Analysis

Throughout the Bollywood film of Bride and Prejudice numerous cultural stereotypes are represented through many of the characters. These main characters being that of William Darcy, Mr Kohli and Mrs Bakshi. Each one of these characters represents a significant theme in this film. Since with William Darcy representing the Western world and Mrs Bakshi the representation of the Eastern World. Whilst, Mr Kholi is seen to be the representation of an Eastern raised person who believes that he has assimilated to the Western world, via materialism. In this film, William Darcy is the classic example of a westernised individual unwilling to view the world in any other way than westernised. He approaches India with a closed mind, believing people of the western world would only want to venture to this country and not have to deal with or experience the true India. His character establishes that the westernised society believe they are of an arrogant and superior status, without the slightest interest in learning and developing knowledge on any other culture. The second main cultural stereotype established is that of Mr Kholi, having believed he has assimilated to the western culture. Mr Kholi’s character has been developed to express to the audience that you as an individual may be believe that you have assimilated to another culture although truly not realising you have not. Filled with contradiction this character is seen to have left the country he was born in, in search for bigger and better things in the westernised world. Without realising Mr Kholi has indeed returned to find a suitable wife whom he can take home with him to America, to cook, clean and take care of him in the traditional Indian manner. Having to believe he has assimilated yet retracing his heritage and following the traditional Indian culture. Seen in the character of Mrs Bakshi who is of a traditional Indian family, who’s main goal at the present time in the film is to have her daughters married off to a man of wealth. This character represents the true Indian identity and what life as an Indian woman is like. Concluding, each of these characters brings a different aspect of their culture either western or eastern, which ultimately develops the film.

Bride and Prejudice is a film FULL of cultural stereotypes, both Indian and American. They all raise awareness of different issues and opinions in both cultures. Darcy is your “typical American”, quotes like “Jesus Balraj, where the hell have you brought me” and “are you sure this is safe to eat, I don’t want to be getting Delhi Belly on my first day” portray him as rude, judgmental and disrespectful and it is no wonder Lalita does not like him. Lalita is your “typical” Indian girl, she is portrayed as somewhat traditional, with a strong love of family and India, but she is very smart. Mrs. Bakshi tells Lalita “Don’t talk unnecessarily and don’t say anything too intelligent”. This reflects the role of women in India and how basically the men are supposed to be the smart ones who go out to work and earn all the money while the women are supposed to stay at home, look after the children and make gobi. The two protagonists in Bride and Prejudice are obviously very different from the start, but Mr. Kholi is a character who is right in the middle of the two, a perfect example of the Indian trying to be an American, this stereotype results in a hilariously funny character. He is a distant relative of Lalita’s family who now lives in America or “Am-ri-ca” as he pronounces it. He thinks he is westernised because he lives like an American but he is far from assimilated. He associates being American with materialism. Because he has a big house and the lifestyle western people has he thinks he is now American, but on the other hand he stlill does lits of things like Indians and still has the same principles of life as Indians do. When talking about why he decided to come back to India to find a wife, he talks of the Indian girls in America “You know, in U.S., they're all too outspoken and career-oriented. And some, have even turned into...The Lesbian.” This quote oozes non-assimilation. Someone who thinks they have taken on a western way of life couldn’t have with these backward ideas of what women should be.
In conclusion, Bride and Prejudice is a good example of the Indian and American cultures coming together in all different ways. The cultural stereotypes shown bring awareness to us that we’re all different so sometimes we just need to be a little understanding of cultural ignorance.

