May 29, 2026 • 37 mins
Anney and Samantha sound off on another spin on Pride and Prejudice, the Bollywood influenced film Bride and Prejudice. Weddings, relationships, song, dance, prides and prejudices ensue.
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hey, this is Sanny and smitha welcome to stuff. I
never told you production, I heard you, and.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
We are back with another wonderful retelling of the Jane
Austin classic of Pride and Prejudice, but with an Indian
Bollywood twist for our monthly feminist movie Friday, and that
is Bride and Prejudice b as in Boy Bride and Prejudice,
directed by bend It like Beckham's director Grinder Chada, who yes,
(00:43):
we've talked about before because I love bend It. Like Beckham,
I believe it was one of our first movies. Right,
it was early on. It was early on, uh real,
like within the first year of us doing it.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
It's hard to say, we've been doing this a while,
but it was in the scheme of things early. Yeah,
but this was our first Bollywood movie. Though.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Yes, it's true.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
This is so and even with this being more Bollywood
than the other stuff, it's still not pure Bollywood. I
need to put that as a preface because I feel
like to say this is pure Bollywood is not giving
the credit to the true Bollywood films with a lot
of like straight Punjabi and Hindi language and culture within it.
(01:27):
This definitely mixes in a lot more like westernized.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
Ideals, but it's still great.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
And I will say I had to give Annie a
warning because I kind of forgot how musically inclined because
Bollywood in its natural especially in this timeframe era, what
had a lot of musical breakouts. I know, like Slim
Dog Millionaire was an Indian film that didn't have that
(01:58):
same play because it was a lot darker and it
was lot like heavier until the very end, which.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Still I love that movie or that ending alone.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
So this is definitely that rom com, typical upbeat type
of movie for Bollywood culture.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
So put that out there.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Yeah, So if you don't know, hey, it is a
pleasant surprise for many people.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
If you like musicals, this is great.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
And this is one of those that I associate with
my love for not saying that this is cheesy cheesy,
but like any kind of rom com like this can
be cheesy, but I feel good movies. And I kind
of forgot again that it does very much heavily lean
towards like the Bollywood influence of a musical film. When
(02:46):
I suggested this, I knew it was Bollywood, but it
realize how Bollywood that sounds odd, I know, but it
was I was like, oh, they do break out in song.
I knew there were songs, but not this way. So
there's a lot of singing and lips.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
To be had. It's kind of funny to me, how Like.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
I'm pretty sure some of the leads that were lip
syncing they had different musicians doing the songs, so it
was noticeable to me.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Yeah, the turn of their voice.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Yeah, the pitches were different. I'm like, wait, what's happening.
But it's still lovely and it was still fun. And
we've got some great stars and cameos in this one,
including the main character, Ashiri a Ra as Leida Bakshi.
She is she was actually in this world of nineteen
ninety four and a global star, like if you see
(03:35):
her face, you know her face. She has plastered in
so many advertisements and she's kind of been like a
gold standard and beauty of India, like she represents.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
A lot of that.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
And then we have a Game of Throne star Indira
Varma as Karen Upal Or Bingley, who you will remember
as Elia sand if you all remember, thanks Aliyah, because.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
I was like, who is that?
Speaker 2 (04:01):
And my partner came downstairs was like, hey, came with
the Rooms, so he knew immediately, and then we have
lost Star Navigne Andrews was about baladaj j Paul again
mister Bingley, and then Alexis Bludell from Gilmore Girls as
Georgina Darcy. So you have a lot of like cameos
of like, hey, I know that person, Hey, I know
(04:22):
that person. Not surprising because again Chada already had that
kind of connection in the industry, so especially with the UK,
so she was bringing she was bringing them in.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
As he would like.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
To say, I think is that it's Martin Henderson is
in there too. Yes, I don't know who he is.
I know he's from The Ring.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Oh, Martin Henderson from The Ring.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
You're right, Yeah, I don't know if he's global like you,
you know.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
But he's he's more stuff than you think. But I
remember I was watching it and I was like, the Ring,
I think that's the guy, and it was you nice.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
You usually don't connect, but you did.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
It's one I didn't know because I don't I didn't
watch The Ring that much. Apparently outside of Naomi wats
the thing right outside of her all right, although just
recently I always referred to as the ring Ghost, which
I had to be like, you know, the American version,
she's not Asian, so how dare you?
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Yeah, it's true right right?
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Anyway, moving on, so for the plot, we do have
the Indian version of the English classics, so just to
keep everyone on the same page, the names are different.
So Elizabeth is Lalita, Jane is Jaya, Lacky is Lydia,
and then Bennett is Bakshi, Bingley is Oupal, and then
Charlotte Lucas is Chandra a Lamba, and the cousin mister
(05:43):
Collins is Kohli. And we have the mother to Darcy, Catherine,
who is replacing the character of Lady de Burgh, So
no Lady de Burgh, and the mother is alive and
well also we don't have the second youngest sister who's
all so just as like Flighty as Kitty in the
original version. So there's only four daughters instead of five,
(06:05):
not that that's all important, but you know, just to
keep up with like the differences. So again, the plot
is pretty similar to Pride and Prejudice, except the prejudice
is beyond just wealth. Part of the prejudice of the
Indian people and the culture and the stereotypes of the
country that we often see, especially when we compare it
to Western iiced ideals or standards.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
So that is what we add.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
So we get a wonderful Bollywood wedding opening Punjabi dances throughout,
which I want more of because I love it, and
I also love the dresses. I really would like to
go to an Indian wedding. I do have friends who
are Indian, but I'm not close enough to go to
their weddings because they're so pretty and they look so fun.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
And I hate weddings, just to put that out there.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
So we have the Bokshi family coming through with their
beautiful daughters in tow. Mother Bakshi has high hopes of
finding good husbands for her beautiful daughters. Enters a handsome,
eligible bachelor Bollarage Paul with his sister Kieren and best
friend and business partner William Darcy, who is obviously not
excited about traveling through India.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
And the crowded wedding party especially.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
So there he is thrown into the middle of a
vibrant wedding and dancing, but also sees the beautiful Lalita
who had a chance to dance with him, but he
refused steels like na nah, no, I'm good nah. But
Ballarage has more than it was more than excited to
dance with Jaya, and of course sparks were flying. The
eye contact, y'all, the eye contact. Through this trip, we
(07:34):
find out that Darcy is there to scout a hotel
to buy because he owns many hotels and is very rich,
and plans to take a trip with Bllarage to go up.
Barage then invites Jaya to come with, and of course
she can't go by herself with this single man. So
since Lalita with them, because Jaya can't be alone obviously,
(07:56):
so they'll go off together. At this time, Darcy has
already insulted Lalita with this disdain for the quote luxury
hotel that he was staying in, as well as the
ideal of rain marriages and just seeing finding it so
archaic and then like too ridiculous, and then even the
crowds of India like the very beginning shot, he's like,
(08:17):
you want to stay here?
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Oh my gosh, what a jerk.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
So it's on the trip that Lalita, in the middle
of her playing the guitar, meets Johnny Wickham who comes
out like a mermaid.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
Like a little mermaid.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
Scene of her coming out of the ocean, it was interesting.
