‘Bride And Prejudice’: A Debate On The Promise Vs. Pitfalls Of The Bollywood Blockbuster

In 2003, mainstream audiences got what, arguably, was their first real taste of Bollywood, director Gurinder Chadha’s Bride and Prejudice. The film had untold amounts of promise; it came from the breakout director of Bend It Like Beckham, it was entirely in English (instead of the traditional Hindi), and it starred Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai, who to this day is still described by many as “the most beautiful woman in the world.”

For Proma Khosla, then aged 12, Bride and Prejudice was poised to be the best film of her entire life. Finally, a Bollywood movie her friends would want to watch! Finally, she could talk about Aishwarya Rai at school and everyone would understand! And the songs were sure to be perfect for jam sessions in the back of her parents’ Toyota Camry.

That said, twelve years later, I still don’t know how I feel about this movie. Part of me loves it, part of me is super frustrated by it. In an attempt to reconcile my feelings, I’d very much love it if you joined me as I debate myself on the merits of this movie.

THE MUSIC

PROMA (PRO): “Balle Balle,” the film’s opening number, is actually an amazing song. It begins as a traditionally upbeat Punjabi wedding song, and it features Naveen Andrews (Lost, Sense8) lip-syncing to the gorgeous voice of Sonu Nigam. As the song progresses, it changes tone and feels almost like a series of vignettes following the budding love of Jaya Bakshi (Namrata Shirodkar) and Balraj (Andrews). The middle section of the song is a slow romantic ballad, and the end combines elements of both in a beautiful finale. “No Life Without Wife” is pretty much a comedy masterpiece, and Ashanti’s “Take Me To Love” also has an irresistible beat.

PROMA (CON): Ashanti’s “Take Me To Love” is the worst. It is one of this or any century’s foremost offenders when it comes to cultural appropriation, making the further bastardization of my culture both simple and sanctioned for The Pussycat Dolls, Selena Gomez, and Jordin Sparks. Ashanti sings in high-pitched, screechy Hindi, which apparently no one was kind enough to help her pronounce. The rest of the songs are poorly composed and with forced English lyrics and playback singers that barely pass as the actors lip-syncing the words, such as this atrocious marketplace song.

CONCLUSION: The soundtrack definitely has its moments.

THE SETTING

PROMA (PRO): Bride and Prejudice shows off the famously vibrant colors and spirit of India. With events like weddings and dances, there’s plenty of opportunity to show off beautiful Indian formalwear. There are even stints in London, California, and the gorgeous South Indian beaches of Goa. The main setting is Amritsar, in the northern state of Punjab, which has a deep and tumultuous cultural history. Amritsar is home to the magnificent Golden Temple and historical memorials like Jallianwala Bagh.

PROMA (CON): If you ask any character in the film, Amritsar has nothing to offer visitors, when in reality the city hosts millions of tourists every year from around the world. Will Darcy (played by Martin Henderson) even refers to it as “Hicksville.” But all this conflicting and questionable information pales in comparison to the ultimate insult: The garba. Halfway through the movie, the Bakshi sisters get extremely excited about this celebratory folk dance practiced in the state of Gujarat, which is approximately 800 miles from Punjab, where bhangra music and dance prevail. The enormity of this oversight by the filmmakers is alarming at best.

CONCLUSION: India is breathtakingly gorgeous. Stop what you’re doing immediately and book yourself a flight.

THE ACTING

PROMA (PRO): In Indian films, Aishwarya Rai has filled a very specific role to which she was well suited. Her characters have ranged from demure and noble to outright annoying, but they always have an unmistakable feistiness that only she can bring, which many Bollywood actresses since then have failed to replicate. She is the perfect candidate for the fiery and unattainable Elizabeth Bennet’s Indian counterpart.

PROMA (CON): Aishwarya Rai may have singlehandedly ruined this movie. No, that’s not true, there are dozens of people complicit in that crime. But Rai’s performance is all but unwatchable. Lalita Bakshi comes off as irrational, twisting Darcy’s words into slurs and remarks that she expects to hear but do not actually come from his mouth. Performing in English instead of Hindi, Rai puts on an pretentious, nasal accent that sounds more British than anything else. She can’t be blamed for underwhelming dialogue, but the affectation is Rai’s invention and hers alone.

CONCLUSION: B&P was supposed Rai’s big break into Western cinema, but she might have tried a little wayyyy too hard to impress and to show that she wouldn’t be limited to playing Indian characters.

THE COBRA DANCE

PROMA (PRO) and PROMA (CON): WHY DIDN’T THIS WIN AN OSCAR!?!

Love it or loath it, Bride and Prejudice is undeniably entertaining. The source material lends itself quite well to the Bollywood genre. More than just a movie, the film represented an incredible chance for Western audiences to learn more about Indian people and how we interact with the West, not to mention how our culture views issues surrounding marriage and femininity. I like to think that many of its missteps were part of the learning curve of minority representation in TV and movies—and at least now, we can do better.

[Watch Bride And Prejudice on Netflix]

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Proma Khosla (@promawhatup) is a writer and dancer living in New York City. She graduated from the University of Michigan with an unshakeable desire to work in editorial and entertainment–basically to talk about TV and movies all day in the hopes that someone will care to listen. She also writes for GeekyNews and Fantastic Fandoms, and is also in possession of an impressive collection of personal journals that live in shoe boxes under her bed.