My big fat Bollywood wedding

A welcome sign for local filmgoers is the number of European and Asian films screened at this year's Golden Horse Film Festival that have been picked up for regular runs at local theaters.

Among these is the festival's co-opener, the "Bollywood" epic Devdas, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and featuring some of the biggest stars Hollywood has never heard of.

Bollywood -- the Hollywood of Bombay, home to India's major film studios -- has long been one of the largest movie industries in the world and is especially famous for the "masala film," a spectacular mixture of song, dance, comedy, and action. The dream factories in Bombay used to churn out hundreds of films a year, but Devdas is a prime example of what has been called a "New Bollywood," sometimes accused of being too much like Hollywood, featuring rigid production schedules, greater technical expertise from filmmakers trained in music videos and TV, and bigger budgets.

Devdas is based on a 1917 novel of the same title by the popular West Bengali writer Saratchandra Chatterjee. The novel has been adapted for the screen numerous times, first in a 1928 silent version, while one of the more famous versions comes from the "Golden Age of Bollywood" in 1955. The current version, set in the 1940s, begins like a Romeo and Juliet tale, with a son -- named Devdas -- returning from study abroad to his well-to-do family and renewing his love for his childhood sweetheart Paro, daughter of the slightly less rich but more colorful neighbors next door.

Too weak to defy his parents who oppose a marriage, Devdas leaves Paro, who eventually becomes betrothed to an even richer family. Devdas lives out his days as a drunk in the Calcutta slums (although here they look pretty luxurious), telling his sad story to many eager listeners, including a compassionate prostitute enraptured by his inner torment. Paro meanwhile, having risen to prestigious social status, tries her best to keep him out of trouble, along the way trying to dispel the caste prejudice and aristocratic fancies of her new family.

The tale is indeed an epic one. However, the three-hour running time could be shortened a bit with the omission of a few redundant scenes in which Devdas announces he is going to kill himself. In his first appearance, he returns from London full of pomp and circumstance, yet when Paro coyly refuses to show her face to her long-lost love, he decries her vanity. Just before he arrives, a mosquito in Paro's bedroom inspires a subtle dance by Paro. Paro playfully fights it off, and the swish of various bed sheets and curtains through the air is a quite pleasant distraction. Then Devdas dramatically fells the naughty pest, displaying much pride in his triumph over insect.

The gibing eventually gives way to genuine affection between the two lovers, and, for a while, Devdas doesn't seem like such a bad guy. But later, after refusing to elope with her, Devdas shows up at Paro's wedding and, with a strange sense of self-righteousness, punishes Paro once again for her vanity, scarring her with a knock to the head. Paro doesn't really seem to mind too much though, treasuring the permanent mark of his love.

Of course, one might be inclined to forgive a problematic story in a Bollywood film, for it is, after all, the song-and-dance numbers which are their hallmark, and this film is no exception. (And, like many Bollywood films, crucial matters of the plot are revealed in these musical interludes, so pay attention to the lyrics). Indeed, the numerous musical set pieces are extravagant and display exceptional production value indicative of one of the most expensive Indian films ever made. However, some of these scenes are barely distinguishable from one another, if only because many are set in one grand hall after another, flooded by a sea of dancers. And the music seems a bit too light -- nothing is probably hard enough here to be sampled for the next Jay-Z single.