Good fun. Review on Bride and Prejudice

A movie in the news from the day of the launch, for all kinds of reasons, a lot of people have been waiting for it to unfold on screen. Rai gives wings to her international ambitions while Chadha has kept everyone guessing after a successful previous movie.

I don't remember reading Pride and Prejudice (the classic novel on which the movie is based on) and I haven't watched Bend It.... So, don't expect any comparisons.

The story, simply put, revolves around a family having four spinsters and in particular the not-at-all-smooth love story of one of them. Fix this family in Punjab and you know that you're in for some vibrant situations. Throw in a few relatives in UK and an American hero, you got an East-meets-West.

At one level, this movie is yet another introduction of India and Bollywood to the West. The level of melodrama is toned down though. Set as a musical partly, you have predominantly English lyrics (which don't fit too well). Things like a song where the whole town seems to be celebrating one particular girl's wedding seem exaggerated. Contrasting that with Goa is good. The various characters criticise and defend India equally.

On the other hand, one can see how an English story of a few centuries ago sits very easily in present day Indian context. Couple of the 'girls' looking like women around thirty and idling at home jars though. Also, when did Indian parents become so open-minded about pre-marital dating? But quickly, the story moves onto a mature romance, leaving the audience yearn for the lead pair to get together. These characters in particular and the blossoming of love between them isn't fully developed; but how much more can you do in a two-hour movie?

If what has been written till now makes the movie sound serious, please accept my apologies. The humour is good, neither loud as in Bollywood nor too very subtle like British comedies. It is interlaced nicely into the script, letting the narration flow without hindrance. Towards the end, the movie seems a bit dragging though.

Rai is like Shah Rukh Khan -- she does OK and hardly ever gets into the skin of the character. But, she comes good in the emotional scenes at the fag end. Henderson (The Ring) does fine, suiting the role of an introverted rich guy. A little chemistry between them would have been good. Babbar steals the show as the over-the-top Punjabi mother; she is hilarious. A close second is Ganatra as the ''American desi''. Shirodkar, Choudhury and Verma are adequate while Kher, Kulkarni and Kothari are wasted. Atleast, Andrews gets to shake his leg 'vigorously'.

Music is overall good, though not a single song stays in memory (unlike Bollywood Hollywood or even The Guru). Cinematography, costumes and art direction are easy on the eye.

Chadha is in total control. She deserves praise for taking up the challenge of fusing a classic story into an Indian context and presenting it without too much Westernization.