I found the most significant alteration in Chadha’s Bride and Prejudice to be the inclusion of both Western and Indian cultures rather than socioeconomic divisions. I believe that this is what makes the adaptation culturally relevant because it places the issues from Austen’s novel on a very contemporary stage. In today’s society there is a continual emphasis on both cultural integration and maintaining a cultural identity. Bride and Prejudice conveys the struggle of blending cultures in a realistic manner that viewers can relate to, despite the film being dramatized. The film sets up the question of whether it is possible for two people from very different cultures to form a relationship and establishes this in both dialogue and physical depictions.
While it is recurrent throughout the whole film, I specifically remember the difference being emphasized by Darcy’s arrival to India. His initial reaction to Balraj is a question along the lines of “Where the hell have you brought me?” (which might be exact, but I’m not sure verbatim). Viewers are immediately presented a shot of Darcy’s reaction to people in the streets of India, depicting imagery often associated with the culture. The reality of travel to another country being so striking set up a very visually dynamic contrast relative to the original text. Viewers also see differences particularly in characters’ clothing. Darcy is most always shown wearing a suit or collard shirt, while Lalita is mostly shown wearing more traditional Indian clothing such as saris (shown in the photo above).
I think that the issues were resolved convincingly for the most part and the changes in plot from Austen’s text to Chadha’s adaptation worked well overall. I would continue that Bride and Prejudice because allows for a more striking contrast between the two opposing cultures than the socioeconomic differences presented in the novel it is more effective at emphasizing the significance of Darcy and Lalita’s marriage.