Gurinder Chadha,
whose Bend It Like Beckham, was a rage in India and abroad,
is ready with her new film, Bride And Prejudice.
Starring Aishwarya
Rai, Martin Henderson, Namrata Shirodkar, Sonali Kulkarni,
Meghna Kothari, Nadeera Zaheer Babbar, Anupam Kher and
Peeya Rai Chowdhary, it is based on Jane Austen's classic
Pride And Prejudice.
Gurinder Chadha speaks
to Subhash K Jha about her latest film.
Was it difficult breaking into Hollywood?
guess breaking into commercial cinema was difficult because
most of the people who decide whether your film deserves
funding are men and they do not see things from a woman's
perspective.
For me as a woman, the
issues and sentiments that matter to me might not matter
to the male financier.It
was tough to make Bhaji On The Beach and Bend It Like
Beckham. But not Bride And Prejudice.Let
me add that putting together a movie project is hard enough
for anyone -- man or woman.
Did you have the
luxury of options after Bend It?
Yes. I did what my heart
told me. I made a complete Hindi movie.I
grew up in a part of London where Hindi films were screened
in three theatres. I loved watching all of them even in
the 1970s when they got really bad.I
chose Pride And Prejudice because I feel 200 years ago,
England was no different than Amritsar today. Believe
me, the transposition did not offend the purists in England
at all.
The news that I was making
Bride And Prejudice was welcomed with broad grins by everyone
because it's such a cheeky thing to do. I was invited
by the Jane Austen Society in England and America to apprise
them of my plans. They were delighted that Jane Austen
was being kept alive. Simon Langton's recent adaptation
of Pride And Prejudice was stunning. I hope I have done
justice to it. They had six hours while I had only two,
including seven songs.I
will release the full version with songs everywhere.
How would you define
Bride And Prejudice?
It is a British film made
by British finance, obviously because I am British.But
it is a homage to Hindi cinema and to Hollywood musicals.
My friends in the West, who have seen it, have compared
it to Grease. They don't know the musical references from
Hindi films. There are very deliberate references to the
cinema of Manoj Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Yash Chopra and Karan
Johar.
Do you see yourself
as an outsider in India?
I am English. When I speak
in Punjabi, I seem very Indian. But yes, in India, I am
seen as an outsider who has an interesting take on their
world. Bride And Prejudice is not a Hindi film in the
true sense. That rickshawallah in the front row in Patna
is going to say, 'Yeh kya hua? Aishwarya ko kya kiya?'
[What did you do to Aishwarya?]
Of course, they will all
go and see it for Aishwarya and the songs. And because
Bend It was released in Hindi with what I thought was
a witty title -- Football-Shootball Hai Rabba. I wasn't
around when they dubbed it in Hindi. I was quite amused
when I saw the Hindi version. It was not my script. They
had cut out all the gay references (laughs).Now,
in France, they're planning to make a French version of
Bend It.
What do you think
of the other Indian women filmmakers who operate from
abroad like Deepa Mehta and Mira Nair?
Are you mad? You think
I am going to tell you! (laughs)No
seriously, there is a world of difference. Deepa and Mira
went to school in India. They are both Delhi girls. That
shows up in interesting ways in their work.
On the other hand, I went
to school in Southall. I have been in England all my life.
My links with India were through Hindi movies in the local
theatres. I see myself as British-Punjabi. It works for
me. I have a different relationship with the West. I never
see myself as an outsider in the West.But
the same Punjabi energy ran through Mira Nair's Monsoon
Wedding and your Bend It!Yeah,
that's true! Maybe that had to do with the narrative mood
rather than our cultural backgrounds.
Do you think post-Bend
It, Bride And Prejudice might be over-sold to the public?
I don't think so. I know
audiences will go to the theatres with a lot of expectations.
But they will enjoy it. I
don't think it will be a huge 100-week 'House Full' film
in India because it's in English.It's
not a Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.
It's not a full-on mega-star
bonanza. That is what Karan Johar does. Those are the
movies that go whoosh, and that's great.I'm
not sure if Bride And Prejudice will be liked by hardcore
audiences. There will be a Hindi version for India. This
time, I will be more involved with the dialogues than
I was with Bend It. Anoop Singh is doing the Hindi translation
for me. He's quite a poet.
It will be very popular
with those who liked Bend It, and with those who find
the average Hindi film stale.As
for the rest of the world, I think it will do very well!
(laughs)It will be
released in India and the UK on October 8, and over Christmas
in the US.
What I hope to do with Bride And Prejudice
is make the Hindi language familiar to the world. After
all, Bollywood is much bigger than Hollywood. Hopefully,
it will work both ways. It will spur Westerners to watch
more Hindi movies and also inspire Bollywood filmmakers
towards better narratives.