In the film Bride and Prejudice, directed by Gurinder Chadha, there are many cultural stereotypes being present throughout. These stereotypes come through different characters and all represent different aspects of the two dominant cultures, Indian and American, in the film. Through Mrs Bakshi, we see the stereotypes of how she was trying to marry off her daughters and how she was arranging all their marriages for them. Her objective in life was to make sure that her daughters had a man who would be able to support them and would be able to look after her and make money to support the family. In Indian culture, the woman is merely a possession. She is stereotypically seen as someone who requires support from the man and if she does not get married, then she is seen as a burden to the family. She is there to serve her husband and to wait on him hand and foot and we see this in the song 'No Life Without Wife' when Lalita is serving Mr Kholi who is the suitor that her mother is trying to get her to marry. She is also not to speak out of turn and 'not say anything too intelligent'. I personally do not agree with this as I do not believe that women should be treated like this and I agree with what Lalita does when she talks about what the Americans were doing after their independence in response to Kholi's remarks about how India is not as developed. Mr Darcy also presents a very distinct cultural stereotype in this film. Darcy is from the US and has come to India with his friend Balraj who is from the UK. He feels like an alien in this country and this is especially clear when the first lines that we hear come out of Darcy's mouth are 'Jesus Balraj, where have you brought me?'. He sees himself as different and an alien in this new country and brings with him the prejudice of the western world. He stereotypically believes that the western world is far more superior and is more advanced than the rest of the world. He sees himself as better and his country as more developed than the rest of the world. He has come to India to see if he can buy a hotel in order to make more money. Darcy is trying to change India into becoming like what he believes is superior, the western world. He also does not agree with the idea of an arranged marriage, a stereotype of the western world. This is seen when he says 'It's a little backward, don't you think?' and through this line we see the stereotype the director is trying to convey to us as the audience that the western world sees the idea of love after marriage as ridiculous. However, Chadha also shows the hypocritical side of the western world, which is also a common stereotype. We see the hypocrisy in Darcy when it comes out that his mother was in fact trying to arrange his own marriage to a rich New York girl in order for the riches to stay with the rich. I think that presenting Mr Darcy in this way is quite effective because it makes the audience, who is usually from the western world stop and look at their own lives. Also, presenting Mr Darcy this way also makes for a very interesting story as we see a romance between Lalita and himself unfold that is not easy because of all these stereotypes and arguments unfolding. I think that it's fair to say that the stereotypes presented in Bride and Prejudice are quite realistic and the way that the two protagonists overcome these stereotypes just makes for a more interesting film for the audience to watch.

There are many different stereotypes that come out of the film bride and prejudice, and this allows the responder to see different aspects, traditions, and customs that tie into certain cultures. In my view, the cultural differences allow us to reflect on the growth and development of the eastern world countries, and the apparent materialism and arrogance of the western world. In the film different characters seem to represent different stereotypes. For example, there is Lalita, the standard India daughter, diligently working for her family and waiting for her parents to find her a husband, knowing this is her custom, and accepting this, as well as everything that comes with her culture and lifestyle as an India woman. However she also breaks the stereotype as we see she is not pushing past the idea of finding a perfect husband, but respects that traditionally, marriage comes before love. She is intelligent, opinionated and she is somewhat outspoken, and in this way she defies the stereotype, symbolizing that India, as a country, is moving forward. Mr Darcy on the other hand seems to encompasses everything society believes is so closely related to the western world. Arrogance, ignorance and materialism. This western surface is what creates great conflict and tension between Lalita and Darcy. However we also see that Darcy is able to overcome the stereotype when he gets over the initial shock of being in a foreign world, and seeing people doing things he may not agree with or be accustomed to, and begins to assimilate because he knows it is what will get him Lalita. And i think that this realisations proves that all these stereotypes are just means of covering up the fact that people find it hard to step out of their own worlds, out of their comfort zones, and into something completely different, and that they would rather discriminate from a distance and not allow for a wider, more diverse society. However, from the changes that these 'stereotypical' characters make througought the movie, is shows that cultural differences should be respected, but not something that that separates us.

The film, ‘Bride and Prejudice,’ highlights and represents many cultural stereotypes that exist in the Western and Eastern worlds.
The director, Gurinda Chadha indicates through Mr and Mrs Bakshi the significance of the traditional arranged marriages and Indian girls getting married so “they’ll have a comfortable and better life” as expressed by Mrs. Bakshi in the line, “if you don’t get the eldest daughter married, the rest of you will not get married and that would be a shame.” When Mr Kholi arrives at the Bakshi household looking for a wife he states, “I’m spoiled with choice in this house,” objectifies women as a valuable gift and identifies the roles of women from an Indian perspective. Mr Kholi believes he has assimilated to the grand and luxurious Western culture and absentmindedly criticises that, “India is not developed” which contradicts his Eastern culture actions of eating with his fingers when there was cutlery available. In this scene, the director puts forth the message of not having to lose your identity if you assimilate to another country.
From the introductory scenes of the film, we already meet and witness the arrogant and critical protagonist, Darcy. He acts as if he’s innocuous however oblivious that he is actually being very disrespectful and judgmental when he states, “I find this arranged marriage thing a little bit strange, how can two people get married and not know each other, it’s a little backward don’t you think?” This demonstrates his oriental Western culture of superior status and his perspective towards his culture and others. It especially outlines the hypocrisy and similarities between two very different cultures in the film because Darcy is also getting an arranged marriage enforced by his mother.
I believe that whatever the circumstance, we should not be too quick to judge or criticise people with different cultures and backgrounds. However we should put aside our arrogance and cultural differences, ignoring the cultural stereotypes that exist in order to accept and understand each other and live in unity which is symbolised in the film by the marriage of Lalita and Darcy in the end.

