Bride And Prejudice [2004]

The musical highlight of the movie for me is the Balle Balle sequence at the wedding.
If you love Jane Austen, romance and musicals, this will be a real treat for you.


Nothing short of exquisite - I loved every minute of it   September 26, 2005
 15 out of 16 found this review helpful

I wasn't sure I wanted to watch this film at first. Both the title and the DVD box image are rather cheesy - but then I saw the trailer, and it convinced me that this would indeed be something worth watching. Thank goodness for that trailer because I absolutely adored this movie. Bride and Prejudice introduced me to a whole new world of cinematic magic. It's an explosion of vibrant colors, exotic settings, incredible music and dancing, and genuine pleasure. The story itself, combining romance, drama, as well as comedy, was also a treat in its own right. If you haven't guessed by the title, this film was inspired by Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice - and I hope Austen enthusiasts will give this film a try, despite whatever misgivings they must surely have about it. I prefer to judge the film on its own merits, and I can't find anything not to like here. It's just exquisite.

The film is primarily set in India. Will Darcy (Martin Henderson) has come with his friend Balraj (Lost's Naveen Andrews) to attend a wedding - and what a wedding it is. The whole town is in full celebration mode, and the song and dance numbers that come spinning at you in kaleidoscope fashion entrance you with their beauty and grace. Darcy is immediately taken with a gorgeous young lady named Lalita Bakshi (Aishwarya Rai), who just happens to be the sister of Balraj's object of affection. She comes from a family full of girls and a mother working tirelessly to find husbands for her older daughters - hopefully rich ones. Darcy and Lalita, despite a lot of meaningful eye contact, don't exactly hit it off, but that's largely Darcy's fault. Henderson really isn't very charismatic in the role, and he's not all that eloquent either. Lalita finds him to be a rude, arrogant American who looks down on her and everyone else in India. Darcy's also a bit of a wimp, seemingly incapable of standing up to his domineering mother's influence. She would never approve of an India-born daughter-in-law, of course - but Mrs. Bakshi wouldn't necessarily leap for joy at an American son-in-law, either (no matter how rich he is - and Darcy is filthy rich). Darcy does get to spend a little time with Lalita (but not because she wants to), but then an acquaintance of his shows up in the form of Johnny Wickham (Daniel Gillies) - why the son of Darcy's nanny suddenly shows up there in India is a complete mystery to me, though. Wickham's no good, but the ever-ineffectual Darcy won't tell Lalita why. As for Lalita, she has to fend off a new suitor in the form of an incredibly annoying fellow who has come back from America seeking a bride. It looks like Darcy and Lalita just weren't meant to be, as he returns to London and Lalita finds herself having to fend off a new suitor in the form of an incredibly annoying fellow who has come back from America seeking a bride. The world's a small place, though, and fate brings Darcy and Lalita together again in Los Angeles (where the Bakshi family has come to attend another wedding).

The romance is quite predictable, but it does take interesting twists and turns along the way. I found it pretty compelling, but in many ways the love story is just the excuse to put on an awe-inspiring spectacle of music, dance, and incredible entertainment. I can't adequately describe the lavish nature of this film, except to say that it is a visual and auditory treat. I haven't had this much fun watching a film in a long time. Singing and dancing can start at the drop of a hat, and as often as not it doesn't end until the entire village has joined the fun. Lalita and her sisters are just wonderful, adorable characters (even the one who does the rather unforgettable Cobra Dance) - and Aishwarya Rai, the true star of this film, shines like the heavens on a dark night. I'll eagerly watch any movie she appears in. You won't have to worry about nodding off in the middle of this one - as Bride and Prejudice has the contagious energy to revive even the weariest of souls. Hollywood just doesn't make films like this; until you see this Bride and Prejudice, you probably won't even know what you're missing.


the best movie interpretation of Jane Austen yet   July 27, 2006
 15 out of 16 found this review helpful

