AUSTEN STOPS BY BOLLYWOOD, GETS BIG PRODUCTION NUMBERS.

Byline: Bob Strauss Film Critic

YOU WON'T learn much about Jane Austen from ``Bride & Prejudice.'' Then again, what did that Regency-era Englishwoman have to tell us about the economics of 21st-century cultural tourism? While singing and dancing, no less.

The outlandish yet more-or-less winning Bollywood musical version of ``Pride and Prejudice'' is the brainchild of British-Indian director Gurinder Chadha. Last time out, Chadha charmed Americans with the cross- cultural soccer romp ``Bend It Like Beckham.'' This time, she goes even more international.

It works better than it should, maybe because both Austen and Bollywood are unnaturally obsessed with getting that wedding nailed down. So, for the movie, we have the four desirable Bakshi girls of Amritsar, India, whose annoying mother is frantic to get them married off. Naturally, her daughters don't make it easy.

The second eldest, Lalita, is the biggest problem. She's played by the captivating Aishwarya Rai (who's been variously dubbed Miss World 1994, the Queen of Bollywood and - by both ``60 Minutes'' and Julia Roberts - the world's most beautiful woman). She catches the eye of a visiting American hotel magnate (uninteresting Martin Henderson is the movie's William Darcy). But his condescending attitude toward most things Indian gets proud, independent Lalita's Indian up, even if she does think the chauvinist is kind of cute.

After a parade of unsuitable suitors, frantic flights to London and L.A., and a missing kid sister or two, we find out if political differences and true love are mutually exclusive. Which doesn't make for much of a movie, no matter how charismatic its actresses, if not its actors, may be.

But Indian cinema has a surefire remedy for this: When the story sputters, throw in wacky production numbers! When Chadha follows this tried-and-true Bollywood prescription, ``B&P'' gets pretty silly, but also, usually, quite delightful. I wouldn't call her a whiz at camera choreography, but the dances themselves are nicely designed and interestingly varied, with great, vulgar energy whether the participants are decked out in vibrantly colored super-saris or just jumping around in their pjs.

In fact, the movie could have used a few more musical sequences, especially toward its unsurprising end. ``B&P'' is an example of a little excess going a long way.

Bob Strauss, [phone]

bob.strauss(at)dailynews.com

BRIDE & PREJUDICE - Three stars

(PG-13: mild sexual content, racism)

Starring: Aishwarya Rai, Martin Henderson, Daniel Gillies, Naveen Andrews, Namrata Shirodkar.

Director: Gurinder Chadha.

Running time: 1 hr. 51 min.

Playing: ArcLight, Hollywood; Regent, Westwood.

In a nutshell: Jane Austen updated and reimagined as an Indian musical. Goofy but charming.

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Aishwarya Rai plays Lalita and Martin Henderson is an American Mr. Darcy in ``Bride and Prejudice.''