World Premiere of Bride and Prejudice

World Premeier for Indian Bride

A traditional red carpet was replaced with a more Punjabi pink fhttp://www.bollywoodworld.com/cgibin/dailynews.cgi?http://sp ecials.rediff.com/movies/2004/oct/06sd1.htm or the world premiere of Gurinder Chadha's film, http://www.bollywoodworld.com/cgibin/dailynews.cgi?http://sp ecials.rediff.com/movies/2004/oct/06sd1.htm

A desi version of Jane Austen novel will open the eyes of mainstream cinemagoers to the colourful world of Bollywood!

The arrival of a British Asian from London, sparks off a flutter of activity in the Bakshi household.

Yes, we are talking about Mr Balraj (alias Mr Bingley) who has just taken up residence in Bakshi's neighbourhood.

The Bakshi family consists of Mr and Mrs Bakshi, their four daughters, Lalita (Aishwarya Rai), Maya, Lucky and Jaya, eldest daughter of marriagable age.

Mr Balraj is their new neighbour and Mrs Bakshi sees this handsome man as a prospective suitor for Jaya.

But smart and headstrong Lalita is determined to marry for love without the interference of her mother.

So during one of the many social acquaintances, between the Bakshis and Balraj, Lalita encounters Will Darcy (Martin Henderson).

Darcy, an American hotelier, happens to be Balraj's best friend. He is instantly attracted to her but it's not love at first for Lalita or is it?

What happens from hereon is very similar to the original Jane Austen novel, Pride and Prejudice.

In the novel, the conflict between Darcy and Elizabeth revolved around their social status whereas in this Bollywood version, cross cultures act as negative barriers between Darcy and Lalita.

Aishwarya Rai plays the role of Lalita with great versatility.

Her recent release titled Choker Bali won her praises whilst her role as Paro in the Bollywood epic Devdas (2002) won her the prestigious best actress Filmfare Award.

We will see her once again, gracing the UK mainstream silver screen in Bride and Prejudice.

She shares the limelight with Hollywood actor Martin Henderson of the The Ring fame and popular television series, Home and Away.

Nadira Babbar plays Mrs Bakshi, a mother whose aim is to find appropriate suitors for her daughters.

Nadira's experience spans to the theatre where she is extensively involved with a stage group called Ekjut.

Only recently, she turned producer with Kash Aap Hamare Hote. This film acted as a debut vehicle for her daughter Juhi Babbar.

Anupam Kher is Mr Bakshi, a man who is in a dilemma when it comes to marrying his daughters.

Coming from a poor family background, Mr Bakshi simply cannot afford to pay the wedding dowry.

Anupam Kher needs no introduction. He was last seen in Bend It Like Beckham where he played Jess's harassed father.

He too turned producer with Om Jai Jagdish which did fairly well at the UK box office.

Musical score for this film is provided by Anu Malik. It includes some peppy foot tapping numbers as the cast dance to some spectacular colourful song sequences.

Gurinder is hoping that her Bollywood musical, Bride and Prejudice will benefit, as its following the success of Moulin Rouge and Chicago.

Kenya born Gurinder first started her career with BBC radio as a news reporter and gradually became involved in the making of documentaries.

Her first production Bhaji on the Beach (1993) won her critical acclaim in various film festivals.

With Bride and Prejudice, she will reaffirm her position as she takes centre stage to entertain mainstream cinemagoers one more time.

Previewed by Manish Gajjar,
BBC Shropshire's Mr Bollywood.