Gurinder Chadha's Bridge and Prejudice (released in the United Kingdom in 2004 and the United States in 2005) is a Bollywood-style remake of Jane Austen's classic Pride and Prejudice. The film follows four unmarried daughters in an Indian family. The films main character, however, is Lalita Bakshi (who is played by Aishwarya Rai) who helps her dad run their farm. But when she meets a wealthy American named Will Darcy, she slowly but surely falls in love with him. Although the two are from totally different cultures, Darcy and Bakshi against all odds fall in love with each other. In fact, at the end of the film, the two -- as well as Jaya and Balraj -- get married.
Although Bride and Prejudice was a financial success (it made $24.7 million at the box office against a budget of $7 million), it was not a critical success. However, it was nominated for two semi-important awards at British Independent Film Awards (including Best Technical Achievement and Best Achievement in Production). The Rotten Tomatoes critics consensus summed up critics' thoughts about the movie. That reads: "A colorful and energetic adaptation of [Jane] Austen's classic [Pride and Prejudice]." Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian, however, was less kind to the film, writing "Bride and Prejudice could be any unremarkable Bollywood picture." At the end of the day, the film has been mostly disregarded except as a source of interest for Austen readers and Bollywood enthusiasts.
