1 Directorial over-indulgence spoils this one!
The director's previous works include the excellent "Salaam Bombay" and "Mississipi Masala" and the mediocre "Kuma Sutra". Set in modern day Delhi, it's about the preparations for an arranged marriage, focussing on the bride's secret romance, her upper middle class relatives, and the house servants. There's some good scenes, and a plot that had the potential to deliver more. Unfortunately, the direction is somewhat lacklustre and some of the dialogue is clumsy. The film was produced by FilmFour and was dedicated to the director's family. I think the producers should have checked some of the director's indulgence. Verdict: Wait for it to come out on cable or terrestial TV.
2 I can't hear you!
We REALLY liked "bend it like beckham" and "my big fat greek wedding". We were looking forward to this film. But we just couldn't get past the low budget sound quality. I was disappointed Universal didn't spend a little dough to clean it up before they released it on DVD. Universal spent some money on nice dvd artwork and packaging, but it didn't make up for the low budget production quality.
I'm sorry to rate this so low, but the sound quality for this dvd is unbelievably bad. My wife and I could not understand what the actors were saying because of the poor quality. This is the first time we've shut a movie off after 10 minutes. It wasn't the accents, it was just awful sound. The highlight was when they weren't speaking English because then at least we could "hear" the subtitles.
With the low sound quality, it will not come as a surprise that the video is NOT anamorphic widescreen.
3 Eliminating the Caste of Monsoon Wedding
Set in a nation of over one billion people, where approximately thirty-five percent of the inhabitants live below the poverty line, Monsoon Wedding is the story of an upper-middle class family's trials and triumphs during their preparation for an elaborate wedding. Director Mira Nair, while focusing much of the audience's attention on Lalit Verma and his daughter Aditi (whose wedding serves as the platform for the plot), mindfully illustrates the social division between an upper-middle class family and an economically segregated sub-culture.
Utilizing juxtaposition of scenes in editing, Nair forbids her audience to forget that, apart from the colorful decadence of Monsoon Wedding's setting, there exists a marginalized mass with equally lucid hopes and dreams. Often strategic in their placement, images of overpopulated and squalid city streets contrast the more welcoming setting of the Verma family's home. Even within the more affluent setting, however, Nair situates Alice, the family servant, to contextually represent a society far removed from this comfortable lifestyle. In this expressive arrangement, Monsoon Wedding carefully illustrates a dividing barrier in the class distinctions of India, particularly through a tacit comparison of Alice with her wealthier counterparts.
Within her introductory scene, Alice is presented quietly executing mundane chores. While picking up used drinking glasses from her employers' patio, Alice's attention becomes fixed on a small pile of marigolds that have fallen from a decorative arrangement. The camera cuts to a medium close-up shot of her as she lifts a single blossom, in slow motion, and places it behind her ear before continuing with her task. Whatever one's analysis of the marigold's representation may be, this small action illustrates the emotional response of a person in contrast to the mechanical response of mindlessly working- that is, Alice is to be seen as more than a commodity. While particular tendencies exist within Indian culture (and most other cultures, for that matter) to dehumanize and exploit the labor of a lower economic class, Nair's intent in this scene seems to be focused on showing Alice as more than an extra body to help around the house.
At times, Alice may seem indistinguishable from the family she serves. In a following scene, for example, the younger Verma women surround Aditi and leisurely socialize. The camera then cuts to Alice, who is also laughing warmly and enjoying their company. This laughter is broken only after she rushes to a window and joyfully exclaims, "The groom!" Appearing more excited than the bride herself, she enthusiastically leans at Aditi's side and repeats, "The groom's here!" In this scene, one might feel inclined to believe that, regardless of social position, Alice is as much a member of the Verma family as Aditi.
As close as Alice appears to be with the family, however, she is unarguably separated from their lifestyle. In the first family dinner scene, the establishing shot focuses on Alice cleaning up after the Verma family and their guests as they drink, smoke cigars, and enjoy intimate interaction. Midway through the scene, the comfortable festivities are temporarily halted by a power outage. Amidst the sound of a ringing telephone and the guests' complaints, Lalit is heard hollering, "Alice, has the fuse blown?" Immediately following Lalit's implicit command for Alice to check the fuse box, Pimmi (Lalit's wife) shouts, "Alice, get the phone!" Until the film's all-inclusive ending, Alice's place within her society is a position of sacrifice and servitude where she is consistently reminded of pleasures that lie beyond her reach.
Alice's desire to enjoy the pleasures of the class she serves is best illustrated in the scene where she plays dress-up while tidying a dressing table. Adorning herself in her employers' jewelry, Alice takes time to examine how each piece looks and feels. Gradually adding more accessories to her borrowed outfit, she conclusively applies a jeweled bindi and (literally) lets her hair down. However fitting and believable the reflection in the mirror may seem to the audience, Alice's peers, upon seeing her in the contextually inappropriate attire, instinctively accuse her of theft. She immediately recognizes the futility of her pipe dream; with a disheartened expression, she grounds herself in reality and sheds the illusion of an unattainable fantasy.
Resuming the duties of her place in society, Alice returns to serving the Vermas. Going nearly unnoticed by the women of the family who sing and dance, brandishing their cell-phones and expensive jewelry in the process, Alice's only participation in the henna-party involves delivering beverages and picking up litter. In this scene, Nair makes it painfully clear that, while Alice may be physically, emotionally, and mentally similar to the other women, her current lot in life is merely to magnify their comfort.
To leave the story at this, however, would be to say that there is no hope for the lower class that Alice represents. Using love as the foundation for hope, Nair beautifully develops a romantic interest between Alice and another of Lalit's employees. Dubey, the coordinator for Aditi's wedding, courts Alice throughout the wedding's preparation (sometimes successfully, and sometimes not) until eventually proposing marriage in her darkest hour of the film. Nair uses Dubey and Alice's and Aditi and her fiancˇ's relationship as a link between the lower and upper classes, carefully blending the two worlds together as the film progresses toward a wedding.
On the long awaited night of Aditi's ceremony, the audience is surprised with a second wedding. Away from the marching bands and lavish formalities of Aditi's banquet, Dubey and Alice celebrate their devotion to one another with an intimate ceremony. Once again, the juxtaposition of scenes invites the audience to not only witness, but to blend the worlds of the elaborate and the simple, the humble and the ostentatious.
Upon returning to the Verma's estate, Dubey and Alice are accepted into the crowd with dancing and cheering. With the single brush of a wedding night, centuries of caste distinction have at last been swept away; Dubey is invited to enter his employer's tent (a tent built by Dubey himself) to escape the rain, while Lalit and Alice dance shoulder to shoulder. Nair wants us to believe that, if only for this evening, society has disposed of discriminating social distinction.
