Gurinder, Martin Henderson and Aishwarya Rai at the London premiere of Bride & Prejudice

Bollywood critics may have mauled the movie but Gurinder Chadha?s Bride & Prejudice is making waves in the UK. The director, currently in Mumbai to promote the film, had a chat with Pratim D. Gupta on everything from British establishments to her target audience to the secrets behind her celluloid spices.

Around seven years ago you were working on a Bollywood project that you kept aside. Was it Bride & Prejudice?

No, no. At that time I was working on a film with Sunny Deol for a London project. But there was a creative difference. They wanted me to make some other movie and I was making something else. So there was a problem with funding. The British crew was not being paid and they refused to carry on. To them, who the hell is Sunny Deol? The film had to be shelved and I went on to make What?s Cooking in 2000.

After the phenomenal success of Bend It Like Beckham, you were flooded with offers from Hollywood. Why did you choose to make a Bollywood tribute instead?

It?s true, I did get a lot of big Hollywood projects ? everything from romantic comedies to films on Whites. And for all of them I had to shift base to Los Angeles. But I always wanted to make a Bollywood tribute, my way. And I knew had I gone to the US at that point of time, I could never have returned to the UK and made the Bollywood film. So even though I admit that I took a huge risk by not accepting the Hollywood offers, I have no regrets.

But there have been tributes to Bollywood?

Yes, but they have been very cheap and crude versions. I wanted to take the audience on an affectionate trip to the world of Bollywood. Basically, I wanted to come up with a whole new film language. My target was not the Hindi film audience but the greater western world. To them Bride & Prejudice will be an introductory lesson to Bollywood.

Vital moments from the film

Films like Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Kal Ho Naa Ho and Main Hoon Na have done so well abroad. So what?s special in your film?

Those films do well there but only the non-resident Indians go and watch them. My target audience was the Whites. I was always very clear for whom I was making Bride & Prejudice. I can never make a film like Subhashji (Ghai) or Yashji (Chopra). But then again they also can?t do what I can. There are so many people who want me to make a certain kind of movie. After 9/11, they wanted me to make a film on that. But that?s not my forte. I can make movies that make loads of money and that can touch people?s hearts.

But why Jane Austen?

Why not? I am a Punjabi Londoner and I believe I can use anything that is British and anything that is Bollywood. Austen is a big British institution and I had my masti with it. I did the same with David Beckham.

What has been the initial reaction to Bride & Prejudice in UK?

Fantastic. If estimations are correct, Bride & Prejudice has made close to Rs 15 crore in its first three days in the UK. That is a whole lot more than what a Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham does in its entire run in the UK. Now, such a figure only suggests that not just Indians but even the Britishers are queuing up to catch the movie.

What about the reviews you got in Mumbai?

They are more interested in whether Aishwarya looks fat in the film. And everybody?s concerned about whether I have been able to score. It?s not me who is on trial here. I have nothing to prove. It is Bollywood that is on trial in the West. Nobody seems to be interested in the range of the actors in the film. The hardest thing I had to accomplish in Bride & Prejudice was to bring about a common rhythm between actors coming from different schools of acting ? some from Bollywood, some from Hollywood, some British and to top it all Nadira Babbar, a veteran on stage.

What have the reviews been like in the UK?

Very good. The Sun has given a hugely fantastic review to Bride & Prejudice and even lauded Aishwarya. Owned by Rupert Murdoch, it is believed to be a very pro-Conservative paper. For The Sun to accept our movie is a very radical thing. Overall, the mainstream press has loved the film.

You are slated to do a big Hollywood studio project I Dream of Jeannie next. Will it be difficult adapting to their style and sensibility?

Not at all. The project is a typical big-budget venture. So, the money will give me more time to make the film.

And what about The Mistress of Spices?

That?s next from Deepak (Nayar) and me. It will be directed by my husband Paul Mayeda Berges. The two of us have written the script adapting it from a beautiful Bengali novel by Chitra Divakaruni. The casting is still on. As of now, only Anupam Kher and Aishwarya have been confirmed.