Who happens to be acquainted with Darcy. Turns out his
mom was Darcy's nanny and according to Wickham, he had
turned Wickham away after Darcy's father's death against the will
because he was jealous. So Wickham and Melita hit it
off and she invites him home to her home to
see the Golden Temple and see everything about her area
(08:58):
because she's so excited that he is under stands the
beauty of India, and we have an added bonus clip
of Ashanti. I was like, okay, girl, I forgot you
were in here doing your Indian Bollywood crossover.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
You go girl.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
Soon after that they return, we see Wickham showing up
and a cousin from La coming in hopes of finding
a wife, Coli. He is an accountant who has made
quite a life for himself in La, brags about his
home with maybe a pool on the cop like a
big inside joke, and is as goofy as expected.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
He does it this character did.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
He did a great job playing this character, honestly, because
he tries to highlight how western he is by using
a lot of bad lingo or wrongly timed lingo americanized lingo.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Fantastic, fantastic. He soon sets a.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
Sight on Lalita, who embarrasses her because at an event
he dances really off, like it's a whole routine and
it's gorgeous, and he's like, just.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
About it's quite fun, which kind.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Of pushes Lilida to Darcy, who he asked to dance with,
and she's like yes because she's so startled. They go dance, which,
by the way, that dance was awesome, only I want
to learn this dance and it gets awkward and she's like, ah,
you know him, blah blah blah, you're a bad man.
Moving on, and though it seems like things are going well,
Barrage soon leaves with his sister and Darcy, who all
(10:25):
returned to London or La and at the same time,
Kohley proposes to Lalita, who refuses. We have that whole
foot fund scene after Khoalie Lee's we find out that
he has actually proposed to Lilita's best friend, Gendre, who
he meets throughout the time, and she has accepted. Soon after,
the family is invited to La to go to kolee
(10:46):
in Chandra's wedding, and they decide to stop by in
London on the way there, where Jaya visits Kieren hoping
to see a Barage who unfortunately was not there but
is in the US meeting a possible wife. According to Kieren,
oh que heartbreak here. Soon the family do head to La,
where they run into Darcy, who offers his first class
(11:08):
seat to mother Bakshi. She's enjoying having a good old
time and in La, Darcy and Lolita seem to be
having a wonderful time together, but soon that all ends
because we find out that Darcy was to blame for
ball Varage leaving Jaya. We meet Georgina who kind of
takes the place of the other cousins who say this all,
(11:28):
and she's the one who tells her all this stuff
about ruining the impossible engagement of her wonderful sister Jaya
to Ballarrage and his mother who is not a fan
of anyone and is very disappointed about the Indian up
being a part of her like many hotels, and she's
(11:48):
very snooty and snotty about it all. And Darcy smither yeses,
and she has brought another girl who turns out to
be an ex girlfriend who also does I like the
line where she's like, Lolita like the book and Lalia
just like no, gross, how dare you so? Moving on, so,
(12:10):
of course she and Darcy fight and she storms off
crying because she's like, I'm glad you know I'll never
see you again type of conversation. You're not the man
I thought you were. So as they return home, there's
more drama has occurred, including the fact that Lucky has
run away with Wickham oh No, which we find has
been a habit of Wickham, including and pregnating a sixteen
(12:31):
year old Georgina and trying to run away with her
for money. Here, Darcy pops up and comes to the house.
I apologizes for her stupidity and finds out that Lucky
is gone, so it goes with her to hunt her down.
We find them, they go on a chase, and yay,
they find them. This is all in London, though, isn't it.
(12:51):
M Yeah, this happens in London. Moving on, when they
do find him, we see Wickham getting punched in the
face by Darcy as well was getting slapp by both
of the blocksheet's sisters. Well done, ladies, and in the
end we have a double wedding and happily ever after
end of story.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
Yes, so yes.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
And in between all of that, if you can't tell,
there are breakouts and song. At one point they go
down the streets all dancing together. There's a lot of
like nods to the book and like honoring the book,
like some of the scenes in there, so you definitely
have to pay attention. It's very well done, brightly colored.
There are like I was thinking that maybe it was
(13:37):
my what I'm the streaming service I was watching, but
I think it's supposed to.
Speaker 3 (13:41):
Be glossy and dreamy on purpose.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
Yeah, and you have that little fade and I was like, oh,
it also felt like a little like tourist video for India, which, yeah,
I would like to go to India parts of India,
but yeah, it seemed very fun. It was very fun,
and yeah, probably about my childhood. So that's college years, yeah,
(14:05):
because you'd already seen it right at two thousand and four.
It was one of my loves. I still remember my
college roommate and I singing and quoting from this movie.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
That's fun.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Yeah, you know, it's what you have some of those
this is one of those ones that I would do.
What did you think about the film?
Speaker 1 (14:33):
I also thought it was very fun. It was uh.
I guess first of all, if you haven't listened to
our past episodes on we did. I think we did
Pride first, which was a different remix of Pride and Prejudice. Yes,
and then we did Pride and Prejudice. Yes, and now
here we are with Pride and Prejudice.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
Did we also do the show? I no, oh, when
we thought it.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
Would change, not that would change, but no, but be
much right on with the book.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
But if you were confused at all, like because we've
gone over the plot several times, this was a very
basic plot summary. But I will say personally, because I
never read Pride and Prejudice before until I met you
in this we did these episodes. I enjoyed being like, oh,
(15:29):
it's that person. I know what's gonna happen here. It was.
I thought it was really colorful, and the music was
really good, and the nittumber's really good. I am glad
you warned me because listeners, longtime listeners know musicals make
me anxious. I'm afraid of sudden song I I, and
(15:49):
it was very sudden. In some cases, a lot of
you know, usually there's some build up so you can
be like, okay, I think a song is coming, but
this was like a song out of nowhere.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
Because you like musicals, but you like the musicals that
go straight through as musicals in between where they break
out in songs where you get like, I just get anxious.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
It's not just funny, don't like them. I just am
on edge. So I did appreciate the warning, Thank you, Samith.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
I was like, oh, I need to tell her because
this does break out like it's not and it's not
because I think like four songs in total. Yeah, so
it's not a lot out of one hundred and twelve
minute movie.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
So like it's okay because it's.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
Almost two hours long and there's only four songs, so
it's not like as much as you would think because
the dance sequences, I wouldn't, like, say, there were musical
plots like when she walks away and starts singing, you see,
it's like, oh.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
Yeah, well, and it opens with the bang of the song.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Like well, I was even saying, like I feel like
when I see anything attributed to Indian weddings typically not
all of them, but there's at least one opportunity where,
especially if they have good understanding of Bollywood, they'll bring
in a musical number.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
Yeah, like a New Girl with.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
CC and Schmidt's wedding, they're planning and the engagement party
just brings a crew that does a Bollywood number and
I loved it, a Punjabi number, and I was like, yeah,
and it's a sitcom, like what do you say? So
you know still like that? I find that amazing. But yes,
so I had to give you a warning because I'm like,
this is I forgot this part because usually, yeah, you're right,
(17:33):
most of them have like a little trail in. Yeah,
this one didn't know as much.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
It's like a jump scare. But the music version.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
Just in general, Annie's amatious person, so.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
That is also true.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
I am too, for in a different way. Mine's a
build up. Hers is like shocked.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
Well, it's also funny because like the warning I would
give you would be something like oh the pet dies
or something, Yes, exactly.
Speaker 2 (18:01):
Is there a site that gives you warnings about musicals?
Speaker 3 (18:10):
Okay?
Speaker 2 (18:10):
But yeah, so with this we're not going to talk
too deep in like themes because again we've kind of
like talked about it throughout our conversations about the regular
pride and prejudice. We talked about it in Pride, and
I'm sure we'll have some other renditions because this is
probably one of the most loved books that has renditions
that really just kind of holds still like in this
(18:32):
iconic ideal of like standards of who's good enough and
who isn't good enough, and what type of prejudice people hold,
and what we assume about people and mistaken community like
communications like.
