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The
arrival of a British Asian from London, sparks off a flutter of
activity in the Bakshi household.
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Namrata Shirodkar and Aishwarya
Rai
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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.
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Elaborate dance sequence
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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.
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Will Darcy & Lalita during
the wedding celebrations
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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.
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