18th century novel Pride and Prejudice, about a family of several daughters and a mother desperate to marry them off, would translate very well into contemporary India - especially with the added element of boy meets girl, gets off on the wrong foot, but all is sorted at the end, that is so pertinent to most Bollywood love stories. And adapting it to attract Western crowds to what is essentially, in terms of style, a Bollywood flick, is certainly what director Gurinder Chadha has attempted to do.
The Bennets of Austen's novel are now the Bakshi family of Amritsar, a family of four daughters and not quite enough money to support them despite the best efforts of their weary father, perfectly portrayed by Anupam Kher (Bend It Like Beckham), while their mother (Nadira Babbar) obsesses about marriage and money. Aishwarya Rai (a former Miss World) plays Lalita, his favourite child, and the second oldest sister. Things get off to a mixed start for the elder Bakshi sisters when Jaya (Shriodkar) falls for New York lawyer Balraj (Andrews - Kama Sutra) who is visiting India with his snobby sister (Verma - Kama Sutra) and rich hotel tycoon friend Mr Darcy (Martin Henderson - The Ring, Torque and Britney Spears' Toxic video), who finds India a little overwhelming. Lalita fares less well with Mr Darcy as the pair get off to a bad start. But whereas the novel justified the respective pride and prejudice from both sides, the film fails to provide this essential foundation for their mutual dislike, showing a cocky Lalita who one almost cannot blame Darcy for disliking.
The film does satisfy on many accounts. The setting is atmospheric, from the mayhem of Amritsar, to the beach calm of Goa, to the Indian-ness of west London. The irritating and bumbling character of Mr Collins is now Kohli, the ultimate stereotype of the Indian who went to the USA, thinks everything over there is better than back home and now returns as a green card holder to find himself a wife. With his Indian-accented English mixed in with 'Amrican' jargon, he is a fantastic character adaptation, brilliantly portrayed by Nitin Ganatra (TV's Second Generation and Holby City), whose every appearance brings a smile to our face.
However, getting from A to B is the film's chief concern. It sweeps through the plotline with alarming alacrity, ticking off the boxes as it does. There is the customary appearance from a famous singer, in this instance Ashanti, while other musical numbers leave you a little bewildered as the cast sing Bollywood-style numbers in English, the lyrics of some verging on the cringeworthy. The LA beach song where Rai and Henderson finally admit they love each other is the perfect example of fusion gone into overkill.
But in racing through the plot, the film loses the details and layers that the original work possesses. Rai is undoubtedly beautiful but she has an incredible amount of screen time - so much so that it becomes nauseating and her acting appears to be less than natural. Her constant presence renders other storylines, such as that between Lalita's younger sister Lucky and the film's villain Wickham, much less believable since little attention is bestowed on them.
However, Bride and Prejudice is one of those films that you can't help but be swept away with, by its flamboyance, exuberance and whole-hearted attempt to blend eastern and western cultures. Despite its many holes, it is still a fun and enjoyable film and will no doubt pull in the punters. But just don't compare it to the book!
Meera Dattani
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