No Life Without Wife

I finally watched Bride and Prejudice this week, leant to me on video. If you have seen it, you'll recognise my subject line. Having never seen a Bollywood film before, I was a little taken aback at first with the raucous dancing and singing numbers, but in no time at all I was really enjoying it. Being a fan of musicals in general probably helps.

It was nice to see mostly fresh faces on the screen, including New Zealand's Martin Henderson sporting an American accent. Opinions about India and its place in the world were also interesting, if somewhat preachy at times. The most refreshing (and sometimes amusing) aspect was the modesty - the most intimate moment of the entire film was a kiss on the forehead. I applaud this stance - but it is a bit funny when the leads are gazing into each other's eyes, and then suddenly the whole world breaks into song and dance. The sudden emergence of a gospel choir on the beach, complete with singing lifeguards and swaying surfboards was hilarious, as was Darcy's stint as a drummer at the end.

Speaking of Darcy, the plot stuck relatively close to the original, in an Indian kind of way. The elements of the second half of the story were all kind of jammed into the last half an hour - due to the long musical numbers in the first part - but it wasn't too jarring.

I'll keep this review short - I just wanted to mention how much I enjoyed the film. If you haven't seen it, make sure you do - it's of particular interest to Jane Austen fans or those who like lively quirky musicals.

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