Speaker 1 (18:42):
That trope miscommunication, lifelong.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
Lifelong right, so.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
Like, so all of that to say, but we didn't
want to talk about and when it comes to specifically
this movie, like the Family, we again see the mother
desperately trying to find husbands for her children, but instead
of saying they don't have sons, they're like, oh, our
opportunity was to go to them, go to the US,
and talking about her family who opened three chains of
(19:11):
three stores, franchises of Subway, which I love the fact
that Subway gets so much love from Asian countries, Like
it doesn't make sense. Did you know we talked about
the fact that John Oliver did a series. Did you
save or do a series on Subway at any point?
Speaker 1 (19:28):
No, we did it.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
You should go out with a bang with a Subway episode.
Speaker 3 (19:37):
But yeah, like, I just.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
Really thought that was kind of funny that they brought
that up, and as that was the standard of like success.
Don't get me wrong, franchises, I'm sure if you can
make good money, you can make good money, but like
that was that level, like we could have been us,
we should have gone, this is what we should have done,
but that was kind of that level. So if you
can't do that, I'm gonna marry you off. And in
this conversation, marrying you off was like you off to
(20:01):
a different country or someone better, because with that conversation
of Ballarache coming in, he actually lives in London and
so that was his look of success. I'm sure other
things played into that, but like immigrating. If you listen
to our past episode book Club episode about I Am
the American Dream, that was kind of that same conversation
and standard what we see in any conversations of immigration
(20:26):
in people talking about the better future, which has changed
so much.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
Yeah, yep, anyway, but.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
I thought that was interesting, Like you have that look
of like marrying them off, but the standards are different
of why they're marrying them off and what success looks like.
And then we had an interesting conversation of the pressures
of the family, which I know Jane Austin actually talks
about in all of her other books, like whether it's
persuasions or because.
Speaker 3 (20:56):
We talked, we re read persuasions.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
And I love that, like the pressures of the family,
you're not allowed to marry this person or this person.
In this kind of conversation, we also have the pressure
of her mother want her to marry this type of man.
Don't marry that man, like, don't bring this white man
in my hand, don't bring I mean, to be fair,
her mom was right about Wickham, true putting that man
(21:21):
in here, but you know, looking to see who had
better pressure. The same thing with Darcy having his mom
pressure her him into trying to you know, go with
Anne the burgh In character. She's not the Bord, but
you know what I mean, the ex girlfriend, who is
your typical beautiful, blonde, high society girl. They're bringing her
(21:42):
in being like that's that's the standard, and that's the pressure. Also,
she's very disappointed that He decided not to open or
buy out an Indian hotel after he talked with Lalita,
who said, you know, you're buying this out. Doesn't help
the Indian people. You're only helping white people come here.
What does that do?
Speaker 1 (22:01):
Right? You know?
Speaker 3 (22:03):
He's like, I'm helping good jobs.
Speaker 2 (22:04):
You're like, no, you're not. None of none of the
people that live here can afford to be here.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Right exactly, and basically making it a white space where
white people don't have to see Indians. Yeah, so it
wouldn't be helping the Indian people at all. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
Yeah. So it was really good conversation.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
But him like buckling down and finding pressure against his
mom and having to like push back.
Speaker 3 (22:29):
A little bit.
Speaker 2 (22:30):
That was also interesting. Of Course, that same tripe throughout
because you can't have I don't think you could have
a good Pride remake without a Collins because he is
that the foil and there are Koli here, So her
mom tried to pressure her to marry Khli, who Kally
was endearing.
Speaker 3 (22:50):
I will say I really.
Speaker 2 (22:52):
Liked the take on Chandra and Coli in this one,
because they like each other, like he is doting on
her as awhere in the other version, he's just really
dumb and trying to impress. I mean, he's still trying
to impress other people, but like not the way he
was trying to impress the Berg and like, you know,
using his wife in here. You know, he gives her
a small kiss in the kitchen. You know, he's actually
(23:13):
really happy with being with her, and she's happy and
she talks about how he adores her, and he's just
like that's all I can really ask for.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
Yeah, there's a pretty funny shot of him wearing an
American flag speedo kids. Yes, I wasn't expecting that. I
have to say. It was kind of age.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
That's that musical part I think.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
Was the one that was like, oh I need to
have worn any.
Speaker 1 (23:42):
Oh my gosh, what's happening right now?
Speaker 2 (23:55):
And then the prejudice again we kind of already talked
about it, but like the different prejudice was just a
little different here. That's where they took on, like the
prejudice against Indian people or the country of India, with
the stereotypes that that often like immediately talks about having delibilly,
which is that a little stereotype. I think there's certain
things that are like Yeah, you do have to be
(24:16):
careful in any area when you are not used to
any food anywhere at other places areas, Yes.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
You might have to.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
Like the amount of people who come to the US
talking about eating fast food and being immediately sick.
Speaker 3 (24:31):
You know, it's true if you're not used to.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
That kind of high fat graces mind, but like just
that kind of stereotype that immediately happened in that conversation
was something that I thought they wanted to address very quickly. Again,
I think the UK and India both had, like their
Tourism board sponsored this movie. I believe they had mistakes
(24:58):
into the movie if I if I'm correctly, but yeah,
like but it is, but she's talking about loving her culture,
loving being there, wanting to stay there. I think that
was really important for the filmmaker as well as like
the people telling the story to talk about by they
love their culture, they're proud of it. They want people
to see what it really is and just like any
(25:20):
tourist area, like it's not truly what it is until
you meet the people there and they show you what
it's like and the beauty behind the scenes and places
that they love. And Ashanti's on a stage dancing in
her attempt to also speak Hindy, like you know, that
also helps, you know, But all of that say, like
(25:41):
it was an obvious conversation that they wanted to highlight
when it comes to the stereotyping of India in general.
One of the big things, of course, that they brought
up was arranged marriages, because that was his first like
I can't believe you, blah blah blah, and Wickham had
said he's supposed to be marrying a woman from New.
Speaker 1 (26:02):
York, Darcy.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
Yeah, yeah, Darcy, And so like she was like, what
a hypocrite. Y'all do the same thing and you just
don't think it's bad because you don't call it an
arranged marriage, like all these things. I did read an
article by Sonali Mishtra I really hope I said that
right from her media marcle Pride and Bride all prone
(26:25):
to prejudice kind of comparing the two movies. But she
does talk about how they do idealize westernized beliefs of
marriage over any other types. And if we talk about
arranged marriages as a way of life in India and
many other cultures, that people are like, oh, this is
so backwards. This is so archaic. Why would you allow this?
(26:46):
And like her conversation is, do you have you talked
to people who have done this? There are more successes
than this. The divorce rate in the US or like
because he was from la is so much higher than
in India.
Speaker 3 (26:59):
What do you have to brag about in this level?
Speaker 2 (27:03):
And I think that's very interesting because like we've talked
about that as well. Like I think I've seen article
an article where in either way, whether it is as
what they would call love match or arranged marriages, like
failure is not like success is not guaranteed. Both can
be a good thing or a bad thing, whether it's
they fall in love with each other eventually after their
(27:25):
arrangement marriage getting to know each other, or whether they
fall out of love even because they've changed after so
many years. Like there's so many levels in conversation, and
that I did find that interesting. But she also talks
about again the London US versus India, the western ized
ideals and standards and how that becomes a better way.