The film, Bride and Prejudice embraces on cultural stereotypes of two of the most recognised cultures today, Indian and American. Gurinder Chandha has approached this film with the aim to link the two extremely different cultures, and recognising the impact and harsh reality of prejudice and pre-judgement in our modern society.

William Darcy is “arrogant, rude and irritable” man, who represents the stereotypical rich American man who is ignorant and never ceases to embrace other cultures. He demonstrates his egotism in the first thirty seconds of the movie, stating, “We’re in Hicksville, India” His overconfidence is shown through his pre-judgement of the state of India. India, unlike America is a third world country and suffers from poverty and experiences third-world development. Mr. Darcy, although fully aware through media, looks condescendingly upon it. Mr. Darcy’s conceited personality is also shown in the wedding scene, where he noticeable looks uncomfortable in the traditional Indian dressing and setting. Most people would have taken advantage of this and experienced India in its raw reality, without the authenticity being cloaked by the mass media. I believe that the stretch of the stereotype of an American helps spread the message of how our high living standards has caused us to make pre-judgments without experiencing it first.

Although Lalita is the protagonist character and is the main one, she does not demonstrate an Indian stereotype as she represents a character who is stepping out of the stereotype. In my preference, I believe that Mrs. Bakshi represents the traditional Indian stereotype, in a comical sense. Mrs. Bakshi demonstrates the life of an Indian woman after marriage, whose life aim is to marry her four daughters. We see in the movie, from the first 5 minutes to the end, the constant reminder of arranged marriage demonstrates to us how important it is in Indian tradition to provide a man to their daughter and produce offspring. Gurinder Chandha has expressed the stereotype of Indian culturalism through the high pitched voice and broken English. You see in the movie, how she constantly is dressed in Indian clothing, and has never lost her roots. I believe, just like Mr. Darcy in the American stereotype, although it has been stretched widely, it helps achieve the aim of the director and present an message.

In conclusion, my views on the cultural stereotypes are that they are slightly stretched and abstract then in modernity, but they do achieve the role of creating the link between Indians and Americans through the theme of marriage, whether arranged marriage or love.

The film Bride and Prejudice shows cultural stereotypes that are created from ignorance and misunderstandings to the opposite culture yet seem to be ironically similar to their own. Chadha’s use of high and low angles shows Darcy’s discomfort in a foreign society. Mr Darcy, who represents the western culture, continuously judges the Indian society and considers it to be of a lower standard in comparison to his own. During the after party of the wedding, Darcy criticises the Indian culture when he questions Lalita saying “I find this hole arranged marriage thing a little strange. How can two people get married and not even know each other?” showing his cultural viewpoint, however in Gao we find out that Darcy’s mother is arranging his own marriage. This shows only one way in which Darcy’s culture is ironically similar to Lalita’s.
We also see a cultural stereotype shown through the character of Mr Kholi who represents a migrated Indian. Kholi has a perception of India that is much like Darcy’s. We can see this when he speaks his mind of India compared to America stating that “India is too corrupt”. Ironically, Kholi says this while eating with his hands; a very traditional and peasant-like Indian practise. Kholi also adopts a cultural stereotype of Americans, linking the American lifestyle with money and materialistic belongings, suggesting that this is his idea of being assimilated to their culture. Through these examples, we can see that the cultural stereotypes represented in this film show one’s ability to judge what is unknown to them and think superior of it.