This is a virtuoso performance by the director. She manages to set most of Pride and Prejudice's storyline into a cross-cultural Indian-Western setting, deftly using the oft belabored "arranged marriage" theme to represent what was also the main social goal of women during Jane Austen's time. The setting is brought off perfectly -- a very difficult job, in view of the requirements of "Bollywood" movies for sing and dance pieces; here, the sing and dance pieces move the story along, stand for the social entertainment of the times (Lizzy spends hours at the piano providing dancing music, with Darcy listening), and provide color, excellent music, and, most importantly, fun. Lizzy is an ebullient and irrepressible character, as Jane Austen makes clear through her characterization, but also in direct author's remarks to the reader. Her singing, but most dancing in this movie does a great job of conveying this exuberance. Just watch the garba episode! The director also pokes fun at this very tradition of "interrupting" the movie for song and dance, but in an inspired way -- the song and dance on the beach, featuring a black church choir, is a stroke of genius, because it rings true and is at the same time nearly ridiculous, poking gentle fun at itself.
Northern Indians are fond of bright colors, something this movie displays in abundance. While very colorful, the clothes are simply gorgeous -- and the radiant Aishwarya Rai, already the most strikingly beautiful actress anywhere, looks simply breathtaking in her outfits as Lalita/Lizzy. No wonder Darcy falls in love at first sight!
The actors are excellent at their jobs, even though most members of Lizzy's family are painted in a more sympathetic light than in the book. Kitty, who is pretty much a cipher in the book anyway, is entirely omitted, while Mary/Maya provides more comic relief than in the book. Darcy's friend is once again cast in an intercultural light, as Balraj, a wealthy British barrister of Indian origin -- and is strikingly attractive as well as simpatico; here we can well understand Jane's immediate attraction to him. Once again, the movie is gentler than the book when it comes to his sister, who can be catty (watch her predatory smile as she offers cakes in her London mansion), but ultimately enjoys life too much to be really nasty.
I found the two actors who play Lizzy's parents to be outstanding and finely matched to the softened characterization chosen by the director. Darcy (who stays Darcy in the movie, the only one to do so with his sister and his now mother, Catherine) and his bosom friend Balraj are great. But the two who steal the show are Aishwarya Rai, by her beauty, her truly Lizzy-like wit and fast eyebrows, and her power to evoke dreams as easily as daily drab, and an actor who was entirely unknown to me who plays Mr. Collins, the character who, in the book, will inherit the estate and marries Charlotte, Lizzy's best friend. Here, he is an accountant in California and does work for Darcy's (god)mother. His character has to be one of the great comic creations in movies; his spectacular braying laugh, his unbelievable table manners ("like watching a Jackson Pollock painting", says Lizzy-Lalita), his simple belief in money, all mixed with his obvious devotion to his wife and generally good character, make for an unforgettable performance. I do not know who created this character, who, in the book, is simply a pompous and obsequious ass; but the notion, for instance, of marking him as an ass by having him bray at every "bon mot", while giving him sufficient redeeming qualities not to turn him into a simple churl, is brilliant.
Pride and Prejudice is my favorite book; I must have read it at least 40 times cover to cover. Past movie settings tried to reproduce the English and period setting and never quite got to what the book really conveys, which is pretty much timeless; this movie only tries to get to the heart of the book -- the dilemma every woman in the book faced when coming of age and the hesitant, on again and off again, relationship between a very serious Darcy and a very ebullient Lizzy, and succeeds brilliantly. I am well on my way to matching my number of book readings by my number of movie watchings -- and watching the movie made me re-read the book a few more times as well. THere is alway more to discover in Jane Austen's writings and, incredibly, I keep discovering more nice small touches (Charlotte's mother's pushing her into the dance at the first dance scene, for instance) in the movie. The movie is dense; not as richly textured as, say, Lord of the Rings (one of the few movies to really make one feel "there" because of the incredibly dense quality of each setting), but still much richer than most contemporary movies. Very highly recommended!


Absolutely fantastic   July 4, 2006
 6 out of 6 found this review helpful

I have now seen this 3 times. The last time I watched it my husband sat through it with me and not only found certain bits hilarious, he liked the gorgeous girls. I like it because (a)I'm an avid pride and prejudice fan (prefer this to the latest adaptation with Kiera K) and although I don't think anyone can ever beat the Colin Firth and Jenniffer Ehle version, b)it was nice to see it in a different cultural setting.


Sexy Mr Kohli... rrarr   December 30, 2005
 6 out of 8 found this review helpful

The first thing I'd like to say about this bollywood beaut is: trendy wendy. The fashion, music (particularly the Indian Anthems) are wicked. A must see, it appears.

Transfixed by the sexy Mr Kohli in his thongs, I was captivated by this fantastic film, which has many fascinating twists and turns which are not just hilarious but also mindracing.

The classic English storyline is dipped into a bit of fun, romance and laughter - all stirred up to create a magical masterpiece. The dancing, drumming and sexy Mr Wickham also caught my eye - check out the groovy dancing with that slut called Ashanti.

You really must see this. Anyhow, I really must get on now because I am very busy and important and I NEED to buy the soundtrack. Mwa, Mr Kohli

Love Jemima... xxxx