Speaker 3 (27:47):
So she talks she says this.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
The film came out in two thousand and four, and
the themes it picked up are very rooted in this
time they are still relevant to an extent. But back then,
calling out the mass obsession with American culture and the
attempt to westernize the native culture must have been.
Speaker 3 (28:02):
A big deal.
Speaker 2 (28:04):
I hope that's true. I hope that's gone away. I mean,
I can't imagine this, especially today as we are put
on warning lists don't nup for people of color not
to come here, Yeah, and it being dangerous for them
that that standard has kind of washed away and our
(28:26):
and her she was talking about also the idealization of
the West and the cultural appropriation of South Asian culture
by the West, and how marriage becomes a means to
realize the highly idealized dream of solving abroad. So being
abroad in America and the UK again is the ultimate
goal or dream again, as we talked about in the
book club, like that's kind of like people really thought
(28:49):
once upon a time, and maybe it was like at
one point in time, it was the dream and to
be successful. If you could be successful in the US,
it was even better because you had a bigger opportunities
or chances, not realizing looking back, if you're a person
of color, if you're an immigrant, you have to probably
do it work twice as hard as to everyone else
(29:12):
in order to get that success. So it is interesting
to see that conversation in that time, like yeah, twenty
two years ago, because it was released in two thousand
and four to today, and in two thousand and four,
it still wasn't like I was like, why you know,
you kind of think back then, like you were still
(29:33):
in school, weren't you.
Speaker 1 (29:36):
Me? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I think I was in
freshman year of high school or maybe yeah, I think so, and.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
I was finishing out college and my dream was my
dream was to go broad Like I really thought I
would go live in London and then move on and
do bigger and better things.
Speaker 3 (29:58):
I have not moved, y'all.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
But all that to say is like this ideal in
the standard is if you truly want to be successful,
whiteness is successful, that culture is successful.
Speaker 3 (30:10):
Koali taking on some.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
Of the verbiage, Yeah, of the West Coast of the
US was meant as success.
Speaker 3 (30:19):
So it's really kind of funny living in a suburb.
Speaker 1 (30:22):
I love when he's like bragging to Lalita's mom that
he's almost in Hollywood because that is such a it's
such a marker of like, oh, I'm I'm almost at
forty minutes and I can be there, right.
Speaker 2 (30:38):
I remember so my high school senior year, my friend
and I went to La No, Orange County, so near
really excited because that was.
Speaker 3 (30:49):
Like, oh my god, the dream. We're going to Hollywood.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
We need and like like everybody else was like, this
is really crowded and smoggy.
Speaker 1 (30:57):
Mm hmm.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
Well we had fun, don't get me wrong. Yeah, but
like it's not what you see and what you thought.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
Exactly, And that's kind of the point. I thought. It
kind of stuck out to me that the book club
we did this month I was their American Dream, which
was about also immigrating to the US, And this movie
feature characters from outside of the US or or inside
(31:30):
the US, but have a lot of influences from outside
the US who were influenced by entertainment and what they
saw on TV or just the idea of the United States.
Speaker 2 (31:46):
And I at one point she says Beverly Hills nine
zero two one.
Speaker 1 (31:50):
US does, Yes, she does. And I think that goes
to show the cultural imperialism or dominance of American culture
that it both of these examples we didn't know we're
going to I didn't know we're going to kind of
have a focus on that. But being like, oh it's
(32:14):
New York, it's so fancy, you've made it. Oh it's La,
Hollywood's over there.
Speaker 2 (32:21):
I did find and did like the I think that
was funny that it was La, Yes, very specially. And
then I love the air the conversation of the Valley
because one of my old episodes when I was with
the Daily Zeite guys, I had to ask, I'm like,
what is the problem with the valley? Why do people
have an issue with the valley? Because I was so
because it's so like dominated as a stereotype of like,
(32:44):
oh it's not as good.
Speaker 3 (32:47):
As La, like Rodeo Drive or whatever was.
Speaker 2 (32:51):
Yeah, there's so much of this, but yeah, I find
I found it really entertaining. I love seeing first of all,
I love seeing them like center the Indian communities and
just really talk about that love for their country and
the love for their community and people. I thought that
was really wonderful way of narrating the story. Of course,
(33:14):
they had to find one of the world's biggest pop
on because icons to be in this movie.
Speaker 3 (33:19):
To have that, I think like.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
Syllability, a little bit of bringing in peppering in some
like American Like again, Rory from Gilmore Girls being in
there made me laugh because it was in the prime
of her like getting big for this series. So I'm like,
where did she even come from? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (33:41):
And it did have a I wasn't quite expecting the
going to London then going to the US part. I'm
not sure. I'm not sure why it makes sense that.
I was a little taken aback by that. I was like, Okay,
we're going down London. All right, Oh, we're going to
la Okay, let's go.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
Did you also the computers and email and dating sites?
Speaker 3 (34:04):
I saw that. I was like, Any's gonna love this?
Speaker 1 (34:06):
What was there? Was one graphic was on the computer
and it was like a flashlight looking for names. I
guess I died.
Speaker 3 (34:17):
Have you ever seen that? No, that was real.
Speaker 1 (34:20):
That was real.
Speaker 3 (34:21):
It was like a waiting It was like a time
out thing. Yes, that's real, baby. I guess you didn't
know about that life. Yes, real, I thought, Oh my gosh,
I thought I was.
Speaker 2 (34:34):
Probably actually them searching for something on the web.
Speaker 3 (34:40):
Wow, I remember that.
Speaker 1 (34:42):
I do not remember that at all. Okay, all right,
well thanks, that's gonna give me something I can look
up later. Very excited about that.
Speaker 3 (34:58):
Yeah, I'm positive there was also one.
Speaker 2 (35:00):
I want to say, like like binoculars.
Speaker 1 (35:04):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
Yeah, I want to say there was a dude that
did this. If it was like a timing, if it
was searching for something, I'm pretty sure, like it's kind
of like you know the little those little timers at
sand it was before that, I want to say, or
for different sites.
Speaker 1 (35:22):
Okay, I believe you.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
I'm pretty sure, unless this is a fever dream I
had could be anyway, Thank y'all, Thank you any for
coming on this. Anotherane movie that I have shout out.
I don't think she listens, but Joanna, who now lives
in the UK herself, she and I watched Us together
(35:47):
and if we both loved this movie and would try
to sing and dance to this movie. So shout out
to her, because this is the memory I have is
living in Athens, Georgia and what we call the Little
White House with my three other roommates, sitting on the
couch because I was known as the couch girl.
Speaker 3 (36:02):
Long story, we're not going to talk about it. Watching
this while I was studying.
Speaker 1 (36:07):
Yeah, shut out, Joanna. Joanna this is a good I
enjoyed it. I had a good time, and I can
see why you uh really liked it. In college, I
tried to learn the songs and dance. I think it's fantastic.
I can see it's right up your alley because you're
already like Write of Prejudice and now you're introducing kind
(36:28):
of a Bollywood element. Yeah, yeah, makes course makes sense. Well, listeners.
If you have any thoughts about this movie, we would
love to hear them. You can email us at Hello
at stuff one Never Told You dot com. You can
find us on Blue Sky Momstuff Podcast, or on Instagram
and TikTok at stuff I Never Told You. We're also
on YouTube. We have some merchandise at Gotten Bureau, and
(36:51):
we have a book you can get where you get
your books. Thanks. It is always for a super producer,
Casey and your executive producer Maya.
Speaker 3 (36:56):
Thank you and thanks to you for listening.
Speaker 1 (36:58):
Stuff I Never Told You is protection by Heart Radio.
