I saw Provoked at a packed screening at the Tongues on Fire Film Festival in Mid-March. I must say I was pleasantly surprised how good both Ms. Rai and the film were. This may in no small way be due to the Director Jag Mundhra who should be pleased with the finished film.
Watching the film it kinda struck me that its the kind of film that seems to have gone out of fashion. An intelligent entertaining (that might be the incorrect word in view of the subject matter) issue film that doesn't patronise its audience.
This is easily Aishwarya Rai best Western/English Language film to date and could mark the start of an interesting phase in her career. Cast, to my mind against type, she plays Kiranjit Ahluwalia a battered Housewife who after years of Physical, Mental & Sexual abuse kills her husband by setting fire to him while he sleeps. Kiranjit would later be jailed for life for murder and then successfully appeal the decision and in doing so change English Criminal Law.
I must say that Aishwarya really did show there's more to her than her looks. If you've seen her other English Languauge films this is a complete step up performance wise. Especially, when you ask yourself who would you get to play an Indian Battered wife, I'm sure like me you wouldn't have cast Ms. Rai in a Million years, based on seeing "Mistress of Spices" & "Bride and Prejudice" respectively.
Aishwarya gives a really good performance, she managing to convey the fact that she (Kiranjit) is supposed to be a good wife & mother so if her husband abuses her if must be her fault. But Ms. Rai is really at her best when she has killed her husband and is in something of a daze with the whole enormity of the situation. She really manages to have you believing this is how the real Kiranjit acted.
An important subject handled intelligently, I can't recommend this film highly enough.
Watching the film it kinda struck me that its the kind of film that seems to have gone out of fashion. An intelligent entertaining (that might be the incorrect word in view of the subject matter) issue film that doesn't patronise its audience.
This is easily Aishwarya Rai best Western/English Language film to date and could mark the start of an interesting phase in her career. Cast, to my mind against type, she plays Kiranjit Ahluwalia a battered Housewife who after years of Physical, Mental & Sexual abuse kills her husband by setting fire to him while he sleeps. Kiranjit would later be jailed for life for murder and then successfully appeal the decision and in doing so change English Criminal Law.
I must say that Aishwarya really did show there's more to her than her looks. If you've seen her other English Languauge films this is a complete step up performance wise. Especially, when you ask yourself who would you get to play an Indian Battered wife, I'm sure like me you wouldn't have cast Ms. Rai in a Million years, based on seeing "Mistress of Spices" & "Bride and Prejudice" respectively.
Aishwarya gives a really good performance, she managing to convey the fact that she (Kiranjit) is supposed to be a good wife & mother so if her husband abuses her if must be her fault. But Ms. Rai is really at her best when she has killed her husband and is in something of a daze with the whole enormity of the situation. She really manages to have you believing this is how the real Kiranjit acted.
An important subject handled intelligently, I can't recommend this film highly enough.