In recent films, there has been an inclination to portray elderly characters as different versions of a comical, absent-minded, one dimensional person. It was so refreshing to the see the elderly characters in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel with feelings, values, traits and emotions far beyond the generalized view of this generation. To see them for themselves, as people, and not as a joke, in a film was a treat in itself.

As the retirees struggle in their own way to accept or push against India, the one thing they cannot escape from is the impact the country will have on them for the rest of their lives.

The story begins with the retirees moving to Jaipur, India due to an advertisement of a palace-like retirement home called ‘The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’, but instead they come across a dilapidated, neglected and empty home that was passed down to Sonny (Dev Patel) from his late father. Sonny, an energetic and optimistic young man, is struggling to keep his father’s hotel alive with his mother (Lillete Dubey) resisting his efforts to keep the hotel alive as well as resisting Sonny’s modern girlfriend,Sunaina (Tena Desae).

“Everything will be all right in the end, and if it’s not all right then it is not yet the end” becomes the mantra of the film as Sonny tries to subdue the infuriated Jean over the falsely advertised palace. With young and old romance leading the way, the stories begin to entwine in the film and emotional growth is shown for the elderly characters over such a short period of time, which makes you think that there is hope for people out there and maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks.

The cinematography of the film was beautifully done with shots that provided India with a fairly accurate image of extreme poverty and wealth. Certain shots with positions to the camera angle allowed a more of a metaphorical than a literal emphasis to the scenes. One scene in particular is where Maggie Smith’s character meets an untouchable’s family. Though the family is sitting on the ground, the framing of the family in the scene is shown as “below Maggie’s character” and not because of the literal position of the actor’s seating arrangements but because the caste structure has placed them in the shot that way. With gorgeous frames of city life, rural life and the beautiful sites the film captures India wonderfully.

Serving as the narrator for the film, Judi Dench shines in her role as the housewife embarking on a new life all alone for the first time; Maggie Smith leaves you in stitches from laughing at her absolutely insane racist remarks; Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, and Penelope Wilton keep up the solemnity of the film while Ronald becomes the adorable old flirt that you grow fond of. Though Dev Patel seemed to struggle in his role through his accent and a bit of overacting, it was a fair attempt.

All in all, it was a fantastically directed film that will make you laugh, make you cry, and leave you thinking about all the deeper things in life.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Movie Review is a post from: BollySpice

The post The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Movie Review appeared first on BollySpice.

Before the red carpet premiere in New York an exclusive press conference was held and BollySpice was there. The conference came in two parts; the first part was with the Director of the film, John Madden; Penelope Wilton, the actress who played the only English antagonist in the film, Jean Ainslie; and the beautiful Tena Desae, who played the bold and strong hearted Sunaina; the second part held the talented Academy Award winner, Dame Judi Dench, and the Academy Award Nominated popular actor, Tom Wilkinson.

With mixed reviews about India and whether they’d like to move there after retirement, it suddenly felt like a controversial area to be talked about with the English actors in a room a quarter full with Indians. A nerve was just skipped over than touched.

Penelope Wilton, so delightfully unlike her character, came across as a very humble, humorous and an altogether pleasant personality. Though it was her first trip to India, Penelope fell in love with it – “The country has a powerful effect on you… something about the way [Indians] greet the world [is different than how we see it].” When asked what surprised her about turning this age, though she jokingly replied “a free bus pass”, she also wisely let slip that “there’s life after 50, it’s not over.”

Though unfortunately Dev Patel could not make it to the press conference, he was heartily praised by Judi Dench as being one of the most enthusiastic , sweet and energetic people she has ever had the fortune of meeting.

“Brain curdling experience… a land like no other… culture shock… I never quite fully recovered” was the solemn reaction to India by Tom Wilkinson. He described a scene where he saw a mother wash her baby in a puddle in the street and then saw an enormous amount of wealth just a few yards away and hoped that in the future, India would be able to “fix this contradiction of poverty and wealth.”

When another press member addressed the question, “If you were to retire, would you retire in India?” to both Judi and Tom, there was a sudden stillness in the air as everyone waited with bated breath to hear their response. Tom responded with perfect honesty, he would not. He said that if he were to retire, he’d spend his days in either Italy or South of France, a perfectly viable answer, while Judi said that she was “completely fascinated and bewitched by [India]… the beauty… the color… the noise… the smell… a complete assault on the senses” and she said wouldn’t mind retiring in India if she had to.

The actors were completely enamored with John Madden, and Judi confessed that she’d be willing to do any role as long as John was her director. Even newcomer Tena was all praises on how comfortable Tom made her and the team feel when working together.

From discussions on how they each reacted to India to how they worked with their costars and their director, the actors were really able to bring their The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel characters to life through their passion for the film.

Here are some cool shots from the event!

Stay tuned for our review! You can also check out our interviews with John Madden here and Tena Desae here

Special Report: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel New York Press Conference is a post from: BollySpice

The post Special Report: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel New York Press Conference appeared first on BollySpice.