For more podcast from my Heart Radio, you can check
out the heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or where you
listen to your favorite shows.
Hey, this is Sanny and smitha welcome to stuff. I
never told you production, I heard you, and.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
We are back with another wonderful retelling of the Jane
Austin classic of Pride and Prejudice, but with an Indian
Bollywood twist for our monthly feminist movie Friday, and that
is Bride and Prejudice b as in Boy Bride and Prejudice,
directed by bend It like Beckham's director Grinder Chada, who yes,
(00:43):
we've talked about before because I love bend It. Like Beckham,
I believe it was one of our first movies. Right,
it was early on. It was early on, uh real,
like within the first year of us doing it.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
It's hard to say, we've been doing this a while,
but it was in the scheme of things early. Yeah,
but this was our first Bollywood movie. Though.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Yes, it's true.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
This is so and even with this being more Bollywood
than the other stuff, it's still not pure Bollywood. I
need to put that as a preface because I feel
like to say this is pure Bollywood is not giving
the credit to the true Bollywood films with a lot
of like straight Punjabi and Hindi language and culture within it.
(01:27):
This definitely mixes in a lot more like westernized.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
Ideals, but it's still great.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
And I will say I had to give Annie a
warning because I kind of forgot how musically inclined because
Bollywood in its natural especially in this timeframe era, what
had a lot of musical breakouts. I know, like Slim
Dog Millionaire was an Indian film that didn't have that
(01:58):
same play because it was a lot darker and it
was lot like heavier until the very end, which.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Still I love that movie or that ending alone.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
So this is definitely that rom com, typical upbeat type
of movie for Bollywood culture.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
So put that out there.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Yeah, So if you don't know, hey, it is a
pleasant surprise for many people.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
If you like musicals, this is great.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
And this is one of those that I associate with
my love for not saying that this is cheesy cheesy,
but like any kind of rom com like this can
be cheesy, but I feel good movies. And I kind
of forgot again that it does very much heavily lean
towards like the Bollywood influence of a musical film. When
(02:46):
I suggested this, I knew it was Bollywood, but it
realize how Bollywood that sounds odd, I know, but it
was I was like, oh, they do break out in song.
I knew there were songs, but not this way. So
there's a lot of singing and lips.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
To be had. It's kind of funny to me, how Like.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
I'm pretty sure some of the leads that were lip
syncing they had different musicians doing the songs, so it
was noticeable to me.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Yeah, the turn of their voice.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Yeah, the pitches were different. I'm like, wait, what's happening.
But it's still lovely and it was still fun. And
we've got some great stars and cameos in this one,
including the main character, Ashiri a Ra as Leida Bakshi.
She is she was actually in this world of nineteen
ninety four and a global star, like if you see
(03:35):
her face, you know her face. She has plastered in
so many advertisements and she's kind of been like a
gold standard and beauty of India, like she represents.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
A lot of that.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
And then we have a Game of Throne star Indira
Varma as Karen Upal Or Bingley, who you will remember
as Elia sand if you all remember, thanks Aliyah, because.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
I was like, who is that?
Speaker 2 (04:01):
And my partner came downstairs was like, hey, came with
the Rooms, so he knew immediately, and then we have
lost Star Navigne Andrews was about baladaj j Paul again
mister Bingley, and then Alexis Bludell from Gilmore Girls as
Georgina Darcy. So you have a lot of like cameos
of like, hey, I know that person, Hey, I know
(04:22):
that person. Not surprising because again Chada already had that
kind of connection in the industry, so especially with the UK,
so she was bringing she was bringing them in.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
As he would like.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
To say, I think is that it's Martin Henderson is
in there too. Yes, I don't know who he is.
I know he's from The Ring.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Oh, Martin Henderson from The Ring.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
You're right, Yeah, I don't know if he's global like you,
you know.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
But he's he's more stuff than you think. But I
remember I was watching it and I was like, the Ring,
I think that's the guy, and it was you nice.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
You usually don't connect, but you did.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
It's one I didn't know because I don't I didn't
watch The Ring that much. Apparently outside of Naomi wats
the thing right outside of her all right, although just
recently I always referred to as the ring Ghost, which
I had to be like, you know, the American version,
she's not Asian, so how dare you?
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Yeah, it's true right right?
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Anyway, moving on, so for the plot, we do have
the Indian version of the English classics, so just to
keep everyone on the same page, the names are different.
So Elizabeth is Lalita, Jane is Jaya, Lacky is Lydia,
and then Bennett is Bakshi, Bingley is Oupal, and then
Charlotte Lucas is Chandra a Lamba, and the cousin mister
(05:43):
Collins is Kohli. And we have the mother to Darcy, Catherine,
who is replacing the character of Lady de Burgh, So
no Lady de Burgh, and the mother is alive and
well also we don't have the second youngest sister who's
all so just as like Flighty as Kitty in the
original version. So there's only four daughters instead of five,
(06:05):
not that that's all important, but you know, just to
keep up with like the differences. So again, the plot
is pretty similar to Pride and Prejudice, except the prejudice
is beyond just wealth. Part of the prejudice of the
Indian people and the culture and the stereotypes of the
country that we often see, especially when we compare it
to Western iiced ideals or standards.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
So that is what we add.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
So we get a wonderful Bollywood wedding opening Punjabi dances throughout,
which I want more of because I love it, and
I also love the dresses. I really would like to
go to an Indian wedding. I do have friends who
are Indian, but I'm not close enough to go to
their weddings because they're so pretty and they look so fun.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
And I hate weddings, just to put that out there.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
So we have the Bokshi family coming through with their
beautiful daughters in tow. Mother Bakshi has high hopes of
finding good husbands for her beautiful daughters. Enters a handsome,
eligible bachelor Bollarage Paul with his sister Kieren and best
friend and business partner William Darcy, who is obviously not
excited about traveling through India.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
And the crowded wedding party especially.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
So there he is thrown into the middle of a
vibrant wedding and dancing, but also sees the beautiful Lalita
who had a chance to dance with him, but he
refused steels like na nah, no, I'm good nah. But
Ballarage has more than it was more than excited to
dance with Jaya, and of course sparks were flying. The
eye contact, y'all, the eye contact. Through this trip, we
(07:34):
find out that Darcy is there to scout a hotel
to buy because he owns many hotels and is very rich,
and plans to take a trip with Bllarage to go up.
Barage then invites Jaya to come with, and of course
she can't go by herself with this single man. So
since Lalita with them, because Jaya can't be alone obviously,
(07:56):
so they'll go off together. At this time, Darcy has
already insulted Lalita with this disdain for the quote luxury
hotel that he was staying in, as well as the
ideal of rain marriages and just seeing finding it so
archaic and then like too ridiculous, and then even the
crowds of India like the very beginning shot, he's like,
(08:17):
you want to stay here?
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Oh my gosh, what a jerk.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
So it's on the trip that Lalita, in the middle
of her playing the guitar, meets Johnny Wickham who comes
out like a mermaid.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
Like a little mermaid.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
Scene of her coming out of the ocean, it was interesting.
