The U.S. version of the Bride and Prejudice trailer was recently released (thanks, Abhi). It’s getting heavy promotion, it runs before The Aviator in New York City.
What happened in the marketing speaks volumes about how the world perceives Americans. The trailer has been recut not as a musical but as a romantic comedy. The U.S. version cuts down the bhangra centerpiece and the pajama song from the international trailer. The plot has been simplified, like the U.S. version of Bombay Dreams; the subplot with the second male lead has been removed.
In a nod to the U.S., Martin Henderson gets a lot more lines, the R&B artist Ashanti is featured prominently in the voiceover, Indira Verma makes a crack about American Idol, and there are a couple of Baywatch, L.A. and surfer shots that weren’t in the international trailer. India’s Third World-ness is played up for comic effect, there’s no mention of Amritsar in the subtitle and there are precious few turbaned guys for a film set in Punjab (the ones who do exist hurry by, out of focus).
I watched the trailer live last night and heard very little audience reaction. Either it fell flat, or the audience didn’t know what to think. The serpent dance sequence at the very end drew a few titters. It wasn’t what I expected from a New York crowd, which is generally pretty down with desi culture.
The U.S. poster is visually striking, it makes me happy just looking at it. I absolutely love the festive confetti, the purple sky and the contrasting field of red. L.A. is featured prominently, and the Taj Mahal makes an appearance for no apparent reason except as shorthand for India, much like the Hollywood sign.
Compared to the international poster, the leads are bigger and the supporting actors smaller; it’s clearly pitched domestically as a romantic comedy rather than an ensemble musical. There’s no Naveen Andrews, Anupam Kher or Nitin Ganatra, all of whom are better-known in the U.K. The fun, ’70s, ABBA-style film logo is now a simple variant of Garamond in gold and purple, which projects both warmth and royalty and reflects the U.S.’ lower tolerance of cheese. A clef replaces the ampersand as the only visual indication that the film is actually a musical.
The film opens on February 11th in the U.S., right before Valentine’s Day. Watch the new trailer.
Previous posts on Bride and Prejudice: 1, 2, 3, 4. Also see the international trailer. Finally, marketing analyses of Bombay Dreams (1, 2) and The Life Aquatic.
