... I decided to treat myself to the DVD of 'Bride and Prejudice, which was on special offer at Somerfield for £3.99. This film is directed by Gurinder Chadha, who also directed 'Bend It Like Beckham' which I really enjoyed, so I thought it might be worth a look. The DVD contains the 106mins film ... Read review
The exotic sounds, vibrant colours, and ecstatic dancing of Bollywood collide with the ... more
cunning storytelling of Jane Austen inBride&Prejudice(from the writer/director of previous East/West hybridBend It Like Beckham). When smart, outspoken Lalita Bakshi...
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The exotic sounds, vibrant colours, and ecstatic dancing of Bollywood collide with the ... more
cunning storytelling of Jane Austen inBride&Prejudice(from the writer/director of previous East/West hybridBend It Like Beckham). When smart, outspoken Lalita Bakshi...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Discover the magic, feel the rhythm, and fall in love.From the creators of the smash hit ... more
'Bend it like Beckham', comes BRIDE AND PREJUDICE a romantic comedy with a Bollywood twist!Lalita Bakshi (Aishwarya Rai) is a strong-willed yet sensible young woma...
Original UK Quad; Rolled Poster; Poster Condition: New; Size: 40 x 30 inches approx. All ... more
our items are despatched from the United Kingdom. Starring - Aishwarya Rai, Martin Henderson, Nadira Babbar, Anupam Kher, Manufacturer: MoviePostersDirect
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Production Year: 1999 - Music / Performing Arts - Original Language: English - Classification: Exempt - Starring: Donny Osmond, Joan Collins, Richard Attenborough
Advantages: Colourful, energetic, hilarious and romantic! Disadvantages: Don't be expecting the BBC adaptation with Colin Firth!
...
The Making of Bride and Prejudice - A documentary charting the idea behind the film and how it was all put together.
Featurettes - Interviews with Aishwarya, Martin, Production designer, make-up artist, choreographer and info on Ashanti's featured song. I found this section very interesting.
Out-takes - Some very funny clips, but a bit short!
Directors Commentary - The whole film with Gurinder ... ...- Footage of cast and crew at the UK premiere.
Crew does the songs - Gurinder is known for getting everyone involved in the musical numbers and this is footage of the crew doing 'the Wedding Song'.
Original Theatre Trailer
Teaser Trailer
Photo Gallery - a selection of stills from various scenes.
Production Notes - A DVD-ROM is necessary for this feature.
Hi everyone - hope you are all coping in the heat! Sticking with that theme, I have just watched a 'sizzling' film. I decided to treat myself to the DVD of 'Bride and Prejudice, which was on special offer at Somerfield for £3.99. This film is directed by Gurinder Chadha, who also directed 'Bend It Like Beckham' which I really enjoyed, so I thought it might be worth a look. The DVD contains the 106mins film and lots of special features.
~~The Film~~
Where do I begin? The film is so full of colour, vibrancy and hilarity, that it is hard to know where to start. As the title suggests, the film is heavily inspired by Jane Austen's classic novel 'Pride and Prejudice' - a love story beset by pre-conceived ideas and awkward misunderstandings. However, given that the director is Gurinder Chadha, she draws on her Indian roots and gives it a full Bollywood makeover. The result is a marvellous mishmash of affectionate swipes at cultural stereotypes, musical style interludes where characters break into song and tense, emotional drama.
The story begins in the provincial Indian village of Amritsar. This is home to the Bakshi's (the Bennets), a working class, but comfortably off family who run a farm. Mr and Mrs Bakshi have 4 daughters - Jaya, Lalita, Maya and Lakhi. Mrs Bakshi is extremely anxious that her daughters marry wealthy gentlemen and is particularly concerned that her eldest daughter Jaya be married first. Lalita is the Lizzie Bennet character - intelligent, strong willed and sensible, but romantic. She is slightly more rebellious against the traditional ideas of her culture, but still fiercely loyal to her roots.
Whilst at a friend's engagement party, Jaya meets Balraj Bingley, a wealthy Indian from England and the two are immediately attracted to one another. It is here that Lalita first meets Balraj's best friend, William Darcy, an extremely rich American hotel owner. Despite the cultural issues, the pair have an obvious chemistry that intrigues them both. However, while Jaya and Balraj's romance blossoms, Lalita and Darcy seem unable to do or say anything but the wrong things to each other. Their personal pride and prejudices keep getting in the way.
