Videsh, also titled Heaven on Earth, was my first experience watching a Deepa Mehta movie. An Academy Award nominee for her movie Fire, Deepa Mehta is one of most globally recognized directors from Canada. She is well known for her controversial ‘Elements’ trilogy (Fire, Earth, Water) of movies based in India. This movie has been titled Videsh in India. It was released under the title of Heaven on Earth in Canada earlier in 2008. The film is originally in Punjabi. It’ll be released in both Hindi and Punjabi versions in India. Videsh – Heaven on Earth is based on a bunch of Punjabi immigrants in Canada and a newly wed bride who marries a man whom she has never even met in her life and comes to Canada. The film stars Preity Zinta, Vansh Bhardwaj, Balinder Johal, Rajinder Singh Cheema, and Ramanjit Kaur.
When I first checked out the promos for Videsh on Apple, I was really impressed. It did seem something on the lines of Aishwarya Rai’s Provoked. A girl from Punjab marries an unknown guy settled abroad. She realizes he’s not the guy she expected him to be. Something quite relevant back there in Punjab. Wannabe brides are desperate to marry NRIs with green cards for greener pastures. Things don’t go well usually and most of the times the bride ends up in a really bad state. Videsh – Heaven on Earth highlights the pain and suffering these brides undergo in an incredibly magical way.
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