Jane Austin started it. Helen Fielding's modernized it. Now, director Gurinder Chadha (Bend it Like Beckham) has taken the novel Pride and Prejudice (as well as women's perpetual lust for Mr. Darcy) and injected some good ol' Bollywood in it. The characters and plot are basically the same, but this time the story takes place in India and revolves around a beautiful Indian girl named Lalita Bakshi (Aishwarya Rai) -- the South Asian equivalent to Elizabeth Bennett.
Bride is like an average college student's paper: the introduction is developed and beautifully-written, but then as the student gets tired or lazy, the paper turns to shit, eventually ending with a two-sentence conclusion.
During the first part of the movie, Chadha delivers a tight one-two punch, with a couple of well-coordinated song and dance scenes, colorful costumes and scenery and charming dialogue. Then, during the middle of the movie, Chadha gets sloppy. The piecing of the scenes is choppy and incoherent. Also, as the relationship between Lalita and Mr. Darcy (Martin Henderson) develops, we see that there is no real chemistry between the two. The banter they exchange seems forced and far from witty.
If you are a fan of Pride and Prejudice mainly for the sexual tension that's omnipresent throughout the story, Bride is not for you. I recommend the porno, Pride and Prejudick, starring Colin Firth (again) as Mr. Darcy.
