Rating: Not Rated
Movie Release Date: September 25, 2009 (India) / October 2, 2009 (USA)
DVD Release Date: January 4, 2010
Plot 411: Yogesh must find love and get married within 10 days to save his family from financial ruin.
Review: Yogesh (Harman Baweja) is an educated Indian successfully working in Chicago when he is summoned home by his family. Upon arrival, he is informed that his brother Jitu (Dilip Joshi) has accured many debts that his family is unable to repay. However, their grandfather has promised to give Yogesh, his favorite grandson, all of his property when he weds. With only 10 days left before debts are due, Yogesh must fall in love and get married in order to receive the money to save his family. To expidite the process, he decides to meet with one girl (all played by Priyanka Chopra) from each of the 12 zodiac signs. This movie was kind of a cultural immersion into the Indian culture for me. I haven't watched a lot of Bollywood films and am not really familiar with the culture, but I gotta assume that this movie had all the elements found in this genre. There was a ton of singing and dance numbers, which were actually not bad. They aren't as hard-hitting as something influenced by the streets (like Step Up), but they had a pop music video quality about them. The actual singing was different from the musicals I'm used to, and I had to get used to it a bit since it was a mix of traditional Hindi and pop. I noticed a bunch of customs, such as touching the feet of your elders in greeting, which were new to me as well. In my opinion, the acting bordered on cheesy, but I think this is more of a preference thing as I think it's part of the style for this genre. There were definitely some funny moments, but I think a lot got lost in translation and cultural differences (such as the inequality that is still prevalent between men and women or the idea that girls are still bound to their families until they are married). Even the idea that an independent man would return home and basically marry a stranger to save his family is a bit far-reaching for me. And if you don't buy into this from the start, the entire movie is ruined.
Watch It: Because Chopra's wardrobe was amazing.
Skip It: Because the damn thing is three hours long . . . although, they at least give you an intermission.
Movie Release Date: September 25, 2009 (India) / October 2, 2009 (USA)
DVD Release Date: January 4, 2010
Plot 411: Yogesh must find love and get married within 10 days to save his family from financial ruin.
Review: Yogesh (Harman Baweja) is an educated Indian successfully working in Chicago when he is summoned home by his family. Upon arrival, he is informed that his brother Jitu (Dilip Joshi) has accured many debts that his family is unable to repay. However, their grandfather has promised to give Yogesh, his favorite grandson, all of his property when he weds. With only 10 days left before debts are due, Yogesh must fall in love and get married in order to receive the money to save his family. To expidite the process, he decides to meet with one girl (all played by Priyanka Chopra) from each of the 12 zodiac signs. This movie was kind of a cultural immersion into the Indian culture for me. I haven't watched a lot of Bollywood films and am not really familiar with the culture, but I gotta assume that this movie had all the elements found in this genre. There was a ton of singing and dance numbers, which were actually not bad. They aren't as hard-hitting as something influenced by the streets (like Step Up), but they had a pop music video quality about them. The actual singing was different from the musicals I'm used to, and I had to get used to it a bit since it was a mix of traditional Hindi and pop. I noticed a bunch of customs, such as touching the feet of your elders in greeting, which were new to me as well. In my opinion, the acting bordered on cheesy, but I think this is more of a preference thing as I think it's part of the style for this genre. There were definitely some funny moments, but I think a lot got lost in translation and cultural differences (such as the inequality that is still prevalent between men and women or the idea that girls are still bound to their families until they are married). Even the idea that an independent man would return home and basically marry a stranger to save his family is a bit far-reaching for me. And if you don't buy into this from the start, the entire movie is ruined.
Watch It: Because Chopra's wardrobe was amazing.
Skip It: Because the damn thing is three hours long . . . although, they at least give you an intermission.
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