Bollywood/Hollywood Review
by Steve Rhodes (Steve DOT Rhodes AT InternetReviews DOT com)September 24th, 2003
BOLLYWOOD/HOLLYWOOD
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2003 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): * 1/2
BOLLYWOOD/HOLLYWOOD, by writer/director Deepa Mehta (EARTH and FIRE), is like a bad sitcom version of "My Big Fat Indian Wedding." Somewhat of a spoof of Bollywood films, it produces a few smiles but no laughs. Colorfully filmed in bright primary colors, it features actors who sometimes burst into song but generally play cardboard characters who are given some really pathetic dialog. At least all of the young adult actors are quite beautiful, and the female lead, played by Indian supermodel Lisa Ray, looks rather like an Indian Angelina Jolie.
The plot concerns the obtaining of a proper Indian wife for Rahul Seth (Rahul Khanna), a multimillionaire living with his mother (Moushumi Chatterjee), grandmother (Dina Pathak), sister and brother in Canada. When Kimberly (Jessica Paré), the white girlfriend who never won his mother's approval, dies in a yoga-levitating accident, his mother insists that he get an Indian girlfriend as a potential marriage mate. Unless he follows her wishes, she will refuse to let his sister, Twinky (Rishma Malik, an ex-beauty queen), follow through with her wedding plans.
With the pressure on Rahul, he hires Sue (Ray), who he thinks is a Spanish prostitute, to be his date and impersonate an Indian until his sister's wedding is over. It is immediately obvious to everyone but Rahul that Sue is actually Indian and probably isn't a prostitute.
Along the way, the film punctuates just about every scene with cutesy little titles, including "Om Sweet Om," "Flash-back. Not to be missed," and "Kiss of all kisses. No debate." The grandmother speaks almost exclusively in Shakespearean quotations. In her big scene, in which she gives key advice to her grandson on what to do with his life, she starts by saying, "I come here, not to bury Caesar, but to praise him."
Think Rahul and Sue will end up falling in love? The predictable plot never leaves it in any doubt.
That's more than enough about BOLLYWOOD/HOLLYWOOD -- and I didn't even get to tell you about the gratingly cheesy, transvestite song-and-dance numbers.
BOLLYWOOD/HOLLYWOOD runs 1:45. The film is in English and in Hindi with English subtitles. It is rated PG-13 for "sensuality/partial nudity, some crude language and drug references" and would be acceptable for kids around 9 and up.
The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, October 3, 2003. In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the Camera Cinemas.
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