Bollywood Queen (2002)

Awesome Movie

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

So there I am in Blockbuster, trying to decide which movie I want to see when I head on over to the foreign film section. Being burnt out on the teenage-market oriented films over the last fifteen years I'm hoping that the other six continents on the globe can offer good old fashioned mature film making (yes, I'll even include Antarctica ... maybe there's some U.S. Army research type trying to make the next "March of the Penguins" with a camcorder).I perused the section, grabbed one title that won Cannes, another that Ebert raved about, then scrunch my lips as I examine the respectable (though somewhat limited) selection of foreign films. I see a plain white Blockbuster DVD case with "Bollywood Queen" written in plain black letters. I grab it, read that small dozen-word "paragraph" describing a small indy film, then shrug and head to the cash register.When I get home I popped the thing in my player, began to watch it anticipating on popping in one of the other DVDs into the machine, but instead was captivated by a magical film making style."Bollywood Queen", as the title suggests, leans towards the Indian musical genre, but it isn't strictly a musical in the Bollywood sense. It is an existential homage and tribute to the genre, and an attempt to introduce it and rework it for a larger movie going audience who can appreciate good film making.The classic Romeo and Juliet story is played out in this modern Londoner update. The two families in question are from different sides of the tracks and different cultural backgrounds. The young-hearts must overcome obstacles including, but not limited to, traditional family politics, racial prejudices, and criminality from both families to set themselves free. There's been some complaint by viewers of racial stereotyping. This is entirely incorrect, as the baser elements of society are not limited to any racial segment, but cut across both prevalent groups in the film.Interspersed within this drama are of course the musical numbers. They're there more for paying tribute and to enhance the overall surrealism that is the film's predominant theme. They're not huge lavish numbers one might expect from a golden age Hollywood production, but nor are they ridiculously kampy fare so prevalent in Bollywood offerings. They're brief, heartfelt, and to the point, but also a pleasure to listen to.The acting is very respectable and solid, though no Oscars will be won here, as was the intent. Humor, romance, intrigue and drama are mixed and balanced, but not overplayed. Director Jeremy Wooding and his cast definitely knew what they were doing as they create a warm world in which viewing couples can get pleasantly lost in for 90 minutes.Definitely a good couples film, or a film for anyone who likes good independent features.

Bollywood Queen does a clever job of taking the genre of the typical mass-produced Indian film and weaving in a contemporary theme. The satire on the "Bollywood" movie is what makes this movie. If you haven't seen a Bollywood movie, expect to be a little baffled at the random song sequences and somewhat ludicrously simple themes (boy-meets-girl, forbidden love) . If you are familiar with Bollywood movies, you'll appreciate the caricatures that are played out. The thing that makes this movie especially clever is that beyond the caricatures, there's humor and irony. For instance, the song sequences are obvious satires, but instead of the schlocky lyrics of a real Bollywood flicks, these satirical songs have hilarious lyrics.

The story is as old as the hills but it works because of the film's immense charm, terrific music and great acting. I've seen it twice and loved it more the second time. Preeya Kalidas is a dream to look at and when she sings it's milk and honey.

Review: movie: Bollywood QueenDate: 23 Oct 03venue: Odeon, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, England===========================> Recently I saw the debut of Preeya Kalidas as leading lady in a general-release motion picture, and she carried her part off very well. This was not just a piece of fluff, but a theme that Preeya has worked on previously - East meets West in London, not with ease, but with a good ending. She is saying this to us, that we have to move into the modern world, all of us, white and asian. She is speaking articulately, and making the lesson easy to take, by sugar-coating the pill. And she is quite the sweetie herself - emoting and portraying, singing and dancing, and giving her characterisation a good range of expression.The story was about Geena, an ethnic Indian young woman, who breaks away from her family and its expectations when she falls in love with a white boy called Jay. Not to mention that she's from East London and he's from the West Country, so there's every division and dichotomy in modern English life on display here.But it's not a simple re-telling of Romeo and Juliette, this is an original story, written by the director/producer Jeremy Wooding and Neil Spencer, that gets to the modern situations and dynamics. But there is some interfamily conflict, as Jay's brother gets him involved in a night-time raid on Geena's family's clothing factory, and there is a knife fight in the dark between a brother of Geena's and Jay's brother.This is also quite a Bollywood styled production, with key moments of the story punctuated by a song - often sung by Preeya - and a large-company Indian dance routine to go with it. These usually work very well, but there was a portion of one number that featured Geena, where for a long portion of the number she was given neither lines nor clear portrayal to put across, and the effect is awkward. Aside from that, Preeya keeps the action flowing very nicely, and keeps her character portrayal very full and multifaceted.The filming was atmospheric and moody at times, showing us the heaviness of London's East End. There were also times of brightness and dazzle, and some cinematography that was startling and beautiful. Yet still, there was countryside shot in soft focus, and that made it contrast with the harsh, drab city all the more.At the end of the movie, I walked out feeling satisfied that I had been shown an interesting story that was well written, shot interestingly, and acted very well.