While the theory of a culturally unifying ceremony seems far-fetched, Nair's ideology is in-touch with the progressive ambitions of many Indians who currently seek to improve a system that subjugates millions of already disfranchised individuals. Smita Narula, a senior researcher with Human Rights Watch, states, "There is a growing grassroots movement of activists, trade unions, and other NGOs that are organizing to democratically and peacefully demand [the lower caste's] rights, higher wages, and more equitable land distribution. There has been progress in terms of building a human rights movement within India, and in drawing international attention to the issue" (qtd. in Mayell). In her optimistic vision of restored dignity for the servant-class of India, Mira Nair artistically contributes to this emerging beacon for global attention, making Monsoon Wedding an international voice for an intra-national ideology.
4 The "Other" 1% of Bollywood creations.......
I saw "Monsoon Wedding" a couple of years back in New York's Paris Cinema that had a sophisticated sound system and comfy seating. When the credits rolled, nobody, I repeat, nobody got up to leave. I myself was transfixed to my seat consumed by a lot of emotions!
First, "Salaam Bombay", then this! Expatriate Indian directors like Mira Nair seemingly are aware of the India I personally experienced growing up where children are all too often abused emotionally, psychologically and sadly sexually too - while the rest live in constant denial.
This movie may open up deeply buried painful memories and old wounds that could compel those abused to relive their own trauma of betrayal. However, while some of those affected can move on trusting others, no matter how painful their memories, others are emotionally maimed for life.
See Monsoon Wedding, so that history is not repeated - if we can help it.
5 Monsoon Wedding - exactly and approximately!
This movie was released in the US around the same time as that 800 lb. gorilla wedding movie - My Big Fat Greek Wedding. While the Greek Wedding went on to make $200+ mil. at the box office, Monsoon Wedding became more of an alt.net movie for the foreign film intelligentsia. However, Monsoon Wedding is by far the deeper, more complex, yet funny, movie. After all, Windex jokes are ha-ha funny for all of 10 seconds.
Having said that, I think Westerners will enjoy this movie as more of a curiosity - unless you're a yoga practicing, namaste saying, Hindustani-phile. But to truly enjoy the family dynamics, the colors, sights, sounds, and of course, the subtle humor of this movie (Y2K dot), I think you have to be of the Sub-Continent variety. Honestly, do you even know the smell of marigold?
6 Simply Fannntastic!
What a special and warm bollywood movie. Had some fun moments by the dad. Everybody did a fine job! I love and am very drawn into the Indian culture. The music at the end made me go and order the cd.
If you're looking for some feel good entertainment, Monsoon is simply wonderful.
7 Delightful Snapshop of Family Preparing for Wedding
I usually do not enjoy most Bollywood films as I find the drama overdone and the interjections of singing and dancing confusing and inexplicable. I must say that I found Monsoon Wedding to be absolutely delightful!! The cast of colourful characters and their relationships made for riveting viewing. The dancing and singing are all wonderful and appropriate (I must get that soundtrack!!). I do confess though that, in my opinion, the romance between the wedding planner and Alice stole the show!! My heart still warms when I think of their little ceremony under the umbrella on the bridge. Wonderful movie!! Even my husband enjoyed it!!
8 Dancing in the Rain!
Grinning from ear to ear for hours after watching this movie, I happily commend it to the humble viewer.
From the opening sequences, the fabulous scenes of monsoonal India, this lovingly detailed film is part Shakesperean comedy with Dubaie the event planner as [...] part realistic family drama, and round to pure escapist romance.
The movie follows a couple of tangents, and various romantic subplots, but is set around a wedding (as the title shouts).
Deciding she can not wait any longer for her married lover to divorce his wife, Aditi asks her parents to arrange a marriage for her and is hopeful that moving to America to live with her new husband will help her overcome her heartbreak and build a new life.
Her doting parents are struggling to put on the most wonderful celebration they can afford, and preparing to receive all the extended family members who are arriving for the wedding.
The parents utter absorbtion in the task is demonstrated when the mother nearly leaves the house with her curlers still in - a feeling mother's around the world about to launch their children into married life would relate to!
When Dubaie (the wedding planner/event manager) first debut's in the movie, he comes across as an abrasive, obnoxious cockrell, entirely self absorbed until someone else intrudes on his sphere, then he falls desperately in love.
I thoroughly enjoyed his portrayal, his ability to skull water whilst grinning cheesily, and the wonderful quote "10 minutes exactly & approximately", which is just such a commentary on the Indian schedules. The meddling workers were also a delight.
Aditi's cousin Ria is troubled by Aditi's decision to go through with the arranged marriage, and proves herself a wise counsellor with a fierce love for family. Her character is well fleshed out with another thread involving some painful family secrets, which I must confess, I saw coming.
Nontheless the film, and the characters, handling of the emotions is superbly done, and very tear-inducing.
The moment the taps really turned on for me, was when Aditi's father (in a sublime performance)says "sometimes when I look at my children, I feel love which I almost cannot bear" which is a sentiment I relate to on such a deep level.
On another note, it was refreshing to see so many "full figured" girls. They were beautiful in their bounty, and in particular Ria was a gorgeous full-bodied celebration of womanly curves & the appeal of a warm smile and glowing personality. She (the actress) look strikingly similar to Elizabeth Taylor in her Cleopatra!
I was amused to see the "Australian cousin" what a genuine accent he had, and if you watch, do notice how even with his broken finger he is the one who ends up carrying everything (all the time) as well as serving at the bar, which is a bit of a comment on his heritage isn't it!
Loved the wonderful Indian accents, and their sharp little witticisms that were peppered through the script, and the interesting variation in their colouring. Half the families relatives looked no more than partly Indian, in particular the main villian.
Last thoughts?
I want an Indian Wedding with the amazing bamboo construction bedecked in silks & flowers! (and I wouldn't mind the roominess of a sari, come to think of it!)
Interestingly after I pressed my father to watch it, he had an entirely different reaction, commenting on the degradation of their society & integration of Western values. But that's a different review all together.
There are moments of sublime beauty, the cinematography and the eye to fine detail are exquisite, and this combined with the script, actors (That and the constant procession of gorgeous males) & humanity of the film found me elated by the final scenes.
kotori Dec 2004 - ojadis@yahoo.com
9 Wonderfully endearing...
You can read the other reviews for the plot. Just placing my vote here. Highly recommended. Well done. Thoroughly enjoyed.
10 Bollywood Subdued
My friend, a doctor and a descendent of India by way of Kenya invites me to wonderful New Year's Eve parties at his house where men smoke Cuban cigars and drink fine liquor. Then everyone dances all night to pop-Indian sounds. Monsoon Wedding is in that spirit. This Bollywood film is subdued somewhat for some serious girl meets boy, looses boy, makes out with married man, and gets back boy that was an arranged husband anyhow. That's the main plot, but an Indian family is extended and talkative. Then they dance in persistent rains whirling in lovely silk.
Modern India is clawing to prosperity. Mira Nair is showing us an upper-middle class family with a big house. The father is breaking the bank to put on one whopper of a wedding and the relatives are flying in from America. Everyone speaks English for the most part and when they speak an Indian dialect, sub titles appear.
