| Bollywood
Hollywood |
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A Classic Fusion Film by Deepa Mehta
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Stills
from the Film
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Bollywood Hollywood,
a musical/comedy by Toronto writer/director Deepa Mehta is a landmark fusion
film. An invigorating lighthearted romantic comedy with Hollywood-style humor,
this is an interesting mixture of the Indian filmmaking style with Western tastes.
It not only helps you have a peek into the world of Bollywood-style movies,
but also the Hindu mindset and Indian culture, and of course, the Indo-Canadian
family set-up. Canadian references throughout the movie, makes it enjoyable
for the North American audience, and non-resident Indians.
When people from
a culture largely defined by India's Bollywood find themselves in an environment
that is saturated with Hollywood, the result is a state of mind that celebrates
these two seemingly disparate worlds. It's a Bollywood/Hollywood state of mind.
Bollywood Hollywood
is a madcap love-song to both East and West with Bollywood music and actors,
Hollywood choreography and North American locations! It is not a film about
East and West values as such, but a light, campy, and entertaining fusion film,
says Mehta, the 52-year-old filmmaker, who made her debut with the feature film
Sam and Me about a friendship between an Indian immigrant and an elderly
Jewish man.
The film was released
in India on January 3, 2003 in 70 theatres nationwide. It has already grossed
USD 190,000 in Canada on its opening weekend in October 2002 and emerged as
the largest Bollywood grosser in North America amassing over C$680,000 by its
second weekend. The film was released in the US by iDream Production on November
22nd 2002.
Set in Toronto,
Bollywood Hollywood pays homage to East and West — with Bollywood
songs, Hollywood choreography, a Hollywood plot (millionaire hires escort to
pose as his fiancée) and a Bollywood morality play (son must get married
before his sister). Starring are Indian actor Rahul Khanna (Earth) and
Canadian-born Indian supermodel Lisa Ray (check out her 1/2-million web references!),
as well as Indian actor Ranjit Chowdhry (Fire), Indian legends Moushumi
Chatterjee and Dina Pathak, Toronto actor Rishma Malik (Miss India-Canada 1996),
Vancouver/Toronto actor Jazz Mann (Raju's Blind Date), and Montreal's
Jessica Paré (Stardom).
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