As Jaya and Balraj become increasingly involved, Lalita and Darcy find themselves thrown together in bizarre, but amusing situations that take them from Amritsar to Goa, to London and to LA, as they try to battle against their own feelings, the cultural differences and their misconceptions and first impressions. The situation becomes even more complicated with the arrival of Johnny Wickham, an old acquaintance of Darcy's and Mr. Kohli, a wealthy distant relative of the Bakshi's, who Lalita's mother is keen for her to marry. Who is Lalita's perfect match?
~~My Opinion~~
This has become one of my favourite films! All the emotional turmoil featured in this effective, upbeat modern-day adaptation of the original story, is interspersed with fantastic Bollywood-influenced musical numbers full of traditional dance and costume. The songs are incredibly catchy, if a little long in places. My favourite has to be 'Balle Balle! The Punjabi Wedding Song', which is the very first number. It is a terrific upbeat song, sung in Hindi, and is where the boys first meet the girls at the engagement party. It is the equivalent of a formal dance in the original novel. My other fave is 'Dola Dola', which is used for a festival dance, the Garba, later on in the film. Other highlights include the stunningly colourful, 'Marriage Has Come To Town' - set in the market place, 'No Life Without Wife' - more like a conventional pop song, with a bit of a Sandra Dee feel to it sung by the 4 sisters, and 'Take Me To Love' - a beautiful ballad. There is also a performance cameo by RnB singer Ashanti.
To me, the film is a cross between a classic novel and popular musicals like Grease and Westside Story, with a bit of Disney's Aladdin thrown in (I think you will see what I mean, when you see the market scene!). The comedy is outstanding and the cultural ideas of traditional Indian values lend themselves very well for a parallel with the family ideas in the original story. It is very fast paced from the beginning and is one of those films that needs to be watched more than once to get all the details. Brilliant!
~~Standout Characters~~
Lalita (Aishwarya Rai)
This lady excels as the central female character. The stunning Aishwarya does a terrific job of bringing all sides of a complex character together and making her believable, inspirational and likeable all at once. I have never seen this actress before, but she is a major Bollywood star and I am impressed enough to check out some of her other films. She has a real presence and lights up the screen.
Darcy (Martin Henderson)
I am familiar with this New Zealand actor, so I was pretty confident he would be good in the role. I have heard some complaints that Darcy was an American in this version, but to me they are unfounded. He was certainly not made out to be the all-American hero, more like the awkward Westerner, and the US didn't come away unscathed by the swipes at the negative aspects of their culture either. I think it worked well and Martin did a marvellous job playing the aloof, sometimes abrupt fish-out-water Darcy. Not only is he gorgeous (sorry, you know me!), but he did a fine job with the lingering looks, smouldering gazes and awkwardness required of his part. I think the chemistry between the leads was extremely good.
Mr. and Mrs Bakshi
Anupam Kher (also the father in Bend It Like Beckham) and Nadira Babbar play the long-suffering husband and pushy social- climbing wife brilliantly. These characters stayed very true to the originals, even using some of the same dialogue as in the BBC adaptation of 'Pride and Prejudice'. The interplay between them is very funny.
Mr. Kohli (Nitin Ganatra)
For me, he is the best character in the film. The film really picks up with his arrival, as he is just so outrageous and unintentionally obnoxious. He is clumsy, haphazard, irritating, lacking in manners and extremely ignorant and snobbish to his own background now that he has become an 'Amrican' as he calls it. Hilarious! Nitin gets the best actor award from me because he absolutely sells what must have been quite difficult character acting and how he kept a straight face, I'll never know! Ace!
~~DVD Extras~~
There is plenty to choose from here! The first menu screen has the choice of: Play Movie, Scene Selection (20 scenes to choose from), Special Features and Set Up.
Special Features
Deleted scenes and song - There seems to be half a film's worth of deleted material here. The film plays fine without them, but it's nice to have them as they tie certain scenes together better. The deleted song is 'Arrogance, Pride and Vanity' and features the vocals of Aishwarya Rai and Martin Henderson. It is exclusive to the UK DVD only.
