If you are able to survive the film's long opening of the snail's pace boredom, you get a chance to watch a very decent Bollywood drama of the late 1990s with convincing performances and very good music.
The first half an hour is dragging painfully, the next hour gets some pace and the part after the interval is really captivating and energetic. Songs are still very good, particularly "Meri Mehbooba" and "Yeh Dil Deewana".
The film reproduces too many stereotypes and clichés, particularly of America and NRIs, but overall it is a good and interesting drama, which offered at the time of its release more than a romance, praising traditional Indian culture and addressing NRI audience. Nowadays it works rather only in romantic plot. "Pardes" may attract a western viewer (like me) who likes old-school Bollywood.
I like the film mostly for its last 40 minutes. And some of the very final 20 minutes belong to my favourite Bollywood scenes. There is something memorable in the climax: rhythmic cuts of shots with a backdrop of Fatehpur Sikri historical location in line with the background song "Nahin Hona Tha" performed by choir in a theatrical manner. And a moment later a confrontation among Kishorilal, Arjun, Ganga and Ganga's father and grandmother.
Amrish Puri as Kishoriral, a head of a wealthy Indian family in America, is really great, showing power, dominance and his bond to India. When visiting his friend in India he chooses his daughter Ganga as a future wife for his westernised son Rajiv. He entrusts Arjun, his foster son, task to convince Rajiv to marry Ganga.
Ganga, played by Mahima Chaudhry, is attracted to Rajiv and befriended with Arjun. Mahima Chaudhry is not only beautiful, she shines in the movie. Ganga is building relations with her future family, trying to get to know Rajiv's world, but in that sticking to traditional values, showing independence and strength in obedience. There are also some touching scenes with her father.
Shah Rukh Khan plays Arjun with sensibility and balance, rarely showing his typical mannerism of that time, his character more and more in conflict between his heart and his loyalty to family and Kishoriral.
Apoorva Agnihotri as Rajiv is attractive enough to convince a viewer that Ganga might prefer him over Arjun, but generally the character should be something more and this performance is not good enough. Worth praising are, however, Alok Nath as Ganga's father and Dina Pathak as her grandmother.
Mahima Chaudhry steals the film but its final belongs to Shah Rukh Khan. His climax confrontation with Kishoriral is remarkable - outburst of passion in comparison with all the self-restraint that Arjun kept earlier in the movie.
The film is still an option when travelling through the Bollywood cinema of the 90s, at least for its music, actors and climax. If someone is considering watching it for Shah Rukh Khan, it is one of his best performances of that time.
The first half an hour is dragging painfully, the next hour gets some pace and the part after the interval is really captivating and energetic. Songs are still very good, particularly "Meri Mehbooba" and "Yeh Dil Deewana".
The film reproduces too many stereotypes and clichés, particularly of America and NRIs, but overall it is a good and interesting drama, which offered at the time of its release more than a romance, praising traditional Indian culture and addressing NRI audience. Nowadays it works rather only in romantic plot. "Pardes" may attract a western viewer (like me) who likes old-school Bollywood.
I like the film mostly for its last 40 minutes. And some of the very final 20 minutes belong to my favourite Bollywood scenes. There is something memorable in the climax: rhythmic cuts of shots with a backdrop of Fatehpur Sikri historical location in line with the background song "Nahin Hona Tha" performed by choir in a theatrical manner. And a moment later a confrontation among Kishorilal, Arjun, Ganga and Ganga's father and grandmother.
Amrish Puri as Kishoriral, a head of a wealthy Indian family in America, is really great, showing power, dominance and his bond to India. When visiting his friend in India he chooses his daughter Ganga as a future wife for his westernised son Rajiv. He entrusts Arjun, his foster son, task to convince Rajiv to marry Ganga.
Ganga, played by Mahima Chaudhry, is attracted to Rajiv and befriended with Arjun. Mahima Chaudhry is not only beautiful, she shines in the movie. Ganga is building relations with her future family, trying to get to know Rajiv's world, but in that sticking to traditional values, showing independence and strength in obedience. There are also some touching scenes with her father.
Shah Rukh Khan plays Arjun with sensibility and balance, rarely showing his typical mannerism of that time, his character more and more in conflict between his heart and his loyalty to family and Kishoriral.
Apoorva Agnihotri as Rajiv is attractive enough to convince a viewer that Ganga might prefer him over Arjun, but generally the character should be something more and this performance is not good enough. Worth praising are, however, Alok Nath as Ganga's father and Dina Pathak as her grandmother.
Mahima Chaudhry steals the film but its final belongs to Shah Rukh Khan. His climax confrontation with Kishoriral is remarkable - outburst of passion in comparison with all the self-restraint that Arjun kept earlier in the movie.
The film is still an option when travelling through the Bollywood cinema of the 90s, at least for its music, actors and climax. If someone is considering watching it for Shah Rukh Khan, it is one of his best performances of that time.