Susan Granger’s review of “The Lovers” (IFC Films)
Whatever could go wrong during the making of Roland Joffe’s action/adventure/romance – did.
Unfolding across multiple centuries and continents, this exotic epic begins in India with an ancient legend about a set of gold, serpentine rings that signify true love. According to the mythology, lovers united by the two halves of the magical ring are destined to be together forever.
Cut to contemporary times, when Jay Fennel (Josh Hartnett), a marine archeologist, goes unconscious as the result of an underwater diving accident in which he rescued his wife Laura (Tamsin Egerton). They were exploring the wreckage of an 18th century merchant ship that sank on the Great Barrier Reef.
As Jay lies in a comatose dream state in a Boston hospital, his subconscious mind goes back to 1778 in Bombay, when he was a Scottish soldier named James Stewart. India was under Colonial rule back then.
During some inexplicable Anglo-Maratha conflict involving the British East India Company, the Governor (Shane Briant) dispatches James on a perilous mission, during which he become romantically involved with a female warrior, Tulaja Naik (Bollywood superstar Bipasha Basu), who is destined to betray the man she loves.
Working from a story by Ajey Jhankar, writer/director Roland Joffe (“The Killing Fields,” “The Mission”), spent many years on this convoluted project, which was previously called “The Invaders,” then “Singularity.”
Originally, American actor Brendan Fraser was to play the lead with actress Neve Campbell as his wife. As years passed and financing faltered, they dropped out. Filming took place in Queensland, Australia, and Chambal, Orchha and Gwalior in the state of Madhya Pradesh – with additional scenes added in London.
According to Bipasha Basu’s publicist, this is her first English-language film, and she was encouraged to take the part of the warrior by Hilary Swank when they met at various international film festivals.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Lovers” is a flailing 4, lacking any meaningful connection between the two timelines.
