The 2004 film Bride and Prejudice adopts conventional themes of Bollywood cinema, as well as incorporating Western elements into the film. The film reflects the re-emergence of past prejudices in modern encounters of Eastern and Western cultures. The cultural differences and hybrid nature of the film are highlighted by the nationality of the characters, which are not just a homogenous group, but comprise of Indian, American and British Asian actors.
The director shows the issues in relation to hybrid cultural identities and the way in which individuals recognise their homeland. In this film diaspora is a major concept, essentially refers to the spread of people who have moved away from their homeland to other countries. The diasporic characters are predominantly Mr Kohli, an American Indian who returns to India to find a wife, and Kiran Balraj, a British Indian. Both attempt to disassociate themselves from their Indian roots. These two characters feel a sense of
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The clashes between tradition and modernity within the South Asian diaspora results in their "home" being situated in the Western world. This results in the otherness that is prevalent, as the those living in the West feel a sense of "us" and "them," where the "us "can be seen as the West with their Eurocentric attitude and "them" being the Indian population. As evident from these clips, Kiran and Mr Kohli represent Westerised Indians in the diaspora who live comfortably in their host country and feel superior to those living in their motherland. Their wealth and upper-class status propel them to believe that those in India only desire to form relationships with them because of their wealth. Mr Kohli and Kiran embody the image of the upper class who struggle to relate themselves too closely to people