Madden's Entry 1 - Chadha's "Bride and Prejudice"

Kholi, ignorant of his Indian heritage and a too proud American yuppy, personifies the combination of East and West in this film. His character is a stereotype of an emigrant who has gone on to bigger and better things in a Western culture. The film is able to draw a distinct line between the two cultures by overwriting this character, by mocking American egotism and beautifying Indian traditionalism. Despite all of the conventions of the Bollywood genre, if this film does have a theme, it is focused on tradition and honor. So it must be that these characters aren't real people but stereotypes and prototypes, because the intent of the film is to maintain heritage by pointing out flaws with modernity. There is no room for subtlety in a piece that aims to do that. It must be loud.