Who happens to be acquainted with Darcy. Turns out his
mom was Darcy's nanny and according to Wickham, he had
turned Wickham away after Darcy's father's death against the will
because he was jealous. So Wickham and Melita hit it
off and she invites him home to her home to
see the Golden Temple and see everything about her area
(08:58):
because she's so excited that he is under stands the
beauty of India, and we have an added bonus clip
of Ashanti. I was like, okay, girl, I forgot you
were in here doing your Indian Bollywood crossover.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
You go girl.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
Soon after that they return, we see Wickham showing up
and a cousin from La coming in hopes of finding
a wife, Coli. He is an accountant who has made
quite a life for himself in La, brags about his
home with maybe a pool on the cop like a
big inside joke, and is as goofy as expected.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
He does it this character did.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
He did a great job playing this character, honestly, because
he tries to highlight how western he is by using
a lot of bad lingo or wrongly timed lingo americanized lingo.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Fantastic, fantastic. He soon sets a.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
Sight on Lalita, who embarrasses her because at an event
he dances really off, like it's a whole routine and
it's gorgeous, and he's like, just.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
About it's quite fun, which kind.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Of pushes Lilida to Darcy, who he asked to dance with,
and she's like yes because she's so startled. They go dance, which,
by the way, that dance was awesome, only I want
to learn this dance and it gets awkward and she's like, ah,
you know him, blah blah blah, you're a bad man.
Moving on, and though it seems like things are going well,
Barrage soon leaves with his sister and Darcy, who all
(10:25):
returned to London or La and at the same time,
Kohley proposes to Lalita, who refuses. We have that whole
foot fund scene after Khoalie Lee's we find out that
he has actually proposed to Lilita's best friend, Gendre, who
he meets throughout the time, and she has accepted. Soon after,
the family is invited to La to go to kolee
(10:46):
in Chandra's wedding, and they decide to stop by in
London on the way there, where Jaya visits Kieren hoping
to see a Barage who unfortunately was not there but
is in the US meeting a possible wife. According to Kieren,
oh que heartbreak here. Soon the family do head to La,
where they run into Darcy, who offers his first class
(11:08):
seat to mother Bakshi. She's enjoying having a good old
time and in La, Darcy and Lolita seem to be
having a wonderful time together, but soon that all ends
because we find out that Darcy was to blame for
ball Varage leaving Jaya. We meet Georgina who kind of
takes the place of the other cousins who say this all,
(11:28):
and she's the one who tells her all this stuff
about ruining the impossible engagement of her wonderful sister Jaya
to Ballarrage and his mother who is not a fan
of anyone and is very disappointed about the Indian up
being a part of her like many hotels, and she's
(11:48):
very snooty and snotty about it all. And Darcy smither yeses,
and she has brought another girl who turns out to
be an ex girlfriend who also does I like the
line where she's like, Lolita like the book and Lalia
just like no, gross, how dare you so? Moving on, so,
(12:10):
of course she and Darcy fight and she storms off
crying because she's like, I'm glad you know I'll never
see you again type of conversation. You're not the man
I thought you were. So as they return home, there's
more drama has occurred, including the fact that Lucky has
run away with Wickham oh No, which we find has
been a habit of Wickham, including and pregnating a sixteen
(12:31):
year old Georgina and trying to run away with her
for money. Here, Darcy pops up and comes to the house.
I apologizes for her stupidity and finds out that Lucky
is gone, so it goes with her to hunt her down.
We find them, they go on a chase, and yay,
they find them. This is all in London, though, isn't it.
(12:51):
M Yeah, this happens in London. Moving on, when they
do find him, we see Wickham getting punched in the
face by Darcy as well was getting slapp by both
of the blocksheet's sisters. Well done, ladies, and in the
end we have a double wedding and happily ever after
end of story.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
Yes, so yes.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
And in between all of that, if you can't tell,
there are breakouts and song. At one point they go
down the streets all dancing together. There's a lot of
like nods to the book and like honoring the book,
like some of the scenes in there, so you definitely
have to pay attention. It's very well done, brightly colored.
There are like I was thinking that maybe it was
(13:37):
my what I'm the streaming service I was watching, but
I think it's supposed to.
Speaker 3 (13:41):
Be glossy and dreamy on purpose.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
Yeah, and you have that little fade and I was like, oh,
it also felt like a little like tourist video for India, which, yeah,
I would like to go to India parts of India,
but yeah, it seemed very fun. It was very fun,
and yeah, probably about my childhood. So that's college years, yeah,
(14:05):
because you'd already seen it right at two thousand and four.
It was one of my loves. I still remember my
college roommate and I singing and quoting from this movie.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
That's fun.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Yeah, you know, it's what you have some of those
this is one of those ones that I would do.
What did you think about the film?
Speaker 1 (14:33):
I also thought it was very fun. It was uh.
I guess first of all, if you haven't listened to
our past episodes on we did. I think we did
Pride first, which was a different remix of Pride and Prejudice. Yes,
and then we did Pride and Prejudice. Yes, and now
here we are with Pride and Prejudice.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
Did we also do the show? I no, oh, when
we thought it.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
Would change, not that would change, but no, but be
much right on with the book.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
But if you were confused at all, like because we've
gone over the plot several times, this was a very
basic plot summary. But I will say personally, because I
never read Pride and Prejudice before until I met you
in this we did these episodes. I enjoyed being like, oh,
(15:29):
it's that person. I know what's gonna happen here. It was.
I thought it was really colorful, and the music was
really good, and the nittumber's really good. I am glad
you warned me because listeners, longtime listeners know musicals make
me anxious. I'm afraid of sudden song I I, and
(15:49):
it was very sudden. In some cases, a lot of
you know, usually there's some build up so you can
be like, okay, I think a song is coming, but
this was like a song out of nowhere.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
Because you like musicals, but you like the musicals that
go straight through as musicals in between where they break
out in songs where you get like, I just get anxious.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
It's not just funny, don't like them. I just am
on edge. So I did appreciate the warning, Thank you, Samith.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
I was like, oh, I need to tell her because
this does break out like it's not and it's not
because I think like four songs in total. Yeah, so
it's not a lot out of one hundred and twelve
minute movie.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
So like it's okay because it's.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
Almost two hours long and there's only four songs, so
it's not like as much as you would think because
the dance sequences, I wouldn't, like, say, there were musical
plots like when she walks away and starts singing, you see,
it's like, oh.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
Yeah, well, and it opens with the bang of the song.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Like well, I was even saying, like I feel like
when I see anything attributed to Indian weddings typically not
all of them, but there's at least one opportunity where,
especially if they have good understanding of Bollywood, they'll bring
in a musical number.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
Yeah, like a New Girl with.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
CC and Schmidt's wedding, they're planning and the engagement party
just brings a crew that does a Bollywood number and
I loved it, a Punjabi number, and I was like, yeah,
and it's a sitcom, like what do you say? So
you know still like that? I find that amazing. But yes,
so I had to give you a warning because I'm like,
this is I forgot this part because usually, yeah, you're right,
(17:33):
most of them have like a little trail in. Yeah,
this one didn't know as much.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
It's like a jump scare. But the music version.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
Just in general, Annie's amatious person, so.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
That is also true.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
I am too, for in a different way. Mine's a
build up. Hers is like shocked.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
Well, it's also funny because like the warning I would
give you would be something like oh the pet dies
or something, Yes, exactly.
Speaker 2 (18:01):
Is there a site that gives you warnings about musicals?
Speaker 3 (18:10):
Okay?
Speaker 2 (18:10):
But yeah, so with this we're not going to talk
too deep in like themes because again we've kind of
like talked about it throughout our conversations about the regular
pride and prejudice. We talked about it in Pride, and
I'm sure we'll have some other renditions because this is
probably one of the most loved books that has renditions
that really just kind of holds still like in this
(18:32):
iconic ideal of like standards of who's good enough and
who isn't good enough, and what type of prejudice people hold,
and what we assume about people and mistaken community like
communications like.
