Too much of everything

Excellent but underrated film

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Since it was based on a true story (I remember the case in the media) I really thought that the movie would have been really great. The subject matter had so much potential. Maybe it was the direction of the movie but I did not get the severity of the attacks by the husband to warrant the wife's actions. They also could have delved a little more into both the husband's the wife's character. I'm not really familiar with Aishwarya Rai's work but we've all seen Naveen Andrews in Lost and other works and I know that he is a good actor but I don't think his talents were utilized well. More could have definitely been done with this movie.

What I found most compelling about this movie is the way in which the core subject matter of the husband abusing his wife was revealed to the audience. It didn't focus entirely on the actual act of abuse which is something the movie could've easily gone in the direction of. One might argue that showing the actual scenes might've garnered more sympathy for Kiranjit but I beg to differ. I think by showing glimpses of the violence and leaving much to the imagination the director has done well to extract genuine sympathy from his audience. I must also mention that Aishwarya Rai has portrayed this role earnestly and might perhaps be the peacock feather in her acting career. She was apt, didn't over or under act and perfectly exhibited the emotional trauma that Kiranjit might've actually been through. The movie was controlled realism, in it that it portrayed the story realistically but didn't go into the gory details, which I believe isn't necessary at all.

Was this a Bollywood story in English? Where does it go with the Bollywood movies? It's not Indian anymore. This story is about a woman who gets beat up by her husband, and kills him for that. She goes into prison.This should be a true story, but is not believable because of the worse acting and appearance of Aishwaria. Aish's acting is horrible! Besides that, the language spoken is English. But I could not understand some people because they were talking not clearly. Like the boss of the police. When he talks, even the subtitles don't understand what the guy is saying. And the dutch subtitles in Bollywood movies are very bad. I think they are translated by a computer or something.Every time when Aishwaria Rai is saying; "I'm sorry", the subtitles say; "I'm sad". It does not make any sense. Even the English subtitles are not correct.Okay, I cannot judge a movie by the subtitles, because in most bollywood movie the subtitles don't work proper. The way the movie is made makes women who watch the movie wonder to kill her husbands when they hit them even once.Or when a husband shouts at his wife once, he should hide all candles and matches, otherwise he gets burnt. Like all women are victims. And so what if you kill your husband? Prison life is great! You meet a lot of female friends who will help you climb up your way to get free. Because when your husband hits you, you must not run away, no, you must kill him! Come on! Who made up this crap? And why do independent women have short hair like men? The woman who wants to fight for Aish's rights, has short hair. She is not female because she does a man's job? The should have given her role to Aishwaria and vice versa. But the other woman is not a celebrity and not pretty with short hair. That fact is in her way for fame. Yes, she cannot act, but Aishwaria cannot act either. She is only pretty like the horrible actress Priyanka Chopra.In Bollywood there is one major thing; if you know the right people in your family, then you will become famous in movies. It doesn't matter if you can act or not.

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.