Bride and Prejudice

So far in this blog I’ve only looked at American musicals but America isn’t the only one making musicals. Yes it’s time for me to tackle the behemoth of musical cinema that is Bollywood. Kind of. Bride and Prejudice is not just a Bollywood film, the director Gurinder Chadha whilst being of Indian origin grew up in the UK and quite a lot of funding for this film comes from the UK film Council which means most of the filming was done in UK and it was inspired by a British novel. So we have a British/ Bollywood production. Well no, because there is a little bit of America in this film as well. To sum up what the director Gurinder Chadha has tried to do is to take three different cultures and put them in a blender to see what would happen. The result is either a mess or a daring masterpiece depending on your point of view.

 

Firstly the actors, we’re going to start with the 2 main stars Aishwarya Rai and Martin Anderson. Aishwarya Rai blew me away in this role and although I’d never heard of her before this. She certainly made an impression. She was perfect as Lalita, she conveyed her emotions perfectly and all you could do was emphasise with her, she doesn’t have many funny moments but the ones she does have work quite well. She just has this aura of independence even when she’s down and out in take me to love part 1. She still manages to convey a feeling of strength that no matter what happens she’s going to get through this and that’s inspiring. Now we move on to Mr Darcy played by Martin Henderson and he wasn’t perfect. He’s quite handsome but I don’t know he struggles to be charming, now in fairness in the beginning of the movie, he’s out of his element but I don’t know he never really recovers and he never quite becomes the romantic hero he’s meant to be. I’ve seen reviews which really bash their chemistry but I think towards the end of the film you do get some sparks between them but it takes a while to get there and even then it’s not exactly mind-blowing. It’s quite disappointing that the romance doesn’t really take of but it works just enough that the rest  of the film can make up for it.

Now the rest of the cast, help to bring a lot of humour and heart to this movie and there’s a lot of them so let’s get going firstly we have Mrs Bakshi played by Nadira Babbar who is hilarious and at the same time quite loveable in that you know she only does what she does for her children. It’s just a shame she manages to embarrass herself and her children while doing it. Then you have Mr. Bakshi who does a good job, he has a few funny lines and gives a solid performance. Now onto the beta couple Jaya (Jane) and Bhalraj (Bingley). These two have very few moments together but the ones they do are very concentrated and you get immediately that they’re falling in love. Then we have Wickham played by Daniel Gillies who’s handsome, British and a dick and Kiran (Miss Bingley) played by Indira Varma who’s attractive, British and a bitch. I don’t know I never quite got what her deal was. She never seemed to be actively trying to seduce Darcy like she was in the novel and she doesn’t appear to oppose her brother’s and Jaya’s relationship. I suppose it doesn’t really matter but she does have a couple good laughs and surprisingly enough there’s actually a hint of affection between her and her brother which I don't think I’ve seen in any other Pride and Prejudice adaption.
Then we have Chandra (Charlotte) played by Sonali Kulkaneri who does a good job as the cynical best friend but despite this she still seems likeable and you want her to do ok and then we have Mr Kholi “Collins” who is hilarious from his star and stripes thong to his eating at the dinner table and unlike the books does come across as ok. He’s not perfect but he’s a decent guy and I’m kind of glad, they got rid of his pathological need to please Catherine de Bourgh or Catherine Darcy in this case. Then we have the other Bakshi sisters, Maya (Mary) played by Meghna Kothari who does a pretty impressive snake dance and that’s about it. But we also have Lakhi (Lydia) who’s the bad Bakshi daughter, her performance is a bit over the top but it was probably what the character needed considering her screen time. Lastly we have the Darcys who are incredibly disappointing Georgina who is played by Alexis Beddel plays the role as if she’s stoned. I suppose Marsha Mason does a better job as Catherine Darcy now Darcy’s mother and not his aunt but I don’t know in other versions, she’s this  grand imposing figure and I don’t know in this she’s certainly snobbish but she never gives of that feeling of power that other versions have given of.

