Monsoon Wedding (2001)
Review by Igraine
Film:
DVD:

Directed by Mira Nair
Written by Sabrina Dhawan
Starring Naseeruddin Shah, Lillete Dubey, Shefali Shetty, Vijay Raaz, Tilotama Shome, Vasundhara Das

Features:

• The Making of Monsoon Wedding
  
• Feature Commentary with Director Mira Nair
  

The whirlwind and unpredictability of a wedding celebration is much like that of a monsoon...or at least that's what this film tries to convey. It is the story of a modern upper-middle class Indian family whirling its way through a four-day wedding celebration. An arranged marriage is the reason for the gathering of family from across the globe. To make matters worse, Aditi Verma (Das), the bride-to-be, is having an affair with a married man, Cousin Ria (Shetty) confronts her uncle who molested her as a child, the wedding coordinator who falls in love with the servant (Shome), and the father of the bride, Lalit (Shah) is spending way beyond his means. Through a mirage of brightly colored celebrations of the wedding, you are sprinkled with marigolds and leave with bliss.

This is a touching film, after you delve into it for about a half an hour. In the beginning, you meet the bride-to-be and her lover. You discover he is a married man and has no intention of ever leaving his wife. Sound familiar? Yes, my friends, even in India it's the same song and dance. As the film progresses you meet various people including the wedding coordinator, who is quite charming and steals several scenes. He can upstage an entire scene with a facial expression. He falls in love with the servant of the house, Alice. She is a virtuous girl and a Christian. The two are the only ones who exemplify true love in any of the plots. Their love, despite religious differences, finds a way to grow. Their story is truly a gem in this gold encrusted film.

Eventually you meet the entire family who has traveled from across the globe. The bride's cousin, Ria, has to deal with the aforementioned uncle and must decide whether or not to tell everyone and possibly ruin the celebration--or she can just watch as he coaxes another young female child into his seduction. We also see the father, strapped for cash; beg from friends and family to make this wedding a success.

The writer and director both worked hard to make this film speak across language boundaries and cultures. Nair did an amazing job with this story, even though it is one familiar to all. She juxtaposes shots of the glittering wedding preparations and celebrations with shots of the ghettos of Delhi. One sees people the hustle and bustle of wedding festivities versus that of people just trying to survive day to day. We can all somehow relate to at least one of the characters in this film. We have all been torn between what we want and what is our duty in life. Torn between keeping a secret and revealing it and facing the consequences; torn between knowing if it's really love or not.

There have been worse DVDs as far as special features go. In this case, they consist of a making-of docu and a director's commentary, both of which are worth watching. The commentary is well worth it; you find out all sorts of interesting information about casting challenges and how they had to shoot the film on a very small budget and very tight schedule. She explains how she wanted to show modern Indians struggle with the same issues as everyone else; keeping up with the Joneses so to speak. The docu is full of factoids and tidbits about the production. You get a sense of what they had to go through, and, yes, actually endure a real monsoon to get this film off the ground.

Overall, it's worth watching if you enjoy opening your mind. It really is a delight to watch the plots swirling around this wedding celebration. You feel as if you have been swept up in the color, music, and fragrance of India.