Trishna

Prolific British writer and director Michael Winterbottom returns to literary adaptation by setting a classic novel in contemporary India with mixed results. The tragic love affair between a wealthy playboy and a beautiful waitress who can't escape their different backgrounds which has devastating consequences. Winterbottom hits several hurdles by simplifying and transporting Thomas Hardy's novel, "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" to India which is the inherent problem to this film. Winterbottom is never afraid to take risks which makes his works always interesting and his intentions seemed justified given the parallels between the novel and India. Riz Khan and Freida Pinto are perfectly cast but can't overcome the weakness of the script dealing with complex characters that are lost in translation. 1001 Films' coverage of films on DVD.