Speaker 1 (18:42):
That trope miscommunication, lifelong.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
Lifelong right, so.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
Like, so all of that to say, but we didn't
want to talk about and when it comes to specifically
this movie, like the Family, we again see the mother
desperately trying to find husbands for her children, but instead
of saying they don't have sons, they're like, oh, our
opportunity was to go to them, go to the US,
and talking about her family who opened three chains of
(19:11):
three stores, franchises of Subway, which I love the fact
that Subway gets so much love from Asian countries, Like
it doesn't make sense. Did you know we talked about
the fact that John Oliver did a series. Did you
save or do a series on Subway at any point?
Speaker 1 (19:28):
No, we did it.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
You should go out with a bang with a Subway episode.
Speaker 3 (19:37):
But yeah, like, I just.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
Really thought that was kind of funny that they brought
that up, and as that was the standard of like success.
Don't get me wrong, franchises, I'm sure if you can
make good money, you can make good money, but like
that was that level, like we could have been us,
we should have gone, this is what we should have done,
but that was kind of that level. So if you
can't do that, I'm gonna marry you off. And in
this conversation, marrying you off was like you off to
(20:01):
a different country or someone better, because with that conversation
of Ballarache coming in, he actually lives in London and
so that was his look of success. I'm sure other
things played into that, but like immigrating. If you listen
to our past episode book Club episode about I Am
the American Dream, that was kind of that same conversation
and standard what we see in any conversations of immigration
(20:26):
in people talking about the better future, which has changed
so much.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
Yeah, yep, anyway, but.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
I thought that was interesting, Like you have that look
of like marrying them off, but the standards are different
of why they're marrying them off and what success looks like.
And then we had an interesting conversation of the pressures
of the family, which I know Jane Austin actually talks
about in all of her other books, like whether it's
persuasions or because.
Speaker 3 (20:56):
We talked, we re read persuasions.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
And I love that, like the pressures of the family,
you're not allowed to marry this person or this person.
In this kind of conversation, we also have the pressure
of her mother want her to marry this type of man.
Don't marry that man, like, don't bring this white man
in my hand, don't bring I mean, to be fair,
her mom was right about Wickham, true putting that man
(21:21):
in here, but you know, looking to see who had
better pressure. The same thing with Darcy having his mom
pressure her him into trying to you know, go with
Anne the burgh In character. She's not the Bord, but
you know what I mean, the ex girlfriend, who is
your typical beautiful, blonde, high society girl. They're bringing her
(21:42):
in being like that's that's the standard, and that's the pressure. Also,
she's very disappointed that He decided not to open or
buy out an Indian hotel after he talked with Lalita,
who said, you know, you're buying this out. Doesn't help
the Indian people. You're only helping white people come here.
What does that do?
Speaker 1 (22:01):
Right? You know?
Speaker 3 (22:03):
He's like, I'm helping good jobs.
Speaker 2 (22:04):
You're like, no, you're not. None of none of the
people that live here can afford to be here.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Right exactly, and basically making it a white space where
white people don't have to see Indians. Yeah, so it
wouldn't be helping the Indian people at all. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
Yeah. So it was really good conversation.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
But him like buckling down and finding pressure against his
mom and having to like push back.
Speaker 3 (22:29):
A little bit.
Speaker 2 (22:30):
That was also interesting. Of Course, that same tripe throughout
because you can't have I don't think you could have
a good Pride remake without a Collins because he is
that the foil and there are Koli here, So her
mom tried to pressure her to marry Khli, who Kally
was endearing.
Speaker 3 (22:50):
I will say I really.
Speaker 2 (22:52):
Liked the take on Chandra and Coli in this one,
because they like each other, like he is doting on
her as awhere in the other version, he's just really
dumb and trying to impress. I mean, he's still trying
to impress other people, but like not the way he
was trying to impress the Berg and like, you know,
using his wife in here. You know, he gives her
a small kiss in the kitchen. You know, he's actually
(23:13):
really happy with being with her, and she's happy and
she talks about how he adores her, and he's just
like that's all I can really ask for.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
Yeah, there's a pretty funny shot of him wearing an
American flag speedo kids. Yes, I wasn't expecting that. I
have to say. It was kind of age.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
That's that musical part I think.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
Was the one that was like, oh I need to
have worn any.
Speaker 1 (23:42):
Oh my gosh, what's happening right now?
Speaker 2 (23:55):
And then the prejudice again we kind of already talked
about it, but like the different prejudice was just a
little different here. That's where they took on, like the
prejudice against Indian people or the country of India, with
the stereotypes that that often like immediately talks about having delibilly,
which is that a little stereotype. I think there's certain
things that are like Yeah, you do have to be
(24:16):
careful in any area when you are not used to
any food anywhere at other places areas, Yes.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
You might have to.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
Like the amount of people who come to the US
talking about eating fast food and being immediately sick.
Speaker 3 (24:31):
You know, it's true if you're not used to.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
That kind of high fat graces mind, but like just
that kind of stereotype that immediately happened in that conversation
was something that I thought they wanted to address very quickly. Again,
I think the UK and India both had, like their
Tourism board sponsored this movie. I believe they had mistakes
(24:58):
into the movie if I if I'm correctly, but yeah,
like but it is, but she's talking about loving her culture,
loving being there, wanting to stay there. I think that
was really important for the filmmaker as well as like
the people telling the story to talk about by they
love their culture, they're proud of it. They want people
to see what it really is and just like any
(25:20):
tourist area, like it's not truly what it is until
you meet the people there and they show you what
it's like and the beauty behind the scenes and places
that they love. And Ashanti's on a stage dancing in
her attempt to also speak Hindy, like you know, that
also helps, you know, But all of that say, like
(25:41):
it was an obvious conversation that they wanted to highlight
when it comes to the stereotyping of India in general.
One of the big things, of course, that they brought
up was arranged marriages, because that was his first like
I can't believe you, blah blah blah, and Wickham had
said he's supposed to be marrying a woman from New.
Speaker 1 (26:02):
York, Darcy.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
Yeah, yeah, Darcy, And so like she was like, what
a hypocrite. Y'all do the same thing and you just
don't think it's bad because you don't call it an
arranged marriage, like all these things. I did read an
article by Sonali Mishtra I really hope I said that
right from her media marcle Pride and Bride all prone
(26:25):
to prejudice kind of comparing the two movies. But she
does talk about how they do idealize westernized beliefs of
marriage over any other types. And if we talk about
arranged marriages as a way of life in India and
many other cultures, that people are like, oh, this is
so backwards. This is so archaic. Why would you allow this?
(26:46):
And like her conversation is, do you have you talked
to people who have done this? There are more successes
than this. The divorce rate in the US or like
because he was from la is so much higher than
in India.
Speaker 3 (26:59):
What do you have to brag about in this level?
Speaker 2 (27:03):
And I think that's very interesting because like we've talked
about that as well. Like I think I've seen article
an article where in either way, whether it is as
what they would call love match or arranged marriages, like
failure is not like success is not guaranteed. Both can
be a good thing or a bad thing, whether it's
they fall in love with each other eventually after their
(27:25):
arrangement marriage getting to know each other, or whether they
fall out of love even because they've changed after so
many years. Like there's so many levels in conversation, and
that I did find that interesting. But she also talks
about again the London US versus India, the western ized
ideals and standards and how that becomes a better way.
Speaker 3 (27:47):
So she talks she says this.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
The film came out in two thousand and four, and
the themes it picked up are very rooted in this
time they are still relevant to an extent. But back then,
calling out the mass obsession with American culture and the
attempt to westernize the native culture must have been.
Speaker 3 (28:02):
A big deal.
Speaker 2 (28:04):
I hope that's true. I hope that's gone away. I mean,
I can't imagine this, especially today as we are put
on warning lists don't nup for people of color not
to come here, Yeah, and it being dangerous for them
that that standard has kind of washed away and our
(28:26):
and her she was talking about also the idealization of
the West and the cultural appropriation of South Asian culture
by the West, and how marriage becomes a means to
realize the highly idealized dream of solving abroad. So being
abroad in America and the UK again is the ultimate
goal or dream again, as we talked about in the
book club, like that's kind of like people really thought
(28:49):
once upon a time, and maybe it was like at
one point in time, it was the dream and to
be successful. If you could be successful in the US,
it was even better because you had a bigger opportunities
or chances, not realizing looking back, if you're a person
of color, if you're an immigrant, you have to probably
do it work twice as hard as to everyone else
(29:12):
in order to get that success. So it is interesting
to see that conversation in that time, like yeah, twenty
two years ago, because it was released in two thousand
and four to today, and in two thousand and four,
it still wasn't like I was like, why you know,
you kind of think back then, like you were still
(29:33):
in school, weren't you.
Speaker 1 (29:36):
Me? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I think I was in
freshman year of high school or maybe yeah, I think so, and.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
I was finishing out college and my dream was my
dream was to go broad Like I really thought I
would go live in London and then move on and
do bigger and better things.
Speaker 3 (29:58):
I have not moved, y'all.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
But all that to say is like this ideal in
the standard is if you truly want to be successful,
whiteness is successful, that culture is successful.
Speaker 3 (30:10):
Koali taking on some.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
Of the verbiage, Yeah, of the West Coast of the
US was meant as success.
Speaker 3 (30:19):
So it's really kind of funny living in a suburb.
Speaker 1 (30:22):
I love when he's like bragging to Lalita's mom that
he's almost in Hollywood because that is such a it's
such a marker of like, oh, I'm I'm almost at
forty minutes and I can be there, right.
Speaker 2 (30:38):
I remember so my high school senior year, my friend
and I went to La No, Orange County, so near
really excited because that was.
Speaker 3 (30:49):
Like, oh my god, the dream. We're going to Hollywood.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
We need and like like everybody else was like, this
is really crowded and smoggy.
Speaker 1 (30:57):
Mm hmm.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
Well we had fun, don't get me wrong. Yeah, but
like it's not what you see and what you thought.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
Exactly, And that's kind of the point. I thought. It
kind of stuck out to me that the book club
we did this month I was their American Dream, which
was about also immigrating to the US, And this movie
feature characters from outside of the US or or inside
(31:30):
the US, but have a lot of influences from outside
the US who were influenced by entertainment and what they
saw on TV or just the idea of the United States.
Speaker 2 (31:46):
And I at one point she says Beverly Hills nine
zero two one.
Speaker 1 (31:50):
US does, Yes, she does. And I think that goes
to show the cultural imperialism or dominance of American culture
that it both of these examples we didn't know we're
going to I didn't know we're going to kind of
have a focus on that. But being like, oh it's
(32:14):
New York, it's so fancy, you've made it. Oh it's La,
Hollywood's over there.
Speaker 2 (32:21):
I did find and did like the I think that
was funny that it was La, Yes, very specially. And
then I love the air the conversation of the Valley
because one of my old episodes when I was with
the Daily Zeite guys, I had to ask, I'm like,
what is the problem with the valley? Why do people
have an issue with the valley? Because I was so
because it's so like dominated as a stereotype of like,
(32:44):
oh it's not as good.
Speaker 3 (32:47):
As La, like Rodeo Drive or whatever was.
Speaker 2 (32:51):
Yeah, there's so much of this, but yeah, I find
I found it really entertaining. I love seeing first of all,
I love seeing them like center the Indian communities and
just really talk about that love for their country and
the love for their community and people. I thought that
was really wonderful way of narrating the story. Of course,
(33:14):
they had to find one of the world's biggest pop
on because icons to be in this movie.
Speaker 3 (33:19):
To have that, I think like.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
Syllability, a little bit of bringing in peppering in some
like American Like again, Rory from Gilmore Girls being in
there made me laugh because it was in the prime
of her like getting big for this series. So I'm like,
where did she even come from? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (33:41):
And it did have a I wasn't quite expecting the
going to London then going to the US part. I'm
not sure. I'm not sure why it makes sense that.
I was a little taken aback by that. I was like, Okay,
we're going down London. All right, Oh, we're going to
la Okay, let's go.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
Did you also the computers and email and dating sites?
Speaker 3 (34:04):
I saw that. I was like, Any's gonna love this?
Speaker 1 (34:06):
What was there? Was one graphic was on the computer
and it was like a flashlight looking for names. I
guess I died.
Speaker 3 (34:17):
Have you ever seen that? No, that was real.
Speaker 1 (34:20):
That was real.
Speaker 3 (34:21):
It was like a waiting It was like a time
out thing. Yes, that's real, baby. I guess you didn't
know about that life. Yes, real, I thought, Oh my gosh,
I thought I was.
Speaker 2 (34:34):
Probably actually them searching for something on the web.
Speaker 3 (34:40):
Wow, I remember that.
Speaker 1 (34:42):
I do not remember that at all. Okay, all right,
well thanks, that's gonna give me something I can look
up later. Very excited about that.
Speaker 3 (34:58):
Yeah, I'm positive there was also one.
Speaker 2 (35:00):
I want to say, like like binoculars.
Speaker 1 (35:04):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
Yeah, I want to say there was a dude that
did this. If it was like a timing, if it
was searching for something, I'm pretty sure, like it's kind
of like you know the little those little timers at
sand it was before that, I want to say, or
for different sites.
Speaker 1 (35:22):
Okay, I believe you.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
I'm pretty sure, unless this is a fever dream I
had could be anyway, Thank y'all, Thank you any for
coming on this. Anotherane movie that I have shout out.
I don't think she listens, but Joanna, who now lives
in the UK herself, she and I watched Us together
(35:47):
and if we both loved this movie and would try
to sing and dance to this movie. So shout out
to her, because this is the memory I have is
living in Athens, Georgia and what we call the Little
White House with my three other roommates, sitting on the
couch because I was known as the couch girl.
Speaker 3 (36:02):
Long story, we're not going to talk about it. Watching
this while I was studying.
Speaker 1 (36:07):
Yeah, shut out, Joanna. Joanna this is a good I
enjoyed it. I had a good time, and I can
see why you uh really liked it. In college, I
tried to learn the songs and dance. I think it's fantastic.
I can see it's right up your alley because you're
already like Write of Prejudice and now you're introducing kind
(36:28):
of a Bollywood element. Yeah, yeah, makes course makes sense. Well, listeners.
If you have any thoughts about this movie, we would
love to hear them. You can email us at Hello
at stuff one Never Told You dot com. You can
find us on Blue Sky Momstuff Podcast, or on Instagram
and TikTok at stuff I Never Told You. We're also
on YouTube. We have some merchandise at Gotten Bureau, and
(36:51):
we have a book you can get where you get
your books. Thanks. It is always for a super producer,
Casey and your executive producer Maya.
Speaker 3 (36:56):
Thank you and thanks to you for listening.
Speaker 1 (36:58):
Stuff I Never Told You is protection by Heart Radio.
For more podcast from my Heart Radio, you can check
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