From a sociological perspective, appropriation entails producing an originally imported cultural pattern. Ideally, appropriation entails characterizing a character to fit that of another character in an initially created literally work. Appropriation is achieved mainly through a character, as seen in different analytical parameters of a piece of literature. Such parameters may entail the themes, setting, and acting styles. This paper is a comparative analysis paper that will focus on two characters that depict how Gurinder Chadha, the director of Bride and Prejudice (2004), has taken from Wight/Austen’s character and tailored it to her version. The characters to be analyzed in Gurider’s work are Nadira Babbar as Mrs. Manorama Bakshi, Lalita’s mother, and Brenda Blethyn as Mrs. Bannet, Lizzie’s mother in Bride and Prejudice (2005). Mrs. Bennet’s demeanor is defined as “a woman of low comprehension, scant information, and uncertain temper,” who considers herself uneasy when unhappy. Jane and Lydia are openly preferred over her other daughters due to Jane’s beauty and Lydia’s upbeat personality.
On the other hand, Mrs. Bakshi (Nadira Babbar) expects to meet prospective husbands for her four daughters at the occasion. Balraj and Lalita’s older sister, Jaya Bakshi (Namrata Shirodkar), benefit instantly from this method. It is love at first sight for them. It isn’t for Darcy and Lalita.
Gurinder Chadha adopts the character of Brenda Blethyn as Mrs. Bannet, Lizzie’s mother in Pride and Prejudice (2005) in his works Bride and Prejudice (2004) in various ways. Ideally, he characterizes his character as similar to Brenda Blethyn’s as Mrs. Bannet. Chadha is also seen to adopt the character in his work to suit the time. In doing this, Chadha uses various parameters, including the character acting styles and the character image, among other ways, as discussed in this part.
The plot
Firstly, the plot of Pride and Prejudice is a recycle of that of the Bride. Chadha characterizes Mrs. Bannet as a mother concerned about her daughters’ marriages. The plot of Pride and Prejudice is organized chronologically. The protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet, is the central character in the story. The primary conflict is around her attempt to find a fitting marriage despite the difficulties posed by societal customs and her lack of self-awareness. She comes with many enemies who stand in the way of a happy marriage. These antagonists are divided into two categories. The first is the characters who try to persuade Elizabeth to marry the wrong man, therefore jeopardizing her future happiness (Wilson, 123). Mrs. Bennet (who does not comprehend the type of marriage her daughter desires and believes Elizabeth should lower her expectations) and Mr.Collins are among them (who try to convince Elizabeth to accept a marriage that would never satisfy her). Chadha borrows immensely from this plot by depicting Mrs. Manorama Bakshi as a mother concerned about her daughters’ weddings. Manorama and Chaman Bakshi are feverishly looking for the appropriate grooms for their four lovely daughters approaching marriageable age.
On the other hand, their eldest daughter, Lalita (Aishwarya Rai), is set on marrying for love. Several eager suitors court Lalita, but William Darcy (Martin Henderson), an American, stands out — and not always in a suitable manner. Mistakes, plans, and falsehoods threaten to keep the two from finding real love (Cardwell, 44, 45). Thus, both mothers are depicted to have daughters who have reached their marrying age, and the mothers are all concerned about the best suitor to marry them. This plot clearly shows the way Chadha adopts Wight/Austen’s character and tailors it in her version to convey her intended theme or message.
The Theme
The theme of motherhood is clearly depicted in the two characters. Chadha adopts the character of Mrs. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice (2005) mother character to characterize Mrs. Manorama Bakshi as a mother. Mrs. Bannet, a mother to daughters, is concerned and always wants her daughter to marry the best suitor. ‘‘The business of her life was to see her daughters get married.’’ Similarly, Chadha is seen to borrow and characterize Manorama Bakshi as a concerned mother of four daughters. She is also concerned about who will marry her daughters. She fears that they may not get married and give her grandchildren. “I will end up living in that rotten house, full of spinsters with no grandchildren.” She says.
Similarly, the themes of marriage and love are depicted in the two films, and both characters play a similar role in disseminating the theme of marriage (Cardwell, 54). Chadha characterizes Manorama Bakshi to drive the theme of love for her daughters and her intentions for them to marry the best suitors, a similar theme in Pride and Prejudice (2005) and depicted by Mrs. Bannet and her daughters. Mrs. Bannet loves her daughters and looks forward to marrying their best suitors. Additionally, Chadha borrows from Wright/Austen’s character of women and marriage in the sense that women would prefer marrying wealthy men. Manorama Bakshi, like Mrs. Bannet, is characterized by to desire for her daughters to get married to rich men. This similarity in characterization depicts the way Chadha adopts from Bride and Prejudice (2004).
In conclusion, it is evident that Chadha has heavily adapted from the works of Bride and Prejudice (2005). The two women characters discussed above have several similarities in how they have been characterized. From the setting and the plot of the two films to themes of marriage and love, the two women have been represented the same. Therefore, it is imperative to say that Chadha has adapted to the works of Bride and Prejudice (2005) by characterizing Manorama Bakshi to appear and act in the same way as Mrs. Bannet(Cardwell, 61). The appropriation is depicted through the plot and the themes of marriage and love in the action of Manorama Bakshi in Chadha’s work of Bride and Prejudice (2004).
Works Cited
Wilson, Cheryl A. “Bride and Prejudice: a Bollywood comedy of manners.” Literature/Film Quarterly 34, no. 4 (2006): 323.
Cardwell, Sarah. Adaptation Revisited: Television and the classic novel. Manchester University Press, 2002.
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