Dont drive us to drugs Ms Chadha!. Review on Bride and Prejudice

It is my great misfortune to have had to go to this movie. But the kind father had already bought tickets with such enthusiasm that it was impossible to refuse.I had heard really bad reviews of it and had no expectations. So, feeling much like a goat being lead to slaughter, I decided to submit myself to Bride and Prejudice. The horror that followed was not very far removed from what goes on in a slaughter house.

First of all let me tell you that I loved 'Bend it Like Beckham'. I thought it was a gem of a small budget movie and an accurate description of an NRI Sikh family. Imagine then, with what horror (best word really) I beheld the ongoings on screen here.

The movie is loosely based on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. I have not read the book and hence my review will not reflect how Chadha has done in comparison to the tome. The movie revolves around a family of four sisters who live with their parents on a farm in Amritsar. It is about their lives and love affairs. The movie is based in three locations; Amritsar, London and Los Angeles. I will not talk about the story any further, that is pretty straightforward and I would guess is in keeping with Austen's plot.

The movie starts at Amritsar and it is here that you tend to recoil in horror at what is shown onscreen. Chadha presents Amritsar in the worst possible way you could. The colours, the noise can be understood but are still way too loud. However when Ash and her friends burst into song on the streets you feel like sinking into you seat and dying of embarassment. This is not what India is Ms Chadha!!! This is not even what Bollywood is!

Chadha seems totally out of her depth when handling the Indian scenes. She seems to have forgotten what India is really like, or rather I guess has built a weird fantasy of India in her head. This is the fantasy world that she subjects us to. The place where all people in the city not only burst into song but also where colour co-ordinated outfits on the streets.

Where everyone looks well-to-do and those who dont are simple, illiterate people. She has totally lost it. The four girls are shown to be progressive, especially Ash and yet we have no idea what their educational background is. They never seem to go to college and all they really do is wait around to get married. One must just be thankful that peacocks and snake charmers didnt feature.

In Los Angeles also, Chadha ends up feeling uncomfortable and confused about what to show. The only time she feels comfy is when she is filming in London. Then you suddenly see suburban kids playing in their yards and a sort of reality is infused in the film. But even that is oh so brief and not even integral to the plot.

Aishwarya Rai. She is stunning. She cant act. Her onscreen portrayal of Lalitha Bakshi is so wooden and wax-like that you really wonder whether Madam Tussad's gave their statue a chance to act. She is out of her depth here and is spiralling into becoming an articulate bimbo. She has got to start honing her skills and stop thinking that being beautiful gives her a backstage pass to life. That's all I will say or all that can be said without using bad words.

The other actors are wasted. None of them are used to their full potential, espcially Namrata Shirodkar. The characters are rather caricatures and the movie becomes too loud and gaudy and a mockery of itself. Martin Henderson is the savior of the movie. No, he hasnt acted well and no he doesnt improve the movie one bit. But he does look gorgeous. That one star that I have given this movie goes out to the casting director who found him!

What upsets me most about the movie is that it was hyped to be our representation to Hollywood. Our crossover masterpiece. It is really sad that Chadha has not understood us nor really decided to represent us. As I said she is either constructing her own fantasy abt what India is or she is mocking our own customs. Chadha must come to live in Amritsar or even Mumbai and spend six months here. Then she will understand what the youth here is all about. Even if we are submitting ourselves to arranged marriages, we still have the drive to accomplish whatever we want to.

All in all, it sucks and is an embarrassment to watch! Go watch 'Monsoon Wedding' instead. Now that is a great crossover film!

p.s. My cousin just told me that it was the first movie she went to where she felt like screaming out aloud. Oh yeh all comments appreciated, even if you loved the movie and want to kill me.