The wedding planner is from humble means but he is cell phoning his way to bigger things. He falls for the beautiful maid and hopes for a wedding of his own. So we have an upstairs, downstairs subplot. I recommend this movie, a snapshot of a place we would never go without American Express.
11 Colorful and cultural, and taboos to boot
This movie is an enjoyable introduction to Bollywood Indian movies without being one itself. It's much shorter than a Bollywood epic, and there are no choreographed music videos included as part of the story, even though there's a lot of singing and dancing.
This is in fact two love stories, the more touching one involving the domestic helper Alice, and the wedding planner P. K. Dubey. Back at the main story line, Lalit Verma, convincingly played by Naseeruddin Shah, has arranged a marriage for his daughter Aditi. It's a gala affair, with everything supposed to be perfect, but is in fact way over his financial capabilities.
Aditi however, has been seeing a married man, but unable to ascertain whether he will ever divorce his wife, she agrees to the arranged wedding. As the wedding date approaches, she again reaches out to her boyfriend, and it works out not to have been such a good idea after all.
Unable to live with her guilty conscience, she confesses all to her intended husband, whose initial reaction is understandable, but then he proves himself to be a real nice guy by forgiving her. (Reality check: This is an arranged marriage. He's never met the bride before. Doesn't know diddly squat about her. Did he forgive her because he fell in love with her at first sight?)Anyhoo, it's a romantic movie, so let's agree that he's a handsome, understanding, caring, unattached, straight, really sweet guy with a heart of gold. (Can we clone him?)
As the family gathers for the big day, cousin Ria observes some untoward behaviour patterns that she recognises, and puts the damper on an uncle's fun. Lalit Verma is now faced with a huge problem, and is forced to make an important family decision, which he does superbly.
As the festivities are in full swing in the pouring rain, we get a sneak peek at the guy chosen for Ria, and he's certainly breathtaking. Good luck Ria! (Monsoon Wedding 2 perhaps?)
Colorful and cultural, the movie has its share of stereotyped Bollywood characters, but smoothly blends traditional values with modern settings. It also touches on a lot of difficult subjects, and accomplishes this without affecting the overall lightness of the movie.
One I wouldn't mind seeing again.
Amanda Richards, September 14, 2004
12 A MONSOON OF A MOVIE!
I know, I know, I am late in seeing this movie. I have it on my Netflix queue, but other movies mysteriously move ahead of it :0). Anyway, I love Kama Sutra (I think Indira Varma is one of the most beautiful woman in the world), but it was my only introduction to Mira Nair's work. I didn't know what to expect from this movie, but it was such a breath of fresh air. I love the story and the scenery and music--all together--just took you to another place. My favorite characters are the cousin (it was such a touching moment when she was talking to her younger cousin in the kitchen and they touched noses to show their love for each other), the father (I cried when he was telling a relative the reason why he wanted them to leave the wedding) and the wedding planner (it was amazing how his character grew--I was laughing at him in the beginning and I was cheering him on at the end). Wonderful movie!
13 Simply Sensational
If readers are expecting a Bollywood-style offering from this movie, you would be sorely disappointed. There is neither a hero nor a heroine chasing after one another over dances and songs, no hero trying to save the heroine from bad guys and ended up happily together forever, no virginal heroine donning her white and pure sari taking a slow-motion shower under a waterfall. Rather, you are graced with a complex family story that slowly unfolds itself. The movie is split into few subplots such as the orphaned cousin who's got a dark secret that would only be revealed towards the end of the movie; a maid who is from Bihar (poor part of India) and who has given up hope in marrying a decent man but through fate, she would eventually find a shelter for her heart from the most unexpected source, the loud but funny event manager for the wedding; a reluctant bride whose heart belongs to a married man & yet, she finds the courage to be honest with the groom-to-be towards the end & doing the right thing; a father who's financially pushed to have the best wedding ever for the daughter & yet, his love and responsibility towards his family is absolute; the lust and desire that visiting cousins have for one another. Along the way, we are introduced to the vivacity of the Punjabi culture, the societal change of India caste-wise & career-wise (overseas bound), the assimilation of the old and new values. In the end, we would come to a realisation that this movie transcends cultures & that, it confronts issues that are pertinent to any families. There isn't much extra features in the DVD collection. The making of the movie is quite succinct & incomparable with the makings that are offered by Hollywood counterparts. Still, it's a feature that's worth exploring. The setting for this movie is in New Delhi. Highly recommended and enjoyable.
14 A Monsoon of Relationships
I caught glimpses of this movie one night on cable TV and it looked interesting. I waited until I had a chance to see the movie from start to finish and I came away very impressed. For me, the beauty of the movie was the wide range of relationships that we encounter in just under two hours time. There were so many "stories within the stories" going on simultaneously that I can't help but think that this is a movie for everyone (at least those not bothered by having to follow English subtitles). There were relationships explored between father and mother, father and daughter, daughter and fiance, daughter and former lover, niece and father, son and father, son and mother....and plenty more where those came from. Some relationships are positive and a few, one in particular, are quite negative giving us a wide range of emotions with joy and love prevailing.
In the mere 24 hours since I watched this movie there are many realizations still coming to mind as I further absorb what I saw in "Monsoon Wedding". For example, the irony of the father's ulcer-feeding tensions over having everything go just right in his daughter's wedding yet, after many sunny days, having everyone (including Dad) enjoying themselves immensely in a torrential monsoon during the wedding celebration. Some movies are great because of how they reach our emotions and some are great because of artistic achievements. I think "Monsoon Wedding" qualifies on both ledgers.
15 Sweet, warm & sometimes lyrical; story of a family in India.
I never would have bothered to look up this film, but since it was playing for free on the Independent Film Channel last night I settled in to watch. It was one of the better choices I'd made all weekend.
What I expected to see:
A spirited modern young Indian woman who is being "forced" into a traditional, arranged marriage by her old fashioned parents; a lot of craziness and melodrama between stereotypically annoying Indian family members who are buzzing about with wedding preparations; something like a cross between Bend it Like Beckham and My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
What I actually saw:
A mostly harmonious, if somewhat large, family that seemed realistic, loving and warm; an exasperated but stoic father with a big heart who truly valued his daughters every bit as much as his son; three nice romantic subplots that were a bit predictable but avoided being corny; a fascinating glimpse into another culture that shattered stereotypes that we Westerners often carry about Easterners being hopelessly backward (read, "ethnic") and ignorant.
Monsoon Wedding surprised me on several points, but in the end it was a nicely written and directed movie about the universal joys and heartaches of a family coming together for a wedding. I urge you not to see this movie because it "teaches tolerance" or for the sake of political correctness, but because it is an enjoyable experience for anybody that likes romance and because you will end up liking several of the characters. Solidly recommended.
-Andrea, aka Merribelle
16 "Father-of-the-Bride" in Delhi.
Director Mira Nair's delightful film of a Punjabi family wedding has the genuine warmth and charm of a well done home movie, capturing all the pre-wedding tension, recording all the last minute glitches, and, most of all, celebrating the love within extended families. The film's beginning, filled with people the audience does not know, who are doing things the audience does not understand, feels a bit like watching a stranger's unedited videotape, but the scenes are colorful, the focus on a bride is universal, and the setting is, by American standards, exotic, thereby keeping the viewer intrigued long enough for the film to "jell."
