Bollywood/Hollywoodis a 2002 Canadianromantic comedydramafilmdirected byDeepa Mehtaand starringRahul KhannaandLisa Ray.

Bollywood/Hollywood
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDeepa Mehta
Written byDeepa Mehta
Produced byDeepa Mehta
StarringRahul Khanna
Lisa Ray
Moushumi Chatterjee
CinematographyDouglas Koch
Edited byBarry Farrell
Music bySandeep Chowta
Production
company
IDream Productions
Distributed byMongrel Media
Release date
  • 25 October 2002(2002-10-25)(Canada)
Running time
105 minutes
CountriesCanada
India
Languages

The film pokes fun at traditionalIndian stereotypes,as well as atIndian cinema(it features several Indian film-style song-and-dance numbers).Akshaye Khanna– a brother of Rahul – makes a cameo appearance in the film.

Plot

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Rahul Seth, is a young and rich Indian-Canadian living in Toronto whose widowed mother is eager to get him married after the freak-accidental death of his white pop singer girlfriend, Kimberly. Rahul's mother disapproved of her son's relationship with a non-Indian woman. Furthermore, she has proclaimed that the impending wedding of her daughter Twinky and Bobby will not take place until Rahul has found himself an Indian bride. The pressure mounts on Rahul as he finds out that Twinky must marry soon to preserve the family's reputation because she is pregnant.

Rahul goes to a bar and there meets Sue. Thinking she is a Spanish escort (non-sexual companion), he hires her to pose as his fiancée because she looks Indian. Rahul eventually discovers that Sue is actually Indian (her name is short for Sunita). Despite his initial anger at her lie, the two grow closer—due in no small part to a confidence boost Sue gave to Rahul's tormented younger brother, Govind, who incorrectly believes that no one cares about his welfare. Rahul and Sue eventually consider one another a fit match. Pleased, Mrs. Seth agrees to sanction Twinky's wedding.

Rahul and Sue grow more intimate, sharing stories about their pasts. It is revealed that Sue was once offered as a bride to the well-meaning but dim-witted professional wrestler Killer Khalsa; offended that her parents would even consider such a match, she has been playing mischief in revenge. This mischief is not fully explained, but her liking for it is suggested by her audacity. Sue is quite immune to social norms; she speaks bluntly to all, particularly to Rocky, Rahul's driver, who she knows (but does not reveal to others) is a famous drag queen.

The blossoming romance is shaken, when a drunken friend at Bobby's bachelor party states that Sue is a prostitute, and that he himself has paid her for sex in the past. Rahul is uncertain, causing Sue to be so hurt that he would question her honesty and integrity that she leaves him. He is forced to confess to his family that he never really courted Sue but merely bribed her to act the part of his fiancée. His mother is forced to postpone Twinky's wedding until Rahul can find a new bride, becoming despondent that Twinky's pregnancy will make the family social outcasts, for which Rahul calls her out for being a hypocrite. Twinky enters the room and tells her mother to stop crying, as Twinky and Bobby have eloped. Twinky thanks Rahul for doing so much to help her.

Prodded by Rocky ( "Sue ma'am is special. Anyone who can keep a secret deserves the best" ), by his insightful, Shakespeare-quoting grandmother and by the ghosts of his father and Kimberly, Rahul goes after Sue. In a balcony scene facilitated by Sue's father and mother, Rahul professes his true love to Sue, who abruptly leaves him standing outside her balcony. Rahul initially leaves in his limo, then tells Rocky to return to Sue's house, only to find that Sue has replaced Rocky in the driver's seat.

Cast

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Music

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Bollywood Hollywood
Soundtrack albumby
Released
17 March 2009 (India)
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length44:04
LabelTimes Music
Sandeep Chowtachronology
Jaani Dushman: Ek Anokhi Kahani Bollywood Hollywood Road

The music, which is composed bySandeep Chowta,received good reviews.

Track list
No.TitleArtist(s)Length
1."Rang Rang"Sonu Nigam,Alisha Chinoy4:03
2."Sooni Hawa (Male)"Sonu Nigam4:58
3."Dil Kabootar Khana Hai"Sonu Nigam3:47
4."Krishna Hare (Female)"Sowmya Raoh4:32
5."Sona Sona Roop Hai"Sonu Nigam, Alisha Chinoy4:54
6."If the Shoe Fits"Sunita Sarathy4:19
7."Sooni Hawa (Female)"Sowmya Raoh4:58
8."Chin Chin Choo"Sanjiv Wadhawani3:51
9."Krishna Hare (Male)"Rajesh4:31
10."Salsa"Instrumental3:11

Reception

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Critical response

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Bollywood/Hollywoodwas met with "mixed reviews",[2]and has a rating of 41% onreview aggregatorRotten Tomatoes,based on 46 reviews.[3]

Accolades

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At the23rd Genie Awards,presented in February 2003, the film received five nominations:Best Motion Picture,Best Original Screenplay(Deepa Mehta),Best Actor in a Supporting Role(Ranjit Chowdhry), andBest Actress in a Supporting Role(Dina Pathak) and (Moushmi Chatterji).[4]Mehta won the Genie for Best Original Screenplay.[2]

Bollywood/Hollywoodalso won the Student Jury Award at theNewport International Film Festival,the Audience Award (Best Comedy) at theSarasota Film Festival,[citation needed]and the Best Director (Canadian Film) at theVancouver Film Critics Circle.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^BOLLYWOOD/HOLLYWOOD - BBFCArchived2014-10-17 at theWayback Machine.BBFC.Retrieved October 13, 2014.
  2. ^ab"Deepa Metha".Canadian Encyclopedia.Archivedfrom the original on 3 June 2019.Retrieved3 June2019.
  3. ^"Bollywood/Hollywood".Rotten Tomatoes.Archivedfrom the original on 4 October 2020.Retrieved3 June2019.
  4. ^Bollywood Hollywood gets 5 Genie nominationsArchived2023-11-19 at theWayback MachineTimes of India,January 3, 2003.
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