In the film Bride and Prejudice, we see varying cultural stereotypes through many characters. Mr Bakshi is clearly the patriarch of the family and his word is law. However he varies a little from the stereotype as he tends to be more tolerant of his daughters and frequently overrules his wife. Mrs Bakshi is the perfect stereotype of an Indian wife whose sole purpose in life is to ensure that her daughters get married and their future husbands must have wealth or status in society or both. Mr Balraj an interesting stereotype of an Indian who has lived in the UK for some time and has adopted some of the British ways of life but still retains his Indian culture. The daughters are the Bollywood stereotype; beautiful, vivacious and enjoy life in India but remain dutiful and respectful to their father. Will Darcy is a stereotypical rich American who thinks that anybody that lives outside America and particularly places like India is backward and poorly educated. Jonny Wickham is a broader stereotype of a male who has less than honourable intentions towards women and sees Indians as easy pickings. Mr Kholi the stereotype comedy character of an Indian who decides to go to America and believes that he has been assimilated into being an American; however, he still holds the initiative of having a traditional Indian wife, and eating with his fingers.

The 2004 Bollywood Film Bride and Prejudice directed by Gurinda Chadha explores cultural stereotypes evident in western American and British culture as well as eastern Indian culture. The Western world is presented mainly through William Darcy, one of the main characters of the film. I think that his character epitomises the typical western stereotype - an arrogant and judgemental man, interested in wealth and materials for happiness; and not interested in any type of assimilation with the differing Indian culture. In almost every scene in India, Darcy’s reluctance and discomfort is seen through Chadha’s clever use of close up camera angles which show his facial expressions and costuming where Darcy fails at an attempt to wear traditional Indian clothes. Darcy’s character is also very hypocritical – he criticises Indian arranged marriages, yet fails to disclose that his own mother is trying to arrange his marriage, which I think highlights his ignorance as a stereotypical westernised character.
Eastern cultural stereotypes are evident through the characters of Mrs Bakshi and Mr Kholi. Mrs Bakshi is a traditional Indian mother. She possesses the desire to marry off her daughters into wealth by arranging their marriages – so that they can live a comfortable life. I think that her character is an excellent example of a stereotypical Indian as she leads a simple lifestyle, upholding the customs of her culture throughout her life. Although Mr Kholi also demonstrates Indian culture, he also characterises a person who has not assimilated. He believes that he has assimilated into American culture, because in his own personal opinion, material goods and wealth means he is ‘Amrican’. However, I believe he only contradicts his opinions, with the way he eats and speaks and his desire for a traditional Indian bride. Thus, I believe that the use of characters in Bride and Prejudice which demonstrate different cultural stereotypes effectively shows how misguided hypocritical judgement between differing cultures – such as the eastern and western worlds - can be.

In the film, Bride and Prejudice from Director Gurinder Chadha there are two main types of society represented, an American Western society who believe themselves to be sophisticated and the most advanced culture, and an Indian society which is viewed by many of the Western characters as uncivilised and undeveloped. If we further explore the characters in these two groups the audience can see the portrayal of many cultural stereotypes. For example, in the character Mr William Darcy we see the cultural stereotype of a Western man who looks upon the Indian tradition with disdain and does not accept it or even consider it to be a different way of life. He represents those who are incapable of tolerating other cultures and his ignorance in regards to other cultures is evident through the dialogue throughout the film. An Indian stereotype is highlighted through the character of Mrs Bakshi who makes it clear that her sole intention for her daughters is to get them married to a rich husband as Indian daughters do not receive an inheritance. Mrs Bakshi shows the audience the role of women in Indian society and how they are seen as possessions rather than people. Another character who believes this idea is Mr Kohli, an Indian who believes he has assimilated into American culture even though he really hasn't, at one point in the film he says "I am spoilt for choice in this house" referring to the Bakshi daughters. Mr Kohli represents the cultural stereotype of Indians who have tried to hide their cultural identity even though it is still evident. I believe that the Director, Gurinder Chadha has represented a diverse range of cultural stereotypes in the film, Bride and Prejudice. In viewing this film, I have more closely understood cultural stereotypes in these two cultures while realising that they have been exaggerated. Through numerous film techniques and especially the use of comedy, Chadha has shown a true reflection of certain stereotypes and cultural prejudice, applicable to not only the Indian/Western cultures. I believe that it is important to maintain cultural identity, keep an open mind towards other cultures and also to realise when it is time to let go of certain traditions.