The acclaimed director of ?Bend it like Beckham,Gurinder Chadha is back with her latest ?Hinglish? film,?Bride And Prejudice?.The film is based on Jane Austin`s novel,?Pride and Prejudice?.This is the most awaited Hinglish film of the year and why it shouldn`t be?After all,this film has the beauty queen of Bollywood,Aishwarya Rai,for the first time in an international film.
This film has been making news since quite a long time and finally,it has released,that also not in English,only but also in Hindi,as ?Balle Balle?.Amritsar To L.A?.There is the typical ?naach-gaana?,romance,etc.in the film but what makes it different is its western treatment,and that`s why we love Hinglish movies.So,everyone must definitely be curious to know how does Aishwarya look in an international film and whether the director of the very successful ?Bend it Like Beckham? managed to make a film as entertaining as that one or not?
NOTE:As I have seen the Hindi version of this movie ?Balle Balle?.Amritsar to L.A?,my review is based on the Hindi version.I wish to see its English version too,and the best thing is that,this will be the first Indian film,to be screened in Pakistani cinema halls,in both English and Hindi.The film is coming soon in the theatres of Pakistan.
THE FILM:
Kintop Pictures.?Bride And Prejudice?,directed by Gurinder Chadha,stars Aishwarya Rai,Martin Henderson,Naveen Andrews,Namrata Shirodkar,Nadira Babbar,Anupam Kher,Meghna Kothari,Danniel Gillies,Peeya Rai Chaudhri,Sonali Kulkarni and Indira Varma.This one is another refreshing,feel-good Hinglish film,which has all the ingredients to satisfy both the eastern and the western viewers.Gurinder Chadha,said in her interview,that this film will be a bigger success than her previous film ?Bend It Like Beckham?.Is it so?
THE CHARACTERS AND PERFORMANCES:
1.Lalita(Aishwariya Rai):Lalita,is a very confident and outspoken girl.She hates such people who try to degrade India and prove that west is the best.She is a very sensible,intelligent and a no-nonsense kind of a girl.Aishwarya Rai,looks gorgeous in this film.This is the most beautiful Aishwarya rai,you`ve ever seen.She didn`t look this much beautiful even in ?Devdas?.
This time,Aishwarya has perfored much more better than her previous films,such as ?Dil Ka Rishta?,or the recently released ?Kyun! Ho Gaya Na??.This actress is surely improving herself,and this film definitely proves this thing.This time the actress who looked very artificial and fake,is natural to the core,but there is one thing.The Lalita of this film reminded me of Nandini of ?Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam?,a role which Ash portrayed earlier,in 1999.
Ash has some great films coming her way,which look very promising.As for now,I`m eagerly awaiting the release of her forthcoming film ?Raincoat?.
2.William Darcy(Martin Henderson):William Darcy,is an arrogant person,who thinks that India is too far behind from America.He finds all the Indian traditions and cultures very amusing.He views Indians as low class people,but suddenly his thinking changes.Martin Henderson,is also excellent.His on-screen chemistry with Ash is simply amazing.Both look as if they are made for each other.He is excellent in the scene when he talks to Lalita for the first time and has an argument with her over Indian lifestyle.That is one really memorable scene.He is also very good in the scene,where he introduces Lalita to his mom.
Others have also performed really well.Nadira Babbar,as Mrs.Bakshi,is adorable.She has portrayed the role of the loud and a hyper,?sardarni?,Mrs.Bakshi,brilliantly.Anupam Kher has nothing much to do,but lends able support.Naveen Andrews,the actor who has been earlier seen in films such as ?Kamasutra?,as Balraj does an okay job.He doesn`t get to display much histrionics,but is good in whatever he does.Danniel Gillies,in a villainous role,does a good job.
Nitin Ganatra,as the sissy Mr.Kohli is hilarious.He does a wonderful job in the scene where he comes to Mrs.Bakshi`s house,for a dinner.Namrata Shirodkar as Lalita`s sister Jaya,does a fine job.Peeya Rai Chaudhary,as Lalita`s sister,Lucky looks cute.Meghna Kothari,who plays Lalita`s youngest sister,is superb!Her ?cobra dance?,is something to look out for!Indira Varma,who earlier starred in ?Kamasutra?,does not get to do much in a half-baked role.Ditto for Sonali Kulkarni.
THE STORY:
Mrs.Bakshi,is a Punjabi woman,who wants all of her 4 daughters to get married to some rich,Indian man,who resides in a foreign country.She is a very ambitious woman,who wants to be a part of the so-called ?high society?.Lalita,one of her daughter,doesn`t believe in such things.She thinks that there is no such thing as high society or low society.So,she is not interested in getting married to a rich guy,but she wants to get married to someone,whom she likes.Lalita`s neighbour is getting married to an Indian American and so,Lalita,her sisters and parents go to that wedding.
Lalita`s mother starts searching for bachelor and rich guys,in the wedding,for her daughters.During that wedding,the friends of the groom also arrive.The list of those friends include Balraj and William Darcy.
William Darcy is an American,who finds India very different from his own country.There,he finds out the traditions and cultures of India.He finds their traditions and cultures,like dancing on a wedding,quite silly,but the only ?beautiful? thing he finds there is Lalita.Lalita dislikes Darcy as she finds him too arrogant a person,who can do nothing other than just criticizing India.In the meanwhile Jaya,who is Lalita`s elder sister and Balraj,fall in love.When Balraj asks Jaya to join him for a trip at Goa,Lalita also joins Balraj and Darcy,with her sister.
There,in Goa,she meets Johnny,who tells Lalita about Darcy and his evil mother.When Johnny tells so many things against Darcy,Lalita starts hating him,but she also starts liking Johnny.Johnny,however,turns out to be a cheater,with whom,in the end,Lalita`s sister,Lucky falls in love.While Lalita`s heart is broken,as Johnny goes away from her life,Jaya also gets very lonely,without Balraj.So,there is a season of heartbreak.
What happens next is,Lalita`s best friend Chandra`s wedding,with Kohli,a very sissy man,whom Lalita`s mother wanted to be Lalita`s husband.For Chandra`s wedding,Lalita and her family have to go to L.A,USA,from Amritsar.Jaya gets the bad news that Balraj cannot get married to her as his mother is against Jaya,because she belongs to a middle class family.
Lalita and Darcy meet each other again in LA, and they start liking each other, but arrogance and misunderstandings is what comes between them.So what will happen?Will love succeed over pride?Will Balraj and Jaya get married? And most importantly what about William Darcy and Lalita`s love story?
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