The crossover film of 2004 Bride and Prejudice is neither a completely Bollywood flick nor entirely a Hollywood caper. A mix of both the cultures both in terms of the story and filmmaking! And for the first time, Bollywood beauty Aishwarya Rai is paired opposite a Hollywood star - Martin Henderson (of The Ring fame). The movie released on October 8 with great fanfare and has been well received by city audience hungry for crossover films.
The credit of course goes to Director Gurinder Chadha who debuted with her much-acclaimed film Bhaji on the Beach in 1993 and struck to fame with the super hit Bend it Like Beckham in 2002. The film is adapted from Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice with the only difference that while in the original the clash between Darcy and Elizabeth crops up due to their social status, the conflict between Darcy and Lalita over here is a result of their cross cultures. Another reason for the crossover effect!
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Ace actor Anupam Kher plays Mr Bakshi, a man who is always in a quandary when it comes to marrying his daughters. Coming from a not so rich family background, Mr Bakshi simply cannot afford to pay the wedding dowry. Nadira Babbar plays Mrs Bakshi and is the mother of four daughters and her sole aim is to find the perfect partners for her daughters.
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Pretty but now old Namrata Shirodkar plays Jaya who is the eldest daughter of the Bakshi family and of marriageable age. Aishwarya Rai plays Lalita who is next to Jaya. Smart and stubborn, she is determined to seek her own love without the meddling of her mother. Meghana Kothari plays Maya Bakshi and Peeya Rai Choudhary plays Lucky who complete the sibling quartet.
Martin Henderson plays Will Darcy who is an American hotelier who is instantaneously attracted to Lalita. Love at first sight but this time the Hollywood way!
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Mr Balraj anglicized as Mr Bingley (Naveen Andrews), is a British Asian from London and the new neighbor to the Bakshi family. Mrs Bakshi sees this good-looking personality as a prospective partner for Jaya. Balraj's best friend, Darcy, meets Lalita on a social meet and instantly falls for her. Love at first sight for him (but this time the Hollywood way). However the same is not true for Lalita. How the spark ignites between them and what hindrance comes in their path is subsequently revealed in the plot of the film.
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Anu Malik, whose musical compositions have already been used in crossover films like Monsoon Wedding (Chunari Chunari) and The Guru (Chori Chori), has composed seven peppy numbers for the film. Incidentally, Malik even plays a small part in the film. He plays a pundit who welcomes the family during the wedding.
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One of the songs has been penned by Farhan and Zoya Akhtar. Gurinder Chadha states, "The music is a mix of West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, Grease and also Hindi film music". With the success of Hollywood musicals like Moulin Rouge and Chicago, perhaps this musical too would be acknowledged overseas.
Renowned cinematographer Santosh Sivan (Asoka, Fiza, Terrorist, Tehzeeb) handles the camera while Saroj Khan is the choreographer.
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Definitely, the film is for those who have a lust for Hollywood way of looking at things and are not looking at conservative Hindi cinema. The music is also a fine blend and one tends to start humming it immediately. Another good try by Gurinder which the city audience will love!
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