A really fun and entertaining movie which doesn't take itself too seriously, and neither should you. Possible SPOILERS ahead for those who haven't read the classic novel or watched the BBC Mini-series.
P&P is my all time favourite book and I am a huge fan of the BBC series - Colin Firth was a perfect Darcy and Jennifer Ehle an equally perfect Elizabeth. My main gripes were the costumes (could have been better) and the fact that Darcy begins to fall for Elizabeth (in spite of himself) much earlier in the book than the BBC portrayed.
Bride & P does a much better job of these points. The outfits are great as is the fact that Wil (Darcy) fancies Lalitha almost from the beginning. The downside of this version is that it was a little rushed. They could have added on 15/20 mins to fill out the storyline and dialogue, and Darcy is not nearly as proud.
The upside is that Bingley is not annoyingly cheerful, he is on the same level as Darcy and a bit of a dish actually. Similarly, Mr. Kholi (or Collins) is a bit sad and irritating rather than nasty. He is the star of this film who absolutely steals EVERY scene he is in.
I do think there was chemistry between Ash and Martin and enjoyed their scenes in LA. A longer script would have given Mr. Bakshi more lines of wit, as would have more depth to the character of Darcy, Lalitha, Jaya and Balraj. Also, Wickham's dealings with Darcy's sister could have been a bit more believable with more than just one line.
Henderson is not Firth but he was great as Darcy and has those eyes... Ash was beautiful as always - she wasn't Miss World for nothing and her acting will get better with more experience.
Despite what seem like many criticisms, this film had a warm, fun feel-good factor that it was supposed to have. Bollywood song and dance routines aside, the lyrics were a bit cheesy but then so are most Rodgers and Hammerstein classics that I grew up watching - but that doesn't make the songs any less fun or catchy. Songs in musicals are rarely meant to change your life - think Grease, the Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, but we still sing along happily to 'raindrops and roses and brown paper bags ...' which if transplanted to a modern movie would be cheesy and corny, but they have the benefit of being called classics from a different era. Well this is a different genre and it works splendidly for me. 'My lips are waiting my hips are shaking, take me to love...' 'No life without wife, oh yeah yeah yeah...'
The BBC version was great but filled with 5 hours of solid dialogue, as an Austen fan, I welcome this new perspective on the novel. There is no better way to enjoy such a classic work than to share different takes on it, it makes you appreciate the book even more - I'm off to read it again.
P&P is my all time favourite book and I am a huge fan of the BBC series - Colin Firth was a perfect Darcy and Jennifer Ehle an equally perfect Elizabeth. My main gripes were the costumes (could have been better) and the fact that Darcy begins to fall for Elizabeth (in spite of himself) much earlier in the book than the BBC portrayed.
Bride & P does a much better job of these points. The outfits are great as is the fact that Wil (Darcy) fancies Lalitha almost from the beginning. The downside of this version is that it was a little rushed. They could have added on 15/20 mins to fill out the storyline and dialogue, and Darcy is not nearly as proud.
The upside is that Bingley is not annoyingly cheerful, he is on the same level as Darcy and a bit of a dish actually. Similarly, Mr. Kholi (or Collins) is a bit sad and irritating rather than nasty. He is the star of this film who absolutely steals EVERY scene he is in.
I do think there was chemistry between Ash and Martin and enjoyed their scenes in LA. A longer script would have given Mr. Bakshi more lines of wit, as would have more depth to the character of Darcy, Lalitha, Jaya and Balraj. Also, Wickham's dealings with Darcy's sister could have been a bit more believable with more than just one line.
Henderson is not Firth but he was great as Darcy and has those eyes... Ash was beautiful as always - she wasn't Miss World for nothing and her acting will get better with more experience.
Despite what seem like many criticisms, this film had a warm, fun feel-good factor that it was supposed to have. Bollywood song and dance routines aside, the lyrics were a bit cheesy but then so are most Rodgers and Hammerstein classics that I grew up watching - but that doesn't make the songs any less fun or catchy. Songs in musicals are rarely meant to change your life - think Grease, the Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, but we still sing along happily to 'raindrops and roses and brown paper bags ...' which if transplanted to a modern movie would be cheesy and corny, but they have the benefit of being called classics from a different era. Well this is a different genre and it works splendidly for me. 'My lips are waiting my hips are shaking, take me to love...' 'No life without wife, oh yeah yeah yeah...'
The BBC version was great but filled with 5 hours of solid dialogue, as an Austen fan, I welcome this new perspective on the novel. There is no better way to enjoy such a classic work than to share different takes on it, it makes you appreciate the book even more - I'm off to read it again.