Bollywood/Hollywood

Deepa Mehta tries to enact Bollywood magic on the Hollywood fed generation with Hollywood Bollywood, and she succeeds. The movie has a Pretty Woman twist to it but done with much humility, charisma and class. And unlike some Bollywood movies that leave no room for creativity and just copy popular Hollywood movies, Bollywood Hollywood doesnt irritate you.

The movie features a charming Rahul Khanna as the Protagonist of the film. Im partial to Rahul Khanna. He provides for major eye candy. Hes been in all of 2 movies including this one and its apparent Deepa Mehta has a soft spot for him. Playing a millionaire banker type who rides around in a Limo driven by the veteran actor Ranjit Chowdhary of Coming to America fame he is supported by a colorful caste of characters that find their way into your heart and provide for much comic relief.

The sublime and alluring Lisa Ray who I have never seen on the screen before, plays the female lead and what a lead it is, full of secrets and surprises. Playing a very unconventional role for an Indian heroin requires panache and Lisa Ray lights up the screen with her presence. Playing Rahul Khannas mother is Maushami Chatterjee the first Bengali queen of Bollywood, long before the Kajols and Ranis of the big screen existed. And playing a very endearing, and funny grandma is the late Dina Pathak who reminds us all what made her such a fantastic and larger than life legend of Indian cinema.

Rahul is single! Now who would believe that? But he is much to the agony of his very melodramatic mother. Maushami Chatterjee is irritating initially with the overacting and over crying crossing the threshold of funny and perhaps she was miscast for this role but she eventually finds a way into your heart and does tickle your funny bone. There is the every mother in her that one can identify with and laugh at for being overly dramatic. The grandma is more composed and levelheaded and doesnt believe in holding back. With his sisters impending wedding and the rejection of his very White Canadian Brittany Spears like girlfriend Rahul must find an Indian girl in a short time to please his grandmother and mother. A promise he made to his dying father that he cant break. And how could he. Dear old dad appears from time to time to remind him of it and its done in true Hollywood style.

Enters the scene a ray of sunshine he so desperately needed in his life. Sue is poor and broke and leads a rather unsavory lifestyle. He makes her a business proposal she cant refuse and the deception is on. She is to pose as his fiance just until the sisters wedding is over. He assumes she is Hispanic, she doesnt mind being anything he wants her to be. After all he is paying her well. He trains her to be Indian and brings her home only to find out that she IS indeed Indian and anyone that meets her including mom, grandma and his siblings fall in love with her. Playing a surprising funny but earthy and candid role of Lisas dad is the veteran actor Khulbushan Kharbanda.

When her past comes to haunt her in the form of accusations from an Indian businessman Rahul is torn between believing her and believing the accuser and he loses her. Will Rahul find a way to win her back? Will Sue (short for Sunita) come back to him? Will Rahuls realization the he has fallen in love with her despite everything make him overcome his suspicions and deepest fears? For that you will have to go check out this very fun packed 1 hour and 35 minute flick.

The movie does promise slapstick comic relief Hollywood style. With Dina Pathak dropping Shakespearian sonnets and quotes at the drop of a hat the humor is rightly placed. Of course if you dont know Shakespeare you wont get her humor. But its a treat to watch her speak English with the fluency of a native and funnier to watch her old movies playing on TV in the background.

This is where Deepa Mehta did well. The subtle comedy that creeps up on the attentive of the audience members is refreshing. Colorful characters like Killer Khalsa Singh, a real life bodybuilder, Rakhina - Ranjit Chowdhary in drag, Kimberly Pare the Brittany Spears of Canada as Rahuls girlfriend, the local Desi population of Canada, the frat boy type Desis and the quintessential angry Desi chick that thinks What a bunch of losers all Desis are yet chooses to mingle among them, add a lot of texture to this light hearted flick as do captions placed appropriately and timely during different scenes that are quite familiar and funny to the Indian-American crowd.

Though the only thing I wished thru the movie was that Deepa Mehta had hired a language coach for Rahul Khanna to make him a bit more believable as a Canadian since all the other characters including those that play his siblings and Lisa Ray are Canadian with no Indian accent. But his charming and vulnerable character is warm and funny and you soon learn to overlook the Bombay accent. I would certainly recommend this witty sweet and humorous Bollywood film with Hollywood humor. I personally loved the attempt at breaking the stereotype of the quintessential Indian-American woman and appreciated that it was real. The heroin wasnt your run of the mill sweet homely innocent gal in distress in need to be rescued and neither was the hero. My only warningif French kissing is a put off for you and you find it uncomfortable to watch it with your very traditional family, being that it isnt still part of the Desi movie norm, skip watching the movie together but do watch it on your own.

As for the music Sandeep Chowta has outdone himself with getting some fresh new young voices among the mix of veterans like Sonu Nigam and Alisha. Catchy fun songs like Rang rang mere rang rang main, Jawani aai hai kayamat aai hai & Dil kabootar khana hai & romantic ballots like Suni hawa suni ghata the soundtrack is certainly going to go far. I know I cant get them out of my head and for over a week this is all Ive been listening to.

It was surprising and invigorating to see a lighthearted romantic comedy by Deepa Mehta whom everyone has come to expect nothing but racy and controversial films from. This one interrupts your senses and breaks ones stereotype of Deepa Mehta and well done I say. Are we seeing a new and even more improved Deepa Mehta? Who knew?