 

The script which as I mentioned before is based on the ever popular Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. The script takes meticulous care in trying to follow the novel as closely as possible whilst bollywoodising names. Lizzy becomes Lalita, the Bennets become the Bashes and so on and so on. There's also quite a cool action sequence added where Darcy and Wickham confront each other. It’s quite amazing how well the plot fits it new setting to the point where I think Austen would emphasise with the problems modern Indian girls face. But if for some reason you don't know the basic story of a novel, here's a summary. Boy meets girl. Girl dislikes boy. Boy fancies girl. Boy declares himself. Girl shoots him down. Girl gets to know boy and she realises she was wrong about him. Girl falls in love with boy and they live happily ever after. But the script does have some problems for one it seems to have an agenda that I don’t agree with that anyone who comes to India must immerse themselves in Indian culture and it’s disrespectful to India to stay in a 5 star hotel because if you don’t you won’t experience the “real India.” Also it gives Lalita another best friend but they don’t do anything with and Jaya and Bhalraj’s relationship seems a bit rushed but these are just nitpicks and on the whole the script is funny and exudes a genuine warmth especially the points that deal with family.

The direction in this film is really good, some of the shots are like being attacked by a rainbow and it’s clear that Chadha just threw everything she could at this film resulting in something that’s incredibly colourful but it never becomes garish. The film has plenty of quiet peaceful moment which offers a great contrast to the big loud moments like when Jaya(Jane) is comforting Lizzie after she learns that Darcy ruined Jaya’s chances of marrying Bhalraj (Mr Bingley) . I think I should give a shout out to the family scenes which were really good. Despite none of the Bakshis really looking alike you really bought that they were a family. One small moment is at the beginning where Lakhi (Lydia) is mouthing what her mum is saying as she says it and just little looks and glances throughout the film give the family, a real credibility. So is the direction a bit over top, at times yes but Chadha knows that, she’s having fun with it and you feel like you should do the same.

 

Now it’s time to talk about the songs which make up this musical. First of all we have the Punjabi wedding song. This song sets the tone for the rest of the movie it’s loud,  it has over the top dance sequences and it’s about the difficulty and pleasure of falling in love. It’s a great introduction to the film because it states what this movie is about and if you don’t like it you can leave. Next we have A marriage has come to town which despite being sung completely in English manages to be more Indian than its predecessor, watching this song is like being attacked by a rainbow and it’s glorious. It’s a joyful song but it still manages to be bittersweet at times although the bride is happy that she’s getting married, she’s still sad about the life she’s leaving behind. If there’s one complaint I have about the song is that we don’t see the bride again after she’s married and it goes against the point of the song and I don’t see why the created this subplot if they weren’t going to use it. Next we have My lips are waiting aka Goa groove which according to Chadha follows in the tradition of many Bollywood films of having a famous glamorous celebrity normally female sing a song and then leave. This song was sung by Ashanti who does look pretty stunning, it does seem a bit over the top for a cameo but who am I to judge Indian film traditions. This song does a good job of setting up the background to the flirtation between Wickham and Lalita and to give the impression that this is a pretty cool concert seriously I want to go to one of these things. Then we have Dola Dola which covers arguably the most important moment in the novel Darcy’s and Lizzy’s first dance this is the moment where their amazing chemistry comes to the fore but she hates him. It doesn’t quite happen that way in this film, they basically seem like two people who are becoming increasingly frustrated with each other and there just isn’t a hint of sexual tension here and this is the one moment when you need it. The choreography is still good though and the song is ok but it’s only meant to be background and the whole thing is a bit lacking. Next we have the first quiet song take me to love part 1 since the first few songs have been so colourful and loud. It was a welcome contrast to have this quiet little number with a quiet unassuming montage to establish everything you need to know and really let the emotion come through. It helps that Aishwarya Rai has a very powerful but gentle voice and with a simple guitar melody this song is a breath of fresh air. Next we have my favourite song in the whole movie no life without wife.  It’s just perfect. It’s upbeat, it’s funny and has some great interactions between the sisters. It’s catchy. I just love this song and it sums up perfectly the message of pride and prejudice. I also love the dream sequence at the end, it’s probably a bit over indulgent on Chadha’s part but sometimes you’ve just got to indulge. Next we have the cobra dance which isn’t really a song but it’s definitely a funny dance sequence and I’ll leave it at that. Now we have take me to love part 2 which instead of being about despair about never finding love this about the joy of finding love and there is a feeling of jubilation. It’s quite infectious and the gospel choir certainly gives the song a lot of energy, it’s a good song and this time I do feel some chemistry and it feels like they’re falling in love. So they’re the songs and most of them seem like, they live in their own little world and completely devoid of reality. But in this case that’s actually good thing, it allows the film to take on a pure dream like feeling and what is Pride and Prejudice if it’s not one girl’s fantasy.