The Making of Bride and Prejudice - A documentary charting the idea behind the film and how it was all put together.
Featurettes - Interviews with Aishwarya, Martin, Production designer, make-up artist, choreographer and info on Ashanti's featured song. I found this section very interesting.
Out-takes - Some very funny clips, but a bit short!
Directors Commentary - The whole film with Gurinder Chadha's commentary to each scene.
UK Premiere - Footage of cast and crew at the UK premiere.
Crew does the songs - Gurinder is known for getting everyone involved in the musical numbers and this is footage of the crew doing 'the Wedding Song'.
Original Theatre Trailer
Teaser Trailer
Photo Gallery - a selection of stills from various scenes.
Production Notes - A DVD-ROM is necessary for this feature.
Cast Biographies - Also requires DVD-ROM.
Set Up
In this section there is the option to put subtitles on for the hearing impaired.
Overall, I think this is an excellent product. The film is terrific and there are so many interesting special features that it is well worth owning. It was brilliant value for money at the £3.99 I got it for, but I would happily have paid an extra £10 and still felt I had got a good deal. Be prepared for a surprise with the film because it is a different sort of thing to Bend It Like Beckham. If you want to see the film before buying, it is currently doing the rounds on Sky Movies (July 06) if you have it. Otherwise, I highly recommend the film if you are open to different musical styles and enjoy laughing!
Advantages: The photography is superb (includes the Golden Temple, the London Eye, the Grand Canyon); the casting was wonderful; it is an extravaganza of colour & culture in English! Disadvantages: If you dislike "Bollywood" musicals and dancing, Morris dancing or Romance you might not like this.
...last "advance premier showing" of BRIDE & PREJUDICE last night at 8:15.
The second time round was, if anything, better than the first.
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I had wanted to see this film ever since I first heard a review on "front row" on Radio 4 - and heard that it was an adaptation (set in modern India) of Jane Austen's "Pride & Prejudice" - my favourite of her novels. In the Novel, the Bennetts ... ...dark ~~~
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Bride & Prejudice opens with preparations for an arranged marriage in India. The best man, Balraj – a handsome and wealthy young man from the UK (played by Naveen Andrews) arrives in Amritsar with his sardonic sister Kiran (Indira Varma) and American friend William Darcy (Martin Henderson), heir to a hotel chain around the world. Balraj has eyes for no one but Jaya ...
jesi 08.10.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Bride And Prejudice (DVD)
Advantages: Beautifully shot film Disadvantages: Making Mr Darcy an American
...Uni.
The musical film Bride and Prejudice is made in a Bollywood style and was adapted by Gurinder Chadha.
The story
Set in Amritza, India for the first part of the film and in London, UK and LA, California for the second part, the Bakshi are the centre family of this story. Mrs Bakshi has 4 daughters that she wants to marry off to wealth men but their second daughter who's called Lalita is stubborn and wants to marry for love and not for money. ... ...friend gets married, she meets an American businessman called William Darcy played by Martin Henderson who comes to the wedding because his friend Balraj is the best man. Darcy is intrigued by Lalita but she takes an instant dislike to him as he accidentally insult her culture and by that insults her. At the wedding, Balraj takes an interesting in the Bakshi eldest daughter, Jaya. He visits her to go on holiday as he is leaving town the next day. ...
galaxynicole 06.06.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Bride And Prejudice (DVD)
Advantages: Lots of colour, Insight to Indian culture, Lead characters make nice eye candy, Great scenes in India, America, London and Goa Disadvantages: Weak plotline, wooden acting, too many songs.
This is a modern day adaptation of the Jane Austen classic 'Pride and Prejudice'. I can not possibly comment on how it compares to the original as I have not read it or seen the adaptation of the original, but I can certainly share my thoughts and experiences of it.
The film is directed by British Asian director Gurinder Chadha, who received much critical acclaim for her hit film 'Bend It Like Beckham' two years ago. Due to the success of Bend It ... ...my opinion, the film failed to meet those expectations. (Ironically, my first review on Ciao was on 'Bend It Like Beckham'!)
The plot focuses on Lalita, played by the stunning Aishwariya Rai who makes her debut into the mainstream cinema with this film. Lalita is an intelligent, educated, proud Indian girl living with her parents in Amritsar, India. Lalita's mother is a very enthusiastic matchmaker, who is keen to find wealthy husbands who are preferably ...
