Equal Engagement: In Marriage and Between Cultures

In the film’s final marriage scene, Chadha replaces dialogue with music, a signature of Bollywood movies, to finally orchestrate Darcy’s embracement of tradition in his reunion with Lalita, which also symbolizes a reconciliation between America and India. When the parents of Jaya and Balraj first meet during their wedding, the public conversation diminishes while the background music increases in volume for the entry of Darcy, who appears as one of the Indian wedding drummers. Dressed in his American shirt, he is smiling and comfortably playing with a group of Indian drummers; his current easy demeanor contrasts greatly to his social awkwardness in the first Indian dance of the film. As the musical chords become louder and more accented, Lalita runs to Darcy. Then, in a few suspenseful chords, the music subsides as the two lovers engage each other in a stand-still, face-to-face formation, which symbolizes the meeting of America and India. At this moment, Darcy surprisingly deviates his eyes from his lover’s face to look at Lalita’s parents, whose nonverbal, genial greetings accompany a revival in a more exuberant progression of chords. This exchange between Darcy and Lalita’s parents proves Darcy’s transformation of mind. Darcy has fulfilled one important part of the Indian tradition of marriage: acquiring the parent’s consent. Although Mrs. Darcy is not present, Darcy, in part, has followed the Indian tradition of arranged marriage by asking Lalita’s Indian parents. His gesture proves that he now accepts and respect Indian traditions, a quality essential to achieving ultimately the equality in his marriage to Lalita and in engagement between America and India. The blissful expressions on Darcy’s face, when he finally embraces L...

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...nwillingly accepted by Lady Catherine. The different and more rationalized ending in Pride and Prejudice reflects upon the difference between the 19th century folks and the 21st century viewers, who are much more attracted to the Bollywood conventions of melodramatic development and happy endings but not the practical complications present in real life. Therefore, by reducing the level of practicality but focusing on comical characterizations, dramatic presentation of scenes, and glorious music, Chadha skillfully attracts the 21st century audience to better understand the integrity of commonly misunderstood aspects of traditional cultures and the folly of cultural tension.

Works Cited

1. Austen, Jane, and Vivien Jones. Pride and Prejudice. London: Penguin, 2003. Print.

2. Bride and Prejudice. Dir. Gurinder Chadha. Perf. Aishwarya Rai and Martin Henderson. 2004.