were supposed to be the comical moments in the film. There's a subplot in the film about Reena's best friend Bobby (played by Sanjay Suri) who's also a famous Bollywood star in the film who kowtows to Shekhar Singh's every whim. Bobby is supposed to be a big Bollywood star - as far as I know, the stars are the ones who have everyone dancing to their tunes, not the other way around. The subplot involves Bobby's friend Alisha (Neha Dubey) from his home town coming to Mumbai to make it big and pretending to be someone else because she's mad at Bobby for not having kept in touch with her after he left home and made it big, as well as the fact that they were supposedly in love and he has been having numerous affairs with all and sundry in Bollywood. To be quite honest, the character of Bobby came across as gayer than the day is long as far as I was concerned. He's supposed to be some big Bollywood stud but he just behaves really camp in every scene he appears in, even when he's supposed to be acting. Alisha's character has supposedly just arrived in town to make it big as a choreographer/actress but she looks like she's been in town for some time from the way she dresses and carries herself. We're supposed to believe she's sweet and innocent and has just come to the big city from a small village yet she comes across and hard-faced and arrogant from her first appearance in the film. Even though it's explained why behaves like that, again this is another character I found very annoying as well Bobby! I suppose I should mention the character of Priyad, the auto-rickshaw driver who initially picks Alex up from the airport and helps him find Reena. Nothing special there but he seems to develop a bond with the character of Alex again which wasn't convincing in the least.

There was thankfully just one song in the film which was used a couple of times, initially it was visualized on Reena's character and then later on Alisha. Nothing exciting - the song was forgotten no sooner than it had ended.

I don't know Rajeev Virani who directed the film. If he's done other films, I'm unaware of them. I felt the film lacked a great deal in direction. Another director might have at least got the 2 leads to show a bit more chemistry. Or make the supposed funny scenes actually seem funny. Maybe the plot just needed to be better? It was way too predictable and I found myself sorely disappointed with the ending, hoping against hope that it would not turn out just as I'd guessed from the first 5 minutes of the film starting.

If this film was aimed at being a send-up of Bollywood in the same vein as films like Om Shanti Om; it didn't work. Om Shanti Om was entertaining. This film sadly just didn't work for me on any level. As I said earlier, it was only down to Jason Lewis that I sat and watched the film right through to the end. I'm trying really hard to find something positive to say about the film but I can't really find any redeeming qualities to speak of.

Overall I would rate My Bollywood Bride as a rather boring and weak 2 out of 5 which I feel is quite generous. If you enjoy romantic stories with predictable endings with a touch of humor you might enjoy this.

TECHNICAL

Release date: 2007

Duration: approx 95 minutes

Director: Rajeev Virani

Producer: Brad Listerman

Screenplay: Kashmera Shah, Richard Martini

Certification: 12 (UK)

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