Donnie_Brasco 17.10.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Bride And Prejudice (DVD)
Advantages: some performances, gives a flavor of Indian life Disadvantages: Falls far short of the complexities of the original
...in hopes of finding a bride amongst his cousins, but goes away with Lalita’s friend Chanda instead. The upcoming nuptials has the Bakshi family go to LA for the festivities, and wouldn’t you know it, the wedding is to be held at one of Will’s hotels, and sparks begin to fly more noticeably between him and Lalita, until he upsets her once again. In the meantime, Lucky, the youngest sister, runs away with Wickham, and Lalita is horrified to learn that ... ...an abortion at the age of 16. Finally though, Lucky is returned safely, Jaya and Balraj are reunited, and Lalita and Will fall in love with each other, and presumably, live happily ever after. The sad thing is, the movie sounds great on paper, but in reality, it falls far short of expectations. The script should work marvelously well with the Indian setting, but that gets lost in the East-meets-West conflict that drives the script instead. Chada ...
mystikchick17 24.12.2004 (27.12.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Bride And Prejudice (DVD)
Advantages: Light and entertaining, colourful and vibrant, gives a light insight into Indian culture Disadvantages: If you don't like musicals, don't go
Bollywood bonanza. This film reminded me so much of the wonderful musicals we used to see, West Side Story, My Fair Lady and the like. My husbands face when they started singing in the street was a picture! Half way into the film the fire alarms went off in the Cinema and I found myself, with hubby and his youngest daughter (12) outside on the pavement discussing whether we should go back in, or leave. What’s to discuss? Louise and I just had to ... ...wanted to know how it ended. Decision made and hubby reluctantly made his way back to his seat.
I offer a totally unbiased review of the film as I was totally unaware at the time that this was an adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”. Not that this fact would have made a difference, I have never read Pride and Prejudice and so judge this film on its merit and not against something which has gone before.
What drew me to see it was my ...
Spongebob2 15.10.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Bride And Prejudice (DVD)
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Advantages: very funny Disadvantages: not enough special effects
Hi!
(1.) Introduction
(2.) Contents
(3.) Data, Cast & Crew
(4.) DVD
(5.) Result
(1.) Introduction:
Long time I considered myself whether I am to really buy this film, since I am always quite sceptical with comedies. In the cinema I didnt`t looked this film because the title somehow amusingly forwards already came gone there. I only imagined: This can`t be a good film with such a title.
Well, in the long run I then now decided nevertheless to watch me the film once on DVD and the I bought this DVD. I had times again like also with other films e.g. my bride their father and I, a few prejudices and it is now glad that I nevertheless still looked the film in the long run.
(2.) Contents:
Elle Woods is complete from the little house, since its friend Warner wants to come on this weekend past. Inch counts firmly on the fact ...
Musicals & Music Films - Musicals & Other Music Films
Classification
12 years and over
Production Year
2004
Running Time
1 hour 46 minutes
Plot
A Bollywood reworking of Jane Austen's novel. Mrs Bennet is eager to find husbands for her five daughters. When the rich, and single, Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy come to live nearby, Mrs Bennet's hopes are raised, but things are not so simple...
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
PATHE DISTRIBUTION; 20TH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Director Audio Commentary, The Making Of, Aishwarya Rai Featurette, Martin Henderson Featurette, Production Design Featurette, Make Up Featurette, Dance Featurette, Ashantis Song Featurette, Crew Does Balle Balle, Deleted Song Arrogance Pride And Vanity, Extended Scenes, Production Notes, Photo Gallery, Cast And Crew Biographies, UK Premiere Featurette, Outtakes, Audio Description
Aspect Ratio
2.35 Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
Professional reviews
Review
A glitzy glam musical sensation (Company, )
Spectacular, romantic, funny and so sexy (Daily Mail, )
The most stand up and cheer film all year (Glamour, )
A triumph (Sunday Times, )
DVD Description
A Bollywood reworking of Jane Austen's novel. Mrs Bennet is eager to find husbands for her five daughters. When the rich, and single, Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy come to live nearby, Mrs Bennet's hopes are raised, but things are not so simple...
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