Aditi Verma (Vasundhara Das), a modern young woman, has had a career working on a TV show in Delhi--and an affair with the show's married host. Her parents, however, have now arranged a marriage for her to an Indian engineer living in Houston, Texas, and accepting the wisdom of the choice, she is planning a large, traditional wedding. The father of the bride (Naseeruddin Shah) is, of course, stressed by last-minute details and the expense of the wedding, which grows exponentially under the direction of the ambitious Event Manager, P. K. Dubey (Vijay Raaz), who, as the film begins, is in the process of waterproofing the large tent, in anticipation of monsoon rains.
As the wedding events begin, a variety of love stories unfold simultaneously--the not-quite-dead affair between Aditi and the talk show host, the long love between her parents, the romantic first love of a sexy teenage cousin for a wedding guest who has just returned from Australia, the wonderfully poignant love which develops between Event Manager Dubey and the Vermas' maid Alice (Tilotama Shome), and the fragile new love which begins to bloom between the bride and her groom (Parvin Darbas). A terrible secret, which has affected how cousin Ria (Shefali Shetty) views love, is also revealed, providing a realistic perspective on the events while allowing the family to come together to show their love for Ria.
Filmed with a hand-held camera, the action looks and feels real and intimate, rather than artificial and "acted," with the outstanding cast obviously having great fun with the script (by Sabrina Dhawan). Visits to a sari shop, the henna painting of the bride's hands, the widespread use of marigolds, a red wedding dress, and wonderful, traditional dancing will especially intrigue audiences unfamiliar with Indian weddings. The score by Mychael Danna ranges from traditional to rock music, and the cinematography (Declan Quinn) is bright and colorful. Warm, witty, and full of life, this is a film to enjoy more than once. Mary Whipple
17 such a rich movie!
Monsoon Wedding was so deeply beautiful in so many ways-- the color, the music, the culture. I found myself crying-- from the beauty of it all, which was definitely a first for me. It has my highest recommendation.
18 Once is Not Enough...
I rented this movie and enjoyed it so much that I immediately rewound it and watched it again; now THAT'S a first! And it was even better the second time around, as I didn't have to concentrate so hard for fear of missing something.
Cross-cultural/generational and traditional vs. modern themes have always been a favorite of mine, but here these ideas are explored in layered levels, w/ all of their subtle complexities. There is nothing hackneyed in this presentation. There are various subplots weaving throughout, carrying the viewer through many twists and turns at a perfect pace. Observing the wedding planner Dubey (Vijay Raaz) as he falls in love is especially sweet and charming and funny. Yet this film is by no means a frivolous fluff piece. It has its dramatic and unexpected moments, which serve to enrich one's understanding and empathy for the characters involved.
Oh, and did I mention that the music is delightful? Can't wait to get my copy of the soundtrack (it's on order) to play in the car. I'm also eager to view some of Mira Nair's other films, since she certainly did a superb job with "Monsoon Wedding".
19 one of the best
one of best movies I have seen
20 Great Movie
I watched this without any ideas about the script and actors/director. Probably have just read somewhere that it was a pretty good film. It started out slow, had my usual convictions about "ah..an Indian film, with people dancing and singing, and with funny accents when trying to speak English". But the film was funny, sweet, sexy & romantic, serious, dramatic and poignant all at different times. It turned out to be a most remarkable film, one of the best film ever produced. And best of all, the film was made in only thirty days, and was hit with things like actors' last minute withdrawals and casting of many first time actors/actresses. I'd never noticed!!! Better than most films Hollywood had produced since with budgets ten or a hundred times its size. You must watch this if you have the chance. Not to be missed.
21 superb film that discusses universally important matters
This was the first film I saw directed by Mira Nair, and produced by her production company, MiraBai films. I had heard a great deal about her films, Salaam Bombay! (which I still need to see), Mississippi Masala (another beautiful treasure of a film that I plan to review on Amazon.com), The Perez Family and Kama Sutra. I was so happy to see this film for so many reasons. For starters, visually, it was beautiful to watch, and very engaging. Everything from the street scenes in the market of New Delhi with shots of young boys selling coconut slices, vibrant saris in multitudes of color, and beautiful shots of the architecture held my attention. The story was a great one, too. It was a real glimpse into the lives of two families coming together for a wedding celebration, and all of the baggage, controversy and eclectic friends that come along for the ride. The young couple is brought together through arranged marriage, and are just meeting about two to three days before the wedding is to take place. The young groom is a successful, handsome, intelligent and sensitive computer scientist form Houston, Hemant Rai (Parvin Dabas), and his bride is a young professional, Aditi (Vashundhara Das), who is caught between two worlds--the modern, more western world that says she can engage in premarital sex, keep a full time job, and even continue to sleep with her still-married boyfriend, and the world of traditional Indian values, that include the importance of familial closeness and arranged marriages. What world will she choose to live in? You have to rent this fine film to find out. Also, the subplots that are finely intertwined with the main story about the wedding preparations are very engaging. One is about the importance of redemption, and the other, about love's power to transform.
Don't miss it!
22 Ho-hum Wedding.
So far as my own point of view goes Mira Nair was quite at an advantage since the last film of her's that I'd seen was 'Cumasutra: A Tale of Lewd' after which any effort would have been an improvement. I do not intend to say here that I liked the film, but I certainly could not dislike it as much as that earlier piece. As for the question of the film bagging Venice's Golden Lion, I will say that it was entirely because of a western audience delighting in the exotic-ness of a third-world film interpretation of the Hollywood/British ensemble romantic comedy.
The film shoots itself in the foot at an early stage with its pathetic attempts at thrill humor (women comparing breast sizes, smart-ass children spying adults naked, an incongruous sequence of a TV debate on censorship where a fat dubbing artiste is called in to recreate the dialogue of a copulation sequence). The plot revolves around a wedding in a rich n' loud Punjabi family whose sundry members include a worried Father-of-the-Bride, his wife, the daughter who's having an affair with a married man, assorted sexually desperate and pedophiliac relatives and the aforementioned smart-ass children. The story moves about in a very predictable way, often painfully so, and at its 120 odd min length asks for too much of your patience. Trimming it down by 45 min wouldn't have improved the quality of the film, but there would have been that less of it to endure. The slapstick element in the form of a romance between the housemaid and the wedding contractor could have been mildly amusing in a film of much better overall quality but like most other elements of this film, it begins to grate. Various models and NRI-recruits display their typical vacuousness and it is left to a handful of seasoned actors to salvage as much of this venture as they can.
So is there any silver lining to this cloud? I'd like to say yes:
Naseeruddin Shah as the bride's father makes for a picture of dignity in this unholy pastiche. Although one could not ever count it among his more striking performances, it goes without dispute the film benefits immeasurably from the experience and essential solidity of this thespian. He builds a rapport with the audience bit by bit and uses this intimacy to lend a touching credibility to his dramatic scenes towards the end of the film.
