"Lost" Fans Check Out "Bride and Prejudice"

Bride and Prejudice is a movie that didn't get the attention it deserved when it hit theatres here in the US. Even though I was aware of it and interested in seeing it, I never managed to. So when compiling a list of DVDs to rent, it was on the list. Now I'm strongly considering buying it.

The tagline on the movie is 'Bollywood meets Hollywood... And it's a perfect match'. This actually sums up the movie quite well. Based on Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice, this is a movie that takes place in modern day India, the UK, and the US. It stars actors from all three countries, and more. It's a love story and a musical, which would not normally be high on my list if it weren't for the director, Gurinder Chadha, who directed Bend It Like Beckham which I did like a lot.

Plot

A middle-class Indian family has 4 nearly grown girls which they need to marry off. The movie starts with a wedding of a friend, which brings this family together with Balraj, an Indian living in the UK and his rich American friend, William Darcy. One of the girls is interested in Balraj, another thinks Darcy is an insufferable arrogant jerk (not without good reason!). Then there's Johnny Wickham, a charming guy with little money whose mother used to be Darcy's nanny. Who's he going to get involved with?

Interspersed throughout the actual action and dramatic scenes are musical numbers. All but one of the songs is in English, but with most definitely an Indian sound to them. The dancing seems to be a blend of Indian and Western. It's also all very colorful.

People

Gurinder Chadha is the director. She's done a few projects, but the only one I've seen and that Americans have most likely seen is Bend It Like Beckham. If you liked that movie, you should like this one, even though this one is a musical. There is a lot of the same humor that was in Bend It. The Extras had a Behind the Scenes segment, so you get to see and hear the director herself. She makes a nice change from the directors and producers I'm used to seeing, who are all geeky white guys in their 40's. Chadha is a friendly-looking woman, and according to the IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/) was born in Kenya and grew up in the UK.

The next name I recognized was Naveen Andrews. Most may recognize him, as I did, as everyone's favorite Iraqi in Lost. In Bride and Prejudice he plays what he actually is, a British man of Indian descent. He plays Balraj and only a few minutes into the movie, we get to see him dance in a strange blend of M.C. Hammer and traditional Indian. The movie's worth getting just for that if you like him in Lost.

Aishwarya Rai plays the lead female role, Lalita Bakshi. She's a big name in India, though I have to admit I'd never heard of her until this movie. Other notable names from Indian, British, and American film are also in this movie, but as I don't really know them, I won't go through the whole list.

The last person to note is Ashanti, who performs a live show on a beach in the movie. I'm not really into musical terms much, but I believe the style of the song and dance is most closely described as Indian hip hop.

DVD Extras

There are deleted scenes, extended musical numbers, and a behind the scenes documentary. You may think you've had enough of the singing and dancing already, but actually, I appreciated the movie even more after watching all of the Extras. Altogether, I think they took me about half an hour to watch.

Tip

Turn on your closed captioning. The first song is translated into English if you have the captions on. It will also make it easier to understand accents you may not be used to. This also means if you saw it in the theatre, it's worth checking out on DVD to get all those details you may have missed.

My Thoughts

I liked it more than I thought I would, considering it's far outside my usual genre (I prefer science fiction and fantasy movies, well.. good ones anyway). I'm considering buying this DVD and I'm also considering buying the soundtrack.

It's a shame this movie didn't get more attention while it was in theatres, so it's time to make it up now by watching the DVD. Rent it, borrow it, buy it, just be sure to see it.

The director is currently working on I Dream of Jeannie. She sounds perfect for it! Mark your calendars for that one.