BOLLYWOOD QUEEN


Reviewed April 2004 by Andrew Smith. Viewed 59 times.
BOLLYWOOD QUEEN (2002)Genre ROMANCE
Director JEREMY WOODING
Stars PREEYA KALIDAS, JAMES MCAVOY, CIARáN MCMENAMIN, KAT BHATHENA, RAY PANTHAKI, IAN MCSHANE, AMERJIT DEU
Region 2 (UK)
Supplier Redbus. Released Monday 22nd March 2004
Price 15.99
Discs 1
Time 90 mins.
Chapters 24
Picture Anamorphic 1.85:1
Sound English Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles English
Case Amaray
Extras Cast and Crew Interviews
Trailer
Behind the Scenes Featurette

The Movie 4
Have you read Romeo and Juliet? Have you seen Grease? If you have answered yes to either or both of the above then the story of Bollywood Queen will be very familiar to you. Throw in a pinch of East is East and serve a week later and you have the essence of Bollywood Queen, a cold tasteless rehash of old ideas done much better the first, second and third time round. It’s like week old pizza. You know it once tasted great but seven days spent in the fridge causes the edges to curl and the toppings to go stale.

The story then. West country boy meets east end girl who also happens to be of Indian origin. The rest of the story is soooo predictable that to type it out seems a waste of time when you have already filled in all the blanks yourself. Thrown in for good measure is the occasional song and dance number which are, as the title suggests, of the Bollywood variety. Sung most of the time in Hindi, subtitles appear for the uninitiated.

Written and directed by Jeremy Wooding as a follow up tale to his 1999 film Sari & Trainers the film is not without a certain charm. This is in a large part due to the presence of Preeya Kalidas as Geena, the London girl with family loyalties and youthful dreams. She went on to star in Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Bombay Dreams in the West End, and her talents are certainly obvious here. Less convincing is James McAvoy as Jay, the object of Geena’s affections. My mother always said not to say anything about someone if I had nothing good to say……Ian McShane of Lovejoy fame pops up in a brief cameo as Jay’s father. He must have needed a new conservatory or something.

Picture 8
The 1.85:1 anamorphic print is a first class effort. Colour plays a central part in the story, with vivid, surreal and slightly trippy sequences when the characters burst into song. In true Bollywood style these dance numbers are full of dazzlingly bright primary colours. These are all perfectly reproduced with no signs of blocking, smearing or enhancement. Skin tones are neutral and balanced except in some of the dance sequences when they take on a warm golden glow. Shadows are convincingly dark, and hold onto their details well. All in all a first rate picture.




Sound 8
The score is an interesting fusion of Eastern music with R&B and pop rock. While not my scene my teenage daughter was tapping her toes throughout. The soundtrack is again well produced. The 5.1 DD mix is beautifully balanced with the soft rock enthusiastically pumped out of all the speakers in your setup, even your sub! Dialogue is clear, and while atmosphere is lacking the whole thing hangs together very well.




Extras 3
A few cast and crew interviews and 10 minutes of behind the scenes features. All are flimsy and forgettable.




Verdict 4
This light romantic musical is childish fluff. Shakespeare wrote it better, and the Bee Gees sung it better. It feels like the Children’s Film Foundation Saturday morning movie I used to watch in the 70’s, only bad.



Bollywood Queen

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