Now onto special Features and if you like special features, buy this DVD because there’s a ton. Firstly we have deleted scenes, they are a couple of good Bakshi scenes which while not being that funny really showed the inner workings of this family, it’s a shame but I can see why they were cut.  We have a scene in Goa which would have made Kiran’s motivations where she explicitly states that her parents would be devastated if Bhalraj and Jaya got together. A verse of take me to love part 2 with Darcy singing. Martin Henderson has a good voice but I don’t know it seems wrong for him to be singing, this is Lalita’s song. They’re both falling in love but she’s the one making the discovery of it.  Then we have Catherine’s Confrontation with Elizabeth, in the novel, it’s a powerful scene where Lizzie stands up for herself and says to possibly one of the richest women in the country to f off. In this movie I don’t know the whole reaction seems a little wooden and it doesn’t have the weight thes moment is meant to have. 

Then we have a scene between Darcy and the Bhalrajs where we actually get a hint that Karan might be interested in Darcy but he’s too focused on her brother. Anyway he tells Bhalraj that he shouldn’t have told her to break up with Jaya and Bhalraj says that he couldn’t face up to seeing her again. His scene whilst interesting meant that for it to work you’d have to invest more time in the Jaya/ Bhalraj relationship which would have hurt the film’s pacing and took focus on the main element. Then we have the deleted song Arrogance, Pride and Vanity which just doesn’t work like a lot of portion in this film it looks pretty but the, the melody is ok but the lyrics are atrociously bad like “What a waste God had to make her so pretty.” Lines like that really make Darcy seem like a sexist prick but the montage actually makes him come across a lot better, he’s shown actually interacting with Indian culture and lightening up a little bit. Then we have a making of which really highlights how ambitious this project was and all the elements that went into making it. There are also featurettes which go into more detail, my personal favourite being the one on choreography, this woman is talented but she is phenomenally scary. Then we have some really funny outtakes that follow on from the ones that were in the credits. A commentary with Gurinder Chadha and Paul Mayed Berges the writer which is quite funny and does show some insight into the making of this film like how you can make a Spanish restaurant in London look like a Mexican restaurant in LA. We also have footage from the UK premiere where you get to see some of the producers including the inspiration for Mr. Kholi. We have two trailers, the theatrical and teaser trailer. A funny video of the crew doing the Punjabi wedding song which was done in 3 minutes despite the first version taking 6 days. There’s a gallery with some nice pictures and also apparently production notes and cast biographies now I couldn’t find a way to access them but you should be able to access them on your computer.

To conclude is this film perfect? No not by a long stretch but I have to applaud the vision of Gurinder Chadha. Now I would have done things differently but I doubt I could have done this. So I applaud her initiative to bring Bollywood more into the mainstream in the UK, to try add American musical influences but also trying to keep it a British film. It’s a tough balancing act. Also you have to remember, this came right after bend it like Beckham which was a resounding success for her. She could have done a sequel, she could have stayed making those kind of movies but she made this, something big, bright and unique and in a film industry where we’re seeing more remakes and sequels. I applaud that creativity but crucially does it work and it’s a pity it didn’t inspire anyone to do something similar but maybe that’s a good thing, maybe something like this should stay unique. Does it mix three cultures and still have a comprehensible film? On the whole I think the answer is yes.