Lilette Dubey as his wife lends very good support and it's nice to see an Indian film that features sexual intimacy between middle-ageds without sensationalizing it.
Shefali Chhaya as an ex-victim of the pedophiliac relative is sincere but hampered by utter clichĢ©.
One person who seems to have had fun with this film is composer Mychael Danna. The credit titles roll with an amusing blend of typical Punjabi Baaraat and Western March music. Shots of city traffic (while nice to view, wholly unrelated to the film's plot and adding nothing to it) are punctuated with well executed inspirations from Indian classical music and a wonderful thumri plays as the background to a rather tiresome car-sex scene. If Danna himself has composed these then he represents the Western equivalent of our Vanraj Bhatia, being able to easily fuse the music of disparate cultures. To reflect its Punjabi ambience though, some brain-chewing songs have been imported from other sources for sequences including a horrifying one where a younger relative dresses up as a veritable street-walker and prances to a ludicrous beat while her elders and assorted suitors beam on (the former proudly and the latter lustfully).
23 How the monsoon rains wash us all clean
The Verma family are quite under stress, especially the father Lalit. His only daughter Aditi is getting married, a traditional arranged marriage as done in India, but with a twist. The groom, Hemant Rai, is a computer programmer living in Houston, and for Aditi, this is a chance to enter a new world. However, her parents don't know that she has a married lover, Vikram Mehta, a broadcaster for a current affairs programme, and she's counting on him to divorce his wife. And everything about Indian weddings, down to the gatherings of various relatives, the ceremonial engagement rituals, the overbearing loud talk and laughter, is all there (q.v. Bend It Like Beckham). Aditi finds Hemant to be a decent and nice guy, but when push comes to shove, she finds that she doesn't want to start something based on lies and deceit.
Lalit has hired P.K. Dubey as the Events Manager, decorating the trees and bushes with marigolds, arranging the tents, etc. He is quite a shrewd businessman and a character who's made lots of money. Something in him changes when he sees Alice, the Verma family's hired kitchen maid. Alice's a quiet, timid, but pretty and simple girl, and as time passes, he has an attraction to her. It causes P.K. to realize he has managed 150 to 175 marriages, and the pleas of his mother to get her a daughter-in-law causes him to wonder if it's time to abandon his lonesome vagabond lifestyle and settle down with a decent, simple girl.
Other attractions involve Rahul, who has come from Melbourne to attend the wedding, who falls for the sensuous Ayesha, who will do a dance at the wedding.
However, other conflicts come into play. Ria, an adopted daughter who wants to be a writer, seems tense at the presence of an Uncle, Tej, whose family the Vermas are indebted to. She gets a bit nervous when he sees her with Aliya, a young preteen girl. The antics of Varun, their chubby and sensitive son, and his desire to be a chef and rehearsing for a dance for Aditi's wedding frustrates Lalit, who wants his son to more of a man and threatens to send him to boarding school. And when P.K.'s helpers see Alice trying on jewelry in the mirror in a moment of wishful fantasy, they label her a thief, which strains things between P.K. and Alice.
Like the parents in the later Bend It Like Beckham, the Vermas are displayed as disciplinarian and strict, but loving parents. Lalit tells his wife that everything he has done has been for their children's happiness, and that he's willing to take on any trouble and any sorrow for them. Despite the expense, as the mother Pimmi says, since it's their only daughter's wedding, nothing's a waste of money.
If Mohan Rai, the groom's father looks familiar, that's Roshan Seth, who played Nehru in the Gandhi movie-bio as well as the villainous Chattar Lal in the second Indiana Jones Movie.
Intercut with the trials of the Vermas are scenes of Delhi in monsoon season, people in cars, people dragging carts on concrete streets, a mixture of the modern and ancient in the global age. Which leads to this. What of India's role in this global Internet world? As a guest on Vikram's programme states, "just because India is global, why accept everything" at the cost of losing their ancient culture and traditions? When Hemant asks for a tea with no sugar, his friend and person on duty instantly equates no sugar with being American. America may be a land of modern luxury and opportunity, but at the cost of losing one's culture. Why accept everything indeed?
Michael Danna's score and the Hindi songs here add to the atmosphere of this foreign treat, as do the colourful costumes. As for why this is called Monsoon Wedding, well, monsoons are unpredictable in what they do. They come during a certain season, they cause great havoc and destruction, but in the end, the rain cleanses all, and life begins anew, as it does for the Verma family and the newlyweds.
24 Pure Joy
Set in present day Delhi, this comedy-drama focuses on the Punjabi Verma family, who are about to celebrate their daughter's marriage. With days to go, admist the chaotic final preparations, and arrival of the extended family, secrets of the various members of the familt threaten to derail the proceedings.
Like in Salaam Bombay and Missisipi Masala, Nair continues her directoral passion for tackling difficult issues. I consider this her best work because in Monsoon Wedding she is able to tackle these issues within the framework of an overall feel-good movie. Her characters tackle their problems openly and honestly resulting in a fresh believable social drama. The family serves as a micro vehicle for India - Like the country, the family is in a stage of transition -
Great work of art and a very well executed depiction of chaotic diverse modern India.
P.S.: Make sure to work the commentary by Nair on the DVD.
25 My favourite movie
I have watched this movie at least 5 times already and each time it moves me to tears. Some people compare it to My Big Fat Greek Wedding--which I did not like--but I really can't see any comparison. MBFGW was supposed to be a lighthearted comedy, where MW has humour and lots of drama, as well as a deeper look into the culture and deeper character of the protagonists. The music is beautiful and appropriate, the acting is fantastic (featuring many non-actors), and the plot is riveting.
26 I hate it
There's something in this movie that really annoyes me. I mean, who enjoies seeing all the loud and nosy relatives getting even louder and restless over a worthless marriage of a girl who's cheating her groom??? And what's up with all the people overacting with obviously dubbed voice?? I just don't see any point in this movie. Be cheesy? Act loud? Be classist and sexist? Cheating fiance is no big deal?? Just go to America and everything's gonna go fine????? (...) .. this movie really annoies me.
27 My vote for movie of the year
Perhaps even movie of the decade. This movie is acted beautifully, written skillfully, and directed miraculously. This movie has an almost hyper-realistic feel at times, the cinematography, choreography, acting, lighting, pace, plot, and drama are all perfectly balanced. This movie has almost the feel of a wedding video, realistic, sometimes heartwrenching sometimes heartwarming, it soars above the rank and file of the hollywood miltibillion dollar machine.
This movie is brilliant despite (or perhaps because) wasting no time or money on special effects, explosions, gunfights, or general cheesy movie tricks. what one finds instead is a genuinenesss of spirit that involves the veiwer in the lives of the people. This is the story of a man living in the new "dotcom" India who is set to give his only daughter the wedding of her dreams. With side plots, humour, and fun, this movie is guaranteed to please. If all this doesn't prove that Mira Nair is one of the greatest directors of our age, then perhaps the fact that the whole thing was filmed in thirty days will convince you. This film is a masterwork, many directors will work for a lifetime without achieving half this level of excellence.
28 A tale of loss and hope
This charming film is a wonderful glimpse into the boisterous and ebullient Punjabi culture. We get to see preparations for a wedding, with all the politics and family-wrangling that must go on, but we also get to peer behind the scenes to the loss and the grief and the little joys encountered along the way.
Unlike "Greek Wedding" which often seemed to be succumbing to ethnic caricatures, the characters here are very real, both vulnerable and resilient. The acting is superb, but so many charming people in the cast doesn't hurt either.
The film is like a snapshot of a week in the life of these two families coming together. The ending is upbeat but it leaves many questions unanswered.
The direction is great with only a few uneven spots where the film drags a bit. But overall it is very watchable and even re-watchable.
I would recommend watching the DVD with the English subtitles turned on. This helps with some of the thicker accents among the cast.
A very likeable and memborable film.
29 A successful attempt at Indian life
I will admit, that at first, I was very suspicious about this movie. Is it possible to capture all the emotions of an indian wedding in one movie?
Mira came very close in her attempt.
There are many stories here. The story of the girl who gives up hope on her lover to try an arranged marriage. The story of the wedding planner who falls for the maid of the house. The story of the college boy who learns to appreciate his culture.
And then, the most shocking story of all, of the girl who thinks she lives as a stranger in the household and as the suspense builds you realize her shocking tale and how the house copes.
Monsoon Wedding is a movie for everyone to enjoy at every level. It is definitely worth it to stick it out to the end for all the surprises and twists.
You'll want to share it with others after you're done.
30 Three movies in one; such a deal! A blizzard of colors
Mira Nair's 'Monsoon Wedding' is a blizzard of vibrant colors: yellows, reds and oceans of orange dominate the screen. What a joy to see this film on the big screen.
As the title indicates, you get a wedding in monsoon here. But you also get two other tales expertly woven into the fabric of the movie by director Nair. First, there's a tale of incest and taboo that breaks out into the open at a very inopportune time. Then, there's a 'meet cute and marry quick' tale between the wedding planner and a family servant. That might be the best part of the movie. At the very least, Vijay Raaz's wedding planner "P.K. Dubey" is the film's most compelling character. With his gawky physical presence and staccato delivery, he stands out in every scene he's in.
31 Bravo Mira!
Monsoon Wedding is a masterpiece. Rarely I watch a film and come out with a sense of well being, totally satisfied, but with Monsoon Wedding, the joy of watching films, and enjoying cinema as an art form of the most sophisticated kind was rekindled.
If watching movies is compared to eating out, then I do enjoy my pizzas and pastas and burgers, but once in a while when I decide to have a gourmet meal, the difference is immediately felt:
Moonsoon Wedding is similar to a gourmet meal which you know will not happen too often, but when it does you will totally savour it.
This film is multi-layered, deep, funny and poignant, all blended together finely in a rich Indian canvas full of colour and life.
The wedding preparations of the arranged marriage of an upper class Indian beauty (Actress Vashundara Das, who does more playback singing for Bollywood movies and little acting) to an Americanized Indian, becomes a social backdrop that reflects on one hand the Indian culture it comes from, and the complex family relationships that can be common in many cultures on the other.
Most surprising is the issue of child abuse that was totally an unexpected element/sub plot of the film, but handled powerfully and with care,with top acting from Shefali Shetty(the once abused child who rightly suspects that the same relative is doing it again to another child) and Naseeruddin Shah (her decent devoted uncle who raised her and the father of the bride).
Another subplot which was handled very smartly and which added a lot of humour, was the class issue, as we get to see a sample of the Indian working class through the love story of the servant girl 'Alice' and the wedding arranger (an excellent Vijay Raaz).The visible transformation of Raaz as he realizes his feelings for Alice is at times bittersweet and heartwarming, and their developing relationship provide us with unforgettable scenes.
The genuis of Nair, is the fact that Monsson Wedding is not sentimental: the emotional scenes are not long enough to fall into that trap, yet their impact and message is all the same to the point.
Moreover, I loved the hand held shots of Delhi, which as brief as they were,not only succeeded in capturing the colour of the city but somewhat its soul as well.
Monsoon Wedding is first and foremost a director's film, from one of the most talented filmmakers these days,a film that should certainly be in your collection, to go back to it once in a while and savour it like the finest gourmet it is . Bravo Mira!
32 You are all invited to a wedding....
Film Director, Mira Nair ("Salaam Bombay!","Mississippi Masala") has done it again by bringing us this very entertaining comedy/drama about family, titled "Monsoon Wedding".In this almost Altmanesque, movie we follow four days leading up to to an Indian families'wedding. There are multiple storylines, which unfold as we watch various members, friends, acquaintances and employees of the Verma family get ready for the impending nupitals of their eldest daughter.This includes the Bride, who is trying to convince herself that an arranged marriage is the path to take, while still being in love with a married man.A story line revolving around a female cousin (Shefali Shetty) who holds a dark family secret and finally decides she must take a stand before it is to late.Then there is the touching and almost magical romance between the wedding planner (Vijay Raaz) and the families' maid (Tilotama Shome).This is all presided over by the families' totally stressed out, patriarch (Naseerudin Shah), who seems to be at wit's end trying to keep everything from imploding.This father may be brusque, short tempered, and screaming a lot, but by the end of the film he proves to us how much he really loves his family.'Love of family' seems to be the movie's theme as we watch the various parties, ceremonies and customs. Sure, there are all sorts of little psycho-dramas being played out.That happens in all families no matter what the country or culture.But in the end, just about everybody gets swept up away by the joyfulness of the celebration.You really feel like your at a wedding!The script to this film is complicated and involving. It's captures your attention as you try to figure out who is related to who and what the relationships are. The acting is first rate especially from Naseerudin Shah (the bride's father) and Vijay Raaz (the event planner).The film makes brilliant use of it's cinematography, which just explodes into vibrant color (lots of reds and golds) giving the story an almost magical flavor by the end. Finally, I have to mention the wonderful dancing and music which greatly enhances the film. This is a very entertaining comedy/drama which I highly recommend!
33 Husband and I saw it twice
We compare all Indian movie to this one.......
All my coworkers have seen it based on our reviews
34 Sweet, charming, cultural, human
This is not an impressive movie in any particular way, but for all people who realize the world is not revolving around the western cultures and customs, this movie will touch you and entertain you. There is nothing unrealistic or overdramatized. There is good ethnic music, good acting and directing and lots of local color. A no-frills, low budget, quality movie that will endure in the years to come.
35 Humble Beauty
The importance of family, warmth, bravery, daring to trust and to open ones hearth, being vunerable - and the mighty feeling of belonging. Monsoon Wedding has such depth, such goodness and beauty that one crawes to become a better person after seeing it!
36 Charming
A girl is about to meet her fiancee fo an arranged marriage, while having her own affair with a married TV personality. The "wedding planner" is setting up the decoration with large quantities of marigolds that he also eats in large quantities, while being entharlled by a serving girl.
With some humor, family dynamics, and some unexpected twists and turns, this Indian movie goes a long way to explaining why the Indian film industry is at long last beginning to be taken seriously by the world at large.
37 Outstanding movie, fabulous realism
This movie is funny, captivating and very memorable. It also has a unique element of realism, which brings the viewer as close to visiting New Deli as one could experience while sitting on a couch. The first viewing is a little confusing, with all the characters and shifting plot lines, but things fall in place the second time around. The director's audio commentary on the DVD is among the best such commentaries I've sat through and is an absolute treat, so don't skip over that bonus feature!
38 This Girl Think Monsoon Wedding is Fantastic!
I watched Monsoon Wedding with my sister after she rented the DVD when someone recommended it and I liked it a lot and thought it was highly entertaining, I liked everything about it, the story, the acting, the music, etc and I highly recommend it and I could definitely watch this beautiful movie again and I'm thinking of buying the Monsoon Wedding DVD
39 It makes you Mourn Soon
Well Monsoon Wedding oops did i say Mourn Soon Wedding...
I thought movie lacked conviction and that reflects in its inept screen play, jarring editing and made up performances!!!!
Mira Nair the Inter-Nationally Renowned Director ya "inter-nationally" does a Sooraj Bharjatiya with a C rate southern soft porn flick
God help me getting married if i were to go by the definition by Ms. Nair
Well with festivals round the corner i am being kind enough to give it one star which too it does not merit
40 Come with reservation leave awed
Frankly, one can have a reservation while sitting in for this movie thinking about some other Indian movies with its tawdry dance-sequences in the wild forest and gardens and melodramatic events and so forth. But this one certainly have the capability of pleasantly drawing audiences in to this very urban foreign culture where many things are, without analyzing details, as it is, full of puzzling and surprising anecdotes creating waves of emotions- sweet and sour and occasionally moving seamy sides of life in this vast foreign culture visibly dominated by western techno-socio-econo influences in every level. While feeling like a silent neighbor watching events next door, audience feels strangely akin to some universal tunes of human reaction wondering why not so many movies are made like this that takes you to experience life in many dimensions without the ordeal of boredom and noisy sound effects of destruction of piles of structural concretes or flaming metallic conglomerates ........
41 It's an Indian Film, but it's not Bollywood.
What I mean by that is: This is typical indian drama, probably equal to Indian soap opera television. Bollywood films seem to have a standard which makes it a Bollywood film. Bollywood films usually work with a bigger budget and provide dance videos which people have come to expect from a Bollywood film. Plus, there is a large pool of favored Bollywood actors and actresses people expect to see when they go to see a Bollywood film. Although there is a mix of Hindi language in this film "Monsoon Wedding", it does appear to be made to please an audience outside of India. This is a shorter film, and much less musical than a standard Bollywood film. Plus, the subject matter here, can be deemed a little loose-tongued, more or less, than a Bollywood film since Bollywood movies were made to please all age groups. You know, the perfect family picture for all audiences.
This film has its appeal but, don't measure this with real Bollywood films. You'll have a tainted opinion before you have the facts. Actually, you should see "Lagaan" next. There are some more Indian (non-Bollywood) films you can see, too, if you'd like to see Indian films with English dialogue, instead of relying on subtitles. Check out "Bend it Like Beckham" and maybe "Bollywood/Hollywood". For Bollywood films more readily available through American DVD release, look into "Lagaan", "Asoka", Mission Kashmir" (women are going nuts over Hrithik Roshan), and maybe "Devdas". Some people are already aware of the Bollywood film actress, "Miss World 1994", Aishwarya Rai. She's in the Indian Blockbuster "Devdas", and a wonderful film called "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam". This film was the 1999 Winner of 7 Filmfare and 10 Screen Awards. Aishwarya Rai has done more than 50 films in the past 10 years. It's even been hinted that she have been approached about being the next "Bond Girl" in the next James Bond film.
During June 2003, the "Turner Movie Classics" channel has been showing Bollywood films through the month on Thursdays. My friends and family have started watching them because I encouraged them to do so. Everyone seems to be pretty excited about what they experienced. The exposure to Bollywood (and other Indian) films is growing here in America. I don't have a doubt Indian films are going to become an invasion to America inside the next few years. I mean, think about it: Many of us are bored with American Hollywood stars. Many Hollywood stars are much older (10 to 20 year veterans of film) and are losing their appeal. I think this is why "Reality TV" has become so popular. The American audience wants to see new faces. New, unknown, good-looking people. At work, everyone seems to be talking about this new girl on a "reality show" whom no one knew three weeks earlier, or some new guy that they're hoping to see more of. Hollywood stars are getting old and tiresome (and not as attractive as they use to be).
I reccommend that you get ahead of the game, and start checking out all the good-looking stars of Bollywood film. Go to an Indian store (or go to Netflix.com, or some other rental sorce that provides Indian films), and open up a DVD rental account. Bollywood is a large film industry (larger than you'd ever imagine), and it's wonderful. It's time to get away from those Hollywood dinosaurs, for awhile. Don't you think?
42 Wonderful, rich, uplifting
Monsoon Wedding is a rich, warm, colorful, lavish, hilarious, and deeply moving gift from Mira Nair to the audience. An utterly delightful web of family relationships is woven through the movie, centering around an arranged wedding (in Texas!). But that's just the central theme. Almost more interesting is the sub-story of a romance developing between a servant girl and the opportunistic, marigold-eating (??? What is THAT all about ??) wedding-planner.
Super-duper. Even my 90yo father loved it!
43 monsoon wedding
Both myself and my husband loved this movie and had to watch it twice. I thought I would be annoyed with the sub titles but the story and the plots made the film worth it. I didn't have a problem forwarding past the preview part of the dvd and was able to go straight to the movie although I had to use a different button on the remote control instead of the ff button.
44 This is not just a brown Big fat Greek Wedding
When it comes to adult daughters, I have found every culture bugs them about their marriage plans i.e. "have them before you get old like age 30". In this movie, Aditi agrees to marry a suitable guy from Houston whom she meets only a few weeks before the wedding. Meanwhile, she has not stopped her affair with Vikram, a married coworker, whom she knows will never leave his wife. There is one particularly telling scene when Aditi is in trouble and calling for Vikram to help her, but he's taking a cell phone call to lie to his wife about his whereabouts.
In another plot, her unmarried orphaned cousin is harboring a secret that hurts her terribly. In yet another plot, their wedding planner Dubey, who has a penchant for eating the marigolds that are the wedding's theme, has fallen in love with Alice, the wedding family's maid. This is interesting as they are of a lower caste, seen to be servile, yet have more passion and kindness for each other than the higher-classed betrothed couple.
The conversations jump between Hindi, Punjabi and English (with subtitling as needed.) The DVD gives the option of hearing it all in English, but I enjoyed the original version. It's colorful, comedic, sad and full of many characters in the multi-generational extended family. Various relatives arrive at the wedding home for the event scheduled to take place in India's monsoon season, and Mira Nair does a good job of keeping all the characters distinct and memorable so you don't have a hard time keeping them all straight as you might have otherwise. It's enjoyable, humorous without being just a big joke.
45 What a charmer!
This has to be one of my alltime favorites! At once lushly exotic and lovingly familiar, this film has delighted everyone I know who's had the pleasure of seeing it. Love, marriage, passion (both well-placed and misguided), regrets... and lots of family relationships intertwined throughout. Sounds like a run-of-the-mill chick flick, I know, but my husband adores this also (well, he IS a sensitive soul). Oh, and the music is really great as well! So sensually directed, you'll feel like you got caught in a sultry downpour in the middle of the hot Indian monsoon season. Highly recommended!
46 Mira Nair rocks.
Another charming film by Mira Nair, portraying a kooky, sprawling Indian family as it prepares for a long-awaited and lavish wedding. There are all kinds of cross-generational, cross-caste and cross-cultural issues to be hashed out, as well as a hidden family secret or two. Engaging and heartfelt. Nice.
47 Great Movie.
This movie is a great pick for the Indian audience or any foreign film enthusiast in the American audience. It's about how love grows and blossoms, in any kind of setting. It's a drama/comedy type a movie.
48 Beautiful Love Story Spoiled by HORRIBLE "Dubbing"
Only the rave reviews of so many people who enjoyed this romantic comedy made me give it a try. I just couldn't get past the horrible job of "dubbing". The voices are "dubbed" by people with barely intelligible "accents". One scene had a man go from broken English back to Indian and back to the broken English again. All-the-while the "English subtitles" went in and out.
I was unable to concentrate on the story, which was very good indeed. One minor flaw may be the fact that the people featured here did not represent an "average family" in India. Their life style was far above average for Indian standards. It's like making believe that most people live like those featured on "Murder She Wrote" or "General Hospital".
If there were a version in original Indian with English subtitles, I would recomment that one (wishing I could see it like that). The "dubbing" into terrible English didn't work for me. It was a big turn off!**
49 Monsoon wedding
Wow!...It was a beautiful, entertaining, mavelous movie. I recommended it to all my coworkers who also enjoyed it immensely. A nice rental movie to watch with family, friends, etc.
Yo have to see it
50 Pretty Good
Enjoyed the Culture,Music,Vibe&Overall element my only knock with the film is that it explored to many things&somewhere in the middle it got dragged a bit.but the Wedding,clothes&the Ladies were Great&the Music was off the Hook.the film was Pretty Good&worth checking out.
51 A Flood of Joy
I have a soft spot in my heart for Indian movies. Though I am not of that heritage, I have often found myself on a Saturday morning watching the singing/dancing/action extravaganzas that are broadcast on my local public-access stations. I can't understand the dialogue, but the intentions are quite loud and clear.
Director Mira Nair has crafted a movie that is one-third dancing/singing spectacle, one-third societal/caste commentary, and one-third family melodrama. She succeeds beautifully with her first two components; the third plot line is out-of-place and seems to be lifted from the Lifetime Movie Network archive. Amidst the bright, beckoning colors, the subtle and overt comedy, the swirling fabric and the lush cinematography, the subplot of incest and child molestation is inappropriate and time-consuming. Perhaps Nair, who has helmed many serious films that explore poverty and racism, crosscultural love and eroticism, felt a gritty slice of "realism" was needed to anchor this movie, to make it go beyond a pretty, fluffy piece of Bollywood.
As a Caucasian Westerner, I have seen so many American and British films that depict India as a hotbed of illnesses, dirt-poor people struggling to survive, a mecca for privileged white people to dispense charity and altruism. MONSOON WEDDING was a welcome respite from this depiction of a country that always needs rescuing by superior, morally aware Westerners. How refreshing to see a well-to-do, close-knit, loving family depicted in a homecoming environment. Additionally, it was sweet to see the young housekeeper finding romance with an upwardly mobile wedding planner during the three-day marriage feast. You see, Indian people can be rescued and transported to better lives through their own initiative. They don't always need Patrick Swayze and Pauline Collins in CITY OF JOY to lift them from their lots in life.
I recommend this DVD for anyone who wants to see glorious, rich colors, who is fascinated by how similar all people are--despite geographical and cultural barriers. It's a heartwarming look at a family who just happens to be Indian. They are primarily a clan of mothers, fathers, nieces, and cousins who squabble, scrapple, support, and celebrate one another. Minus the "incest intervention" bits, it is a film that will make anyone laugh, smile, and rejoice in the global power of family and romance. Also, it's one of the few movies where a sudden dance number or lip-synching display seems natural. When Hollywood films show actors like Susan Sarandon and children flying around the house to the strains of Motown, or Glenn Close and crew doowopping to Marvin Gaye, I always wonder "What's wrong with me and my family? Why don't we ever put on spur-of-the-moment Busby Berkeley dance routines? Why are we so choreographically challenged?" MONSOON WEDDING showcases characters who break out into song-and-dance routines but in a believable,delightful fashion. It's very well done, and it'll make your inner Michael Kidd soar.
52 More Like This, please!
I loved this movie! It was a look at a culture I know I will never see in person, and for that reason alone it is worth viewing. The director handled the various story lines in a deft fashion, so that the viewer was never confused (I watched "Gosford Park" with remote in hand so I could re-play important scenes when the "duh" factor started to set in). The main story, the arranged marriage of the very modern, "liberated" daughter of the house, and the successful son-in-law come back from America for his bride, was fascinating to those brought up in a country where marriage is mainly a matter of hormones. Watching the attraction between the two of them grow is one of the best parts of the movie - at the end you feel that these fictional characters will have a wonderful life. I really cannot find any major flaws in this movie -- the music was a delight, the dialog was intellegent, the snapshots of Indian life offered to the view were fascinating. You will not be sorry that you bought it!
53 Best movie I have ever seen! And I watch many movies!
If you are not a movie nut or if you are one...this movie is a MUST see! I fell in love with India, it's music, the culture...I want to go there, now. It made me laugh, it made me cry, I could not pull away from it. I had watched the movie five times before getting a copy! GET THE SCORE....it is fabulous!
54 Indian feelgood film
Director Mira Nair has gone back to her roots with Monsoon Wedding, a loving portrait (from a screenplay by Sabrina Dhawan) of one Delhi family's preparations for their daughter's wedding.
The action takes place over five days with the daughter Aditi (Vasundhara Das) still in the midst of an affair with a married man, cousin Ria's (Shefali Shetty) witnessing of the corruption of another young cousin by the same uncle that abused her, and wedding planner P.K. Dubey's (Vijay Raaz) growing affection for housegirl Alice (Tilotama Shome). The mixture of the celebration of the wedding with the tension behind the scenes is perfectly balanced, with the love story countering the discomfort of the mildly-approached incest.
Nair truly knows these people (she said she has wanted to do a modern-day "Delhi dot-com family" portrait) and the details are what make Monsoