Bollywood/Hollywood
Winter 2003 Main series
Sunday, January 5, 2003 at 4:00pm
Sunday, January 5, 2003 at 7:00pm
Monday, January 6, 2003 at 7:00pm
Empire Theatres, New Minas, NS
Directed by
Starring
Rated PG ·
1h 50m
Canada
English
Bollywood/Hollywood, a crowd pleasing musical romantic comedy that fuses the vibrant effervescence of Bollywood melodrama with the showmanship of Hollywood cinema, is a refreshing and delightful departure for acclaimed and sometimes controversial Indo-Canadian director Deepa Mehta (Fire, Earth). Set in Toronto, Bollywood/Hollywood revolves around Rahul Seth, a young dotcom millionaire who becomes the scion of a highly successful established family, and his surprising relationship with the beautiful and wild Sunita Singh. Devastated by the untimely death of his blonde beauty Kimberly, Rahul comes under extreme pressure from his family to get engaged to a good Hindu girl before his sister’s upcoming wedding. At every turn, he is constantly reminded of the popular Hindu adage, “the best cure for a broken heart is marriage”. Desperate to appease his family and retain his independence, he concocts an elaborate plan. He hires the gorgeous Sunita – the daughter of a humble car mechanic and one of the highest paid escort girls in Toronto – to masquerade as his fiancée in the days leading up to his sister’s marriage ceremony. During this celebratory period of song, dance and merriment, Rahul and Sunita’s relationship unexpectedly blossoms romantically beyond the bounds of their business arrangement. Sunita’s passion for life breaks through Rahul’s hardened exterior and Rahul finds himself helping Sunita come to terms with her estranged parents. But as Rahul and Sunita struggle to cross the boundaries of class and prejudice, their traditional South Asian Community struggles mightily to accept their unconventional relationship. Bollywood/Hollywood is a colourful, riotous extravaganza of music, dance and melodrama that perfectly blends contemporary Western storytelling with vibrant Eastern sensibilities. The Opening Gala for the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival Perspective Canada Programme, Bollywood/Hollywood is sure to be one of the primary delights of the winter season.
“Bollywood/Hollywood is a champagne-bubbly romantic comedy that combines the Hollywood-style meet cute fairytale and the glittery surrealism of a Bollywood anything-goes musical.” – Geoff Pevere, The Toronto Star
“A tasty masala.” – Jason Anderson, eyeWEEKLY