But in Slant, the movie was slammed for being shrill. 'Just as Gurinder Chadha's Bend It Like Beckham negates its message of female empowerment by sexing-up its female leads,' the review declared, 'any ax the sex objects from the director's equally shrill Bride And Prejudice may have to grind with their marriage-minded parents is contradicted by the film's own shameless desire to ingratiate itself in the American marketplace.'
Chadha had said earlier she cannot make films to please the critics, particularly a tiny minority of British reviewers.
'"hey (the critics) want me to make the kind of films they think immigrant filmmakers in England should make," she told rediff.com with a loud sigh. "I make films celebrating innocence and love," she continued. "Isn't it wonderful my film is opening around Valentine's Day?"
"In sneak previews in several American cities, we have seen how much people enjoyed the films," she continued. "They were all American and they were having a great time. I do not want to make a film because some liberal or leftwing critic thinks that all films made in England by immigrants should deal with immigrants' problems and racism. I dealt with racism in Bend it Like Beckham, but I did it my way," she ended with a chuckle.