The latest in our series of writers highlighting their go-to comfort films is an ode to Gurinder Chadha’s 2004 spin on the Austen classic
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e’ve never been short of Jane Austen film adaptations. In fact, it seems a new one arrives every decade – two were announced recently, including Netflix’s spin on Pride & Prejudice. Yet, one adaptation has been shamefully overlooked: Gurinder Chadha’s Bride & Prejudice.
A cross-cultural, British-and-Bollywood-meets-Hollywood take on Austen’s most famous novel, the film is pure joy – a riot of original musical numbers, colourful costumes, chaos, culture clashes and, of course, romance.
You may think it wouldn’t work, but it does. Released after the huge success of Bend It Like Beckham, Chadha spent two years filming Bride & Prejudice across three continents. It’s a homage to the Bollywood films she grew up watching with a modern, western twist – a cinematic expression of her hybrid identity.
