Editorial Reviews

Bride and Prejudice is a Bollywood-flavored adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel, directed by Bend It Like Beckham's Gurinder Chada. The film is a melting pot of Indian, British and American culture, and its soundtrack follows suit. The album is bookended by traditionally Indian-sounding tracks like "Punjabi Wedding Song" and "Marriage End," but in between, the music encompasses pop and urban sounds, while maintaining Indian elements as well. Bollywood veterans like composer Anu Malik, lyricists Zoran and Farhan Akhtar and Aishwarya Rai, who stars in the film as the heroine, Lalita, help maintain that authenticity throughout the album. Aside from the aforementioned tracks and "Dola Dola," the majority of Bride and Prejudice is sung in English, and while it's initially a little jarring to hear Bollywood-styled songs like "A Marriage Has Come to Town" in English, overall it works pretty well. However, since the music in the film does a lot of heavy lifting for the plot, some of the songs suffer for it. They can be long on words and short on melody, a problem that stands out more on the album since it lacks the bright colors and choreography of the film. Standout tracks include the cheeky "No Life Without Wife" and "Arrogance, Pride and Vanity," a battle-of-the-sexes duet between Lalita and Mr. Darcy. Ashanti, who also appears in the movie, contributes two tracks, "My Lips Are Waiting (a.k.a. Goa Groove)" and "Touch My Body," both of which blend her usual sensual, urban pop with Indian influences. Though it's a slight soundtrack outside of the film's context, Bride and Prejudice captures enough of what makes the movie work to make it worthwhile to fans. Heather Phares, All Music Guide

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