Plot: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel movie has a total of seven Britishers that includes
five single people and a married couple who arrive in India
on the same flight and headed to the same hotel based in Jaipur. Out of the 5
single people, first is a homosexual looking for forgiveness (Tom Wilkinson), second
is a cantankerous racist old lady in need of a hip replacement (Maggie Smith), third
is a widow who is out of funds and does not want to be dependent on her
children (Judi Dench), fourth is a doddering old person looking to alleviate
his loneliness (Ronald Pickup) and fifth is a single lady (Celia Imrie) looking
for an easy way out in the way of a rich man, The married couple consists of a
long-suffering husband (Bill Nighy) who out of respect and old family values is
still married to the negative-approach and nagging wife (Penelope Wilton).
In the Indian context, we have Sonny (Dev Patel) playing the
role of a young man trying to make
the dreams of his dead father remain alive by running a decrepit old-run down
hotel. He wants to market it to senior citizens who are lonely. He wants to
prove to his family that he can make it a success despite stiff opposition from
his mother who is against her son wasting his time and money on failed
endeavours. There is also a love interest in the shape of a young lissome girl
who is sister to the CEO of a call-center. Sonny’s mother is opposed to this
also.
Locale: India
– maddening, bustling, over-crowded, polluted with chaotic roads (bus-drivers
zig-zagging on the roads), the harijans, bustling markets, land
of Kamasutra etc. We have the
various industries covered that cater to the foreign market i.e. tourism industry (the hotel), call-centers
(Dev Patel’s girl friend), medical hotels (Maggie Smith in need of hip
replacement). Thankfully, you don’t get to see any snake-charmers!!
Review: The movie is a comedy of manners in the understated
British style which uses the obvious metaphors of what strikes the foreigners
who come to India. It is an over-the-top look (from the “mountains” as Ronald
Pickup says in the movie) at Indian culture, mannerisms that any tourist traveling to India
would encounter. The tale of the seven Britishers has been brought together in
a quite complex plot. It, however, keeps on moving quite smoothly without
faltering. It keeps the attention of the audience engaged without any yawning
moments. There are moments of quiet chuckles and outright laughter at some of
the quaint patois English language that Sonny (Dev Patel) is forced to speak,
Summary: All in all, quite an enjoyable movie to see if one
suspends all right to criticism of the movie as an Indian.
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