Bollywood/Hollywood (2002), movie . Indian Actors in Hollywood, Indo-American and US films

This section of GaramChai.com features movies and artists of Indian origin who have made a mark in the global scene.

Movie: Bollywood/Hollywood (2002)

Director: Deepa Mehta
CAST: Rahul Khanna, Lisa Ray, Rishma Malik, Jazz Mann, Moushumi Chatterjee, Dina Pathak, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Ranjit Chowdhry, Leesa Gaspari, Arjun Lombardi-Singh, Neelam Mansingh, Mike Deol, Jessica Paré, Jolly Bader, Ronica Sajnani

About the Story: Rich, young, handsome Rahul (Khanna) is desperate to stop his mother (Chatterjee) and grandmother (Pathak) from interfering with his romantic life. But when they threaten to call off his sister's (Malik) wedding unless he finds himself a nice Indian girl, he hires an escort, Sue, to pose as his fiancée..

Movie Review and links:

IMDB Review: Wow!!! I could not believe this was a Deepa Mehta film. As a young Indian growing up in the U.S. and living the very culture clash this movie was supposed to be about, I was looking forward to this movie. Instead, I found a movie filled with unoriginal and unfunny jokes and some of the worst acting I have ever seen. The movie was excruciating to watch from the very beginning and I found myself embarrassed for the actors and Mehta. Please do not waste your time or money to watch this movie - even if you are a Deepa Mehta fan. If you would like to see a recent English Indian film of quality, go rent Monsoon Wedding..
Planet Bollywood: Flawless casting and brilliant performances contribute much to the fun-filled experience that “Bollywood Hollywood” is. While Rahul Khanna’s character is not nearly as challenging as the malish wallah of “1947 Earth”, his performance as the culturally trapped Rahul Seth brings all the tribulations of his character to the forefront with a lot of ease. And then there is the gorgeous Lisa Ray. Her Indo-Canadian background allows her to identify quite deeply with Sue’s character. The surprise package of the film, Lisa Ray seems very much at ease handling a range of emotions be it melodrama or comedy. Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Moushimi Chatterjee are absolutely hilarious with the former playing a “Bollywood”-obsessed father. However, the most domineering role of the film belongs to legendary actress Dina Pathak. In the last film of her career, Dina Pathak at almost eighty years of age, shows what screen command and power is all about. Mrs. Pathak may have been playing the old grandmother all her life, but never before has she played it with the kind of punch as in this film.
Wikipedia: Bollywood/Hollywood is a 2002 film by Indo-Canadian director Deepa Mehta. It is a notable movie in that it is lighthearted, humorous, and family-oriented in nature, as opposed to Mehta's other films (most notably her Elements Trilogy of Fire, Earth, and Water), which feature very serious themes and focus on social issues. The film pokes fun at traditional Indian stereotypes, as well as at Bollywood (the film features several Bollywood-style song-and-dance numbers). Bollywood actor Akshaye Khanna (the brother of Rahul Khanna) even makes a special guest appearance in the movie.