Provoked

Former Miss. World Aishwarya Rai puts aside her Bollywood sari in the heavy European drama Provoked from director Jag Mundhra.

Based on a true story, Provoked tells the story of battered housewife Kiranjit Ahluwalia, who is 1989 killed her abusive husband (Naveen Andrews) by setting him on fire. The film traces her initial trial and subsequent appeal, weaving in flashbacks showing her familial struggles as she tries to cope with the beatings at the hands of her husband.

Despite the label of murderer, Kiranjit is justly built as a hero for battered women around the world. Being sent to prison is one thing. Being sent to prison and hardly speaking the language there is another. An immigrant to the UK, Kiranjit faces further struggles in jail as she tries to learn English to better communicate her story in court and, in turn, through the media.

Rai continues her transformation into a truly worldwide superstar in Provoked, which places established Western stars such as Miranda Richardson, Robbie Coltrane and Andrews alongside a melodramatic narrative traditional to most Bollywood productions save for the out-of-the-blue musical numbers. Shot primarily in English, it’s more accessible to Western audiences than most of Rai’s previous films (Bride and Prejudice being the most notable exception thus far).

Stripped largely of her Cover Girl and beauty queen gloss in order to, presumably, appear more vulnerable and “average”, Rai does an admirable job in the starring role. A veteran of Bollywood, she’s already a master of melodrama. However, in this turn she is convincing in both her weakness and empowerment.

There are some tremendous lessons of courage and justice to be taken from Provoked, however the drama is often so forced that there are times when the film is hard to watch. The dialogue feels as though it’s meant to prove a point first and sound natural second. Secondly, the camera shots and editing very straight forward. While I wouldn’t expect the flash and pop of something from, say, Michael Bay, in a drama such as this, Mundhra provides little in the way of creativity. Rather it’s a point and shoot sort of movie, much like I would expect from a Movie of the Week on network television.