I'd give it a 4 because the girl, Maya, is pretty and the film shows a lot of her, but otherwise the story is not very engaging. Briefly, Maya has a fling with the Rajah on his wedding night, but doesn't really like him that much. For his part, he's mainly in love with himself. When word gets out what she's done, she has to leave the palace and ends up in a school for courtesans where they teach the girls the Kama Sutra. Later she falls in love with a sculptor, a friend of the Rajah, with difficult consequences for their relationship with the Rajah. You can predict the rest.
What's good about this film? It appears to have been filmed in Northern India, somewhere in Rajasthan, I imagine. Occasionally exteriors are filmed near old ruins, so if you haven't visited India, the film gives a good idea of what the countryside around Delhi looks like. Also, the production put good efforts into costume (although Maya and Kumar occasionally dispense with costume altogether), makeup, and cinematography. There is music, but it's listenable, exotic but quite unlike the ultra high pitched screeching you hear in Bollywood flicks. So from an artistic perspective, it's fine.
Where is it a loser? I was utterly unable to develop any sympathy for any of the characters. Female viewers may be interested in the sight of mostly nude male characters with good muscle tone, hair in long greasy perms, and big hook noses, but the guys didn't do anything for me. Male viewers may like what they see of Maya, but both she and the film are too dull to sustain much interest. The best thing I can say about the actors is that they take their parts seriously, and speak plain, relatively unaccented accents. They may not be especially interesting as Indians or as people, but they avoid being caricatures.
What's good about this film? It appears to have been filmed in Northern India, somewhere in Rajasthan, I imagine. Occasionally exteriors are filmed near old ruins, so if you haven't visited India, the film gives a good idea of what the countryside around Delhi looks like. Also, the production put good efforts into costume (although Maya and Kumar occasionally dispense with costume altogether), makeup, and cinematography. There is music, but it's listenable, exotic but quite unlike the ultra high pitched screeching you hear in Bollywood flicks. So from an artistic perspective, it's fine.
Where is it a loser? I was utterly unable to develop any sympathy for any of the characters. Female viewers may be interested in the sight of mostly nude male characters with good muscle tone, hair in long greasy perms, and big hook noses, but the guys didn't do anything for me. Male viewers may like what they see of Maya, but both she and the film are too dull to sustain much interest. The best thing I can say about the actors is that they take their parts seriously, and speak plain, relatively unaccented accents. They may not be especially interesting as Indians or as people, but they avoid being caricatures.