MovieChat Forums > The Other End of the Line (2007) Discussion > Reality check, anyone?

Reality check, anyone?

posted 15 years ago by isubmitnoexcuse
10 replies | jump to latest

This movie is the epitome of everything that is bad in how the West portrays India in its films. Priya was this poor Indian girl who needed to be liberated from her over-bearing and all too family oriented parents by the dashing white man who conveniently gives up sleeping with women before marrying them for a traditional Indian girl. Odds are 1 in a never?

People need to stop feeding romanticized crap like this to audiences. India has a larger growing middle class than America. A woman working outside the home, especially after marriage and in Bombay of all places, is becoming more common because of the shift in earning power. There may be families like the boy Priya was engaged to but that is not to say Priya couldn't find a guy in India who understood what she wanted out of life. Instead the directors thought it would be better for her to find a white guy to solve her problems.

The best ending to this film would have been Priya not falling in love with Jesse Metcalf and instead realizing she was trying to gain more control in her life. She then goes back to India dumps the fiancé and falls in love with someone at work. It just cheapens the story and all the characters to have Priya swept off to America and for the audience to actually believe the marriage would last more than 2 weeks. There is more than a world of difference between the two.

American film makers need to grow up and realize there is more to India than repressed women and emasculated men. If you want an accurate representation of modern India watch Monsoon Wedding. At least in that film the characters are believable and the relationships aren’t based on mutual love of ribs.

[–] MovieMob 15 years ago

There are a handful of films like this, and India is the current "flavor". So if they are selling, the "other end" will be buying so to speak. If you think this is bad, you should check out Outsourced, or Bollywood Heroes -- currently running on IFC like a broken record. This is no different than Shogun or Karate Kid from the 80's except for a different flavor.

Hollywood is owned by you know who and if you fall in to the two categories mentioned above; you will always be a threat and will be painted in a very negative but rather interesting way.

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Val-El 14 years ago

it had Indian folks collaborating in it.

[–] cdz6969 14 years ago

"India has a larger growing middle class than America."

India's middle class growing is less than 10 % of total population

America's middle class.. shrinking.. is still around 70% of population

This is for Allah... and it's going way out there sucka...

[–] The_Refleks 13 years ago

I thought she *did* liberate herself and would eventually find an Indian guy, of Jesse's character didn't come to find her.

[–] canuckteach 12 years ago

o.p. - we work-shopped your alternate plot-line - it bombed. you will never eat lunch in this town again.

Priya's Indian fiancé was a tool, tied to his mummy. a similar character to the hapless one that Meg Ryan was engaged to in 'Sleepless in Seattle' before she finally meets Tom Hanks. likeable enough, but we know he ain't going to get the girl.

:-) canuckteach (--:

[–] olliemankz 9 years ago

I'm not sure a completely likable movie could not be made about a man and/or woman who obeyed their parents' directives and married someone picked out for them, i.e., the arranged marriage of many cultures. Although I am not equipped with facts, my sense is these have excellent track records.

Or just being obedient to one's parents .... Priya tried, at least. But also she was a breadwinner, so that did militate against her feeling she had to fall into an obedient marriage.

Still, there are many marriages of convenience, too, that work when people give up some ideal they have for themselves. Priya was young so she didn't have to do that yet. But just as I'd for once like to see a soap opera about people struggling financially, I'd love to see a movie about people making the right choices based on their reality. Oh, one was made that I recall: Georgie Girl. Good one.

[–] davidjanuzbrown 8 years ago

If you watch the movie you would know the family is successful ( not just Priya). If they were not they could not afford the trip to San Francisco. They wanted to marry her to someone who is in the same social class or higher then her so she would be taken care of correctly. Of course, that guy was basically a wimp and is a bad match for her. It is also important to know that while they were a traditional Indian family who believed in arranged marriages, there was lots of love and it was important that she was respected. That is why her father stood up for her when the fiance's father called her a tramp.
It is important that Granger let the family know that not only will Priya get all the love she deserves but the respect as well. She has what it takes to be successful: Her father noted that when she walks in the room everyone smiles and when she speaks everyone listens. She also got promoted at the Call Center. Granger will allow her to be who she is, while at the same time, allow him to do the same ( which he never did pre-Priya). Watch the scene in the water and you will see what I mean.

[–] olliemankz 9 years ago

I felt Priya was blazing new paths by going to the U.S. It must be hard for cultures in which things have been traditionally ... and spiritually ... done a certain way to come up against the expediency of what new technology opens up to us. I did really feel for her in that she could very easily have been caught up even more in the way things seem to be done here and then spat out again, perhaps having to return to India feeling quite defeated.

Granger was a good guy, but I liked the way Priya maintained her propriety in spite of the cliche bought-for-dinner dress which was really possibly quite inappropriately daring. I did also like the fact, though, that when Granger showed up in India, no promises had been made as yet. He didn't ask for her hand in marriage, as I recall, nor her father's blessing for that ... just on himself as a boyfriend. Perhaps that was understood as a suitor. Thankfully, Priya was back in the embrace of her family so I think any hanky panky would have been guarded against. Granger probably would have had to put up or shut up.

So the story was left open I thought. I was actually thinking a sequel might have been quite nice ... after the wedding. We open with a big Indian wedding, then Priya goes to America with Granger and has to try to figure out how to fit in to that culture. Hollywood would probably never show that. But it might be something a lot of people do struggle with, especially if they believe in and try to bring their mate on board with some of their beliefs and attempt to keep those alive in the U.S. By the way, I have a cousin who met a Japanese girl in his travels; they are now living in the U.S. with their offspring.

Oh, an another thing ... the family might have been okay with Granger if he had done everything right as far as they were concerned and if he had good prospects. What surprised me was his seemingly throwing money around. I wasn't quite sure how his fledgling advertising agency could have made that, what with its overhead, his apartment, etc. Perhaps we are to think he was from money. If so, all the more reason he might have been viewed as all right, if indeed Priya's family would have been willing to open their arms to him.

[–] UpperEastSider 9 years ago

Get over yourself. You're taking it way too seriously. It's just a movie. They're not required to accurately portray reality.

When life knocks you down, roll over and look at the stars ⭐