LISA RAY IN PERSON!

Having dealt masterfully with displacement in Earth and social transgression in Fire, Deepa Mehta displays her gift for comedy in the wonderfully entertaining Bollywood/Hollywood. For those both fond of and new to Bollywood cinema, the film is a delightful melding of these musical and romantic traditions – with a Hollywood twist. The story begins with Rahul, an attractive and wealthy Indian man, having broken a deathbed promise to his father: he has become engaged to a white pop star, instead of choosing an Indian girl closer to his roots. When Rahul’s girlfriend dies in an accident, he decides to bring home a girl his family will approve of and employs a mysterious woman named Sue (the radiant Lisa Ray) to play the part of his Indian fiancée. Bollywood/Hollywood is a wonderful weave of the cinematic and cultural traditions of West and East. Amid the singing, dancing, and good old-fashioned melodrama, we see Mehta’s skill in balancing the two cultures that dominate the characters’ lives while they find a space that is both Bollywood and Hollywood. – Liz Czach & Stacey Donen, 2002 Toronto International Film Festival