Gurinder survives the Janeites
Gurinder Chadha reveals that she anticipated the screening of BRIDE AND PREJUDICE at the Jane Austen Festival with some trepidation, and was pleased with the reception:
Going head to head with the world’s largest film industry was small fry compared to her latest confrontation, however. After a screening in India for Bollywood directors like Karan Johar (“He said: ‘I’ve learnt a lot today about how to make my films more accessible’”), Chadha flew to Bath to face her ultimate nemesis – the Jane Austen Society.
“That was hysterical,” she laughs. “It was the closing night of the Jane Austen festival, so there were all these people in their bonnets and top hats and Regency clothes. My husband Paul [Berges, who co-wrote Bend It Like Beckham], asked them what they expected and they said, ‘Oh, lots of colour and excitement’, and then one woman said, ‘I hope she’s true to Jane Austen’s work. I hope she hasn’t meddled with it too much’.
“I started by saying, ‘This film isn’t based on Pride And Prejudice, it’s not adapted, it’s inspired by’, which is a good get-out clause. But they really enjoyed it. Lots of people said how incredibly true to the book it was but it was a completely different world. And I think that was what was amazing to them. That you can still be true to Jane Austen’s themes and characters but set it in a contemporary world.’”
