Bhangra Fit DVD

Advantages: It draws attention to a serious topic.
Disadvantages: The dreadful direction, acting and writing.

...’s really in fear for her life or that she understands the predicament of the character. Naveen Andrews is utterly miscast as the abusive Deeapk. He can’t flip from one emotional state to another at the drop of the hat (say from happiness to rage) and he doesn’t exude the required menace. Instead he eyeballs other players and shouts a lot. You won’t believe a thing he says or does. I suspect Miranda Richardson was attracted to the subject matter rather than the script as she and the part of Ronnie (Kiran’s cellmate) are an ill fit. Her accent is all over the place and her characterisation is patchy, making this far from her best work. “Eastender” Steve McFadden plays bent copper DS Ron Meyers as Phil Mitchell with a badge. To be fair, he looks far more relaxed in front of the camera than most of the cast and the soap operatics suit his acting... Read review

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Advantages: some performances, gives a flavor of Indian life
Disadvantages: Falls far short of the complexities of the original

...the time to delve into the class issues that compromise the core of Austen’s original work. She also seems overeager to portray the stereotypical ‘color’ and ‘vibrancy’ of Indian life, and stuff as much of it into the movie as possible. As a result, we have bhangra dancing at the sangeet (engagement ceremony), townspeople that look like villagers dressed in every hue of the rainbow in the market scene, and dandiya at the wedding. I don’t know if it’s just me, but as a Punjabi, I have NEVER seen dandiya done by other Punjabis. Dandiya is a dance from Gujrat, and I am puzzled as to why Chada, as a Punjabi, would stick that in a Punjabi wedding. Perhaps her reasons for doing so are to give foreign viewers a taste of ‘the real India,’ that Lalita quite rightly accuses Will of shutting out in his luxury resort, but the goal fails and winds up... Read review

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Advantages: Fun, romance, not too long!
Disadvantages: Slightly irritating surreal aspects...

..."porn family" of Dwain and Peaches are strangely endearing, and add to the picture of Sharonna as a good girl in a bad situation. Although sex and porn are mainstays of the film, and there is some bad language throughout, there is little nudity, and it is generally inoffensive. I went to see it with my mum, and she also found nothing objectionable. The Bollywood-inspired song and dance numbers are one of the most enjoyable parts of the film, and show Tracey Jackson's great love of all things Indian. They are not frequent enough, though, to make them completely fit, and along with the bizarre final scene, add a slightly surreal feeling to the proceedings. This doesn't necessarily detract from the film, but it might irritate some people. The soundtrack also adds enjoyment, featuring the likes of the Sugababes, Samantha Mumba, and Sophie Ellis... Read review

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