Translating Jane
The Egalitarian Bookworm reviews Kandukondain Kandukondain, a Bollywood reinterpretation of Sense and Sensibility–not unlike Bride and Prejudice, but more of a “real” Bollywood film.
The verdict? In short, it was a lovely film and the actors and actresses were completely fantastic, but it couldn’t hold up to Ang Lee’s adaptation of the novel. The plot rambled too much, and it lacked those social back-and-forths that give Austen her oomph. I know it’s a different form of movie, but Austen doesn’t get its zest from plot and plot alone. The tension wasn’t amped up as much as it could have been. The best part of the movie was the sisters– they played off each other perfectly and summoned the spirits of their literary inspirations.
Austen-purism aside, there’s something so wonderful and vital about those Bollywood music scenes where the couples wear flowy clothing and dance freely, in front of beautiful natural backdrops and across the turrets and papapets of castles and ruins. It’s something no US director could do unironically. At the risk of projecting my Western understanding onto the form, those scenes hearken back to what Romantic with a capital R is all about. Shelley would be proud. As would Kate Bush.
We’ve had this film on our Netflix queue for ages; probably should move it up.
April 30th, 2007 at 8:20 am
It’s been a while since I’ve seen this, but I really have to disagree with the reviewer. I think it was just as good, if not better than Ang Lee’s version. There’s something to be said for a story that can translate from 19th century England to present day India, and still retain the criticisms and mockeries of Austen’s original work. If anything, KK is more of a purer adaptation than Bride and Prejudice because it carries over the same themes and messages of Austen’s work without being too camp about it. Furthermore, it’s one of the few films in which Aishwarya Rai turns in an excellent performance.
April 30th, 2007 at 9:18 am
I have to agree with almost everything Tasha just said. I purchased KK as soon as it went back to Netflix. While the Ang Lee version is nice, once I read the book, I couldn’t enjoy the movie as much. Both movies are missing characters from the novel, but I am much more forgiving of KK. It should definitely be moved to the top of any Netflix queue.
(By the way, if you haven’t seen Aishwarya in Raincoat (a retelling of O. Henry’s ‘The Gift of the Magi’) or Devdas, check them out. She does a great job in those two.)
May 1st, 2007 at 6:52 am
This is the only “true” Bollywood movie I’ve seen. B&P was “Bollywood-lite” so I figured that KK was as good a reason as any to see a a real Bollywood film. I liked it very much. I confess to being leery of spontaneous singing and dancing, but it worked for me. The acting was good, and the basic elements of the story are still there. I also own Rai’s movie “Straight from the Heart” (don’t know the Indian title), because I read favorable reviews. But I will look for “Raincoat” and “Devdas.” Thanks for the recommendation Ben.
May 1st, 2007 at 7:54 am
I own this movie. I have never compared it to the Ang Lee version- sorry apples and oranges I think. I enjoy how the story is adapted. It is a teeny bit hard to follow if you don’t know the story and it is not as good as Bride and Prejudice. I do like it a lot. I was just thinking of it yesterday when I walked on a manhole cover.
May 2nd, 2007 at 8:38 am
I really enjoyed this movie, though it is a bottom-buster, running at least 3 hours as I recall. Count the sari changes in the big song scenes–I got up to 12 in one song! And Marianne’s illness is a hoot–won’t reveal the big secret, but you’ll larf.
May 3rd, 2007 at 10:46 am
Guess what arrived from Netflix yesterday? Apparently it WAS on top of my queue and I didn’t know it (or what was on top of my queue was on hold).