Latest news with #BrideAndPrejudice
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Bollywood-inspired ‘Christmas Carol' to feature anti-refugee Scrooge
A Bollywood-inspired adaptation of A Christmas Carol will feature a version of Ebenezer Scrooge who 'despises refugees', the director has revealed. The 'modern-day' musical, based on the Charles Dickens 1843 novella, will feature the titular character as a 'British-Indian' man named Sood. In her director's statement, Gurinder Chadha said: 'Our Scrooge, called Sood, is a rich British Indian who despises poor people and refugees in particular.' 'Sood has decided that immense wealth brings him status and standing, so to hell with the poor, unemployed and disenfranchised who didn't work as hard as him to get where he is.' Ms Chadha, who is well-known for Bend It Like Beckham and Bride & Prejudice, suggested the inspiration for her film came from well-known faces in British politics, saying: 'Sounds familiar to some of our current British Indian politicians?' The film, titled Christmas Karma and slated for release in November 2025, is described in a press release as a celebration of 'all of modern Britain's communities and cultures'. The London-set musical 'is very true to the original text and sentiment', according to Ms Chadha, and will teach audiences 'the urgent lesson of how prejudice, poverty and division in all its forms shapes Sood and our society today'. The British-Indian director added: 'A hundred and eighty-two years later, Dickens' novella still resonates globally in today's sometimes harsh world.' The novella is a tale of redemption which follows Scrooge as he meets a supernatural reckoning. Ms Chadha writes that it is the author's 'plea for a kinder, more tolerant Britain'. Playing the protagonist in the upcoming film is Kunal Nayyar, known for his role as Raj Koothrappali on the US sitcom The Big Bang Theory. He is joined by Boy George as the Ghost of Christmas Future, Eva Longoria as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Hugh Bonneville as the Ghost of Jacob Marley and Billy Porter as the Ghost of Christmas Present. EastEnders star Danny Dyer will also feature in the musical as a London cabbie. Ms Chadha described the film as her 'ode to Dickens' and Italian-American director Frank Capra – who made It's a Wonderful Life – but 'with a contemporary twist'. She said she was also inspired by one of her family members who was a Ugandan refugee. 'He came to Britain around Christmas time having lost his home in Uganda as a child and arriving to a hostile welcome as a refugee,' she said. 'For years he didn't feel Christmas was for him and the hardships he faced as a child left him despising it.' The film's soundtrack has been influenced by gospel, reimagined Christmas songs, Christmas carols, Bhangra, traditional music of Punjab, as well as rap and classic pop. Ms Chadha said that she hopes the audience will 'be invested to beg [Sood] to move on, transform, and be part of a society that doesn't allow Scrooges, twisted and shaped by prejudice to grow'. She added: 'It is an affectionate, hopeful, musical celebration of the Britain of today and the future for our kids.' It marks the latest in a series of controversial takes on the author's novels. In 2023, Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight adapted Dickens' 1861 novel Great Expectations into a six-part series for the BBC that featured mental health issues, prison breaks, toxic relationships, recreational drug use and self-harm. The limited historical drama series, which rates at a low 5.4 on IMDb, also featured an expletive-laden script and an ethnically diverse cast. Mr Knight also created a bold retelling of A Christmas Carol in 2019, which shocked period purists with its radical and horror-filled narrative. The BBC helmed another controversial adaptation of Dickens's work when it filmed Bleak House in the style of a television soap opera in 2005. Andrew Davies, who wrote the adaptations' 16 episodes, said at the time that he hoped to attract a younger audience to the classic tale by highlighting the novel's sexual themes and stripping away its Victorian 'sentimentality'.
Time of India
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Namrata Shirodkar who worked with Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt; later married Mahesh Babu had a no-kissing policy: 'I'm not comfortable doing such stuff'
Namrata Shirodkar who is known for a number of movies like 'Vaastav', 'Pukar', her cameo in 'Jab Pyaar Kisi Se Hota Hai' was very strict about what she would do on screen and what not. Namrata also was seen with Aishwarya Rai in 'Bride And Prejudice' and in an old interview she had clearly stated about not getting intimate on-screen or doing kissing scenes. Namrata later married superstar Mahesh Babu and decided to leave movies. In an old interview with Rediff, she was asked if she was offered bold roles in Bollywood. Reacting to it, she had said, "Lots! But I am not comfortable doing such stuff. I wouldn't exchange kisses or make love on screen. I am not desperate. Thanks to the Almighty, I come from a secure background." In an old chat with journalist Prema, Namrata had also spoken about leaving movies after getting married. She had said, "Mahesh was very clear that he wanted a non-working wife. Even if I was working in some office, he would have told me to leave work. There are certain things we had for each other." Namrata and Mahesh met each other in 2000 when they worked together on 'Vamsi'. They fell in love but at first had kept their feelings a secret. For those not in the know, Namrata was also crowned Miss India in 1993. She married Mahesh in 2005. The couple have a daughter, named Sitara Ghattamaneni who is also grabbing a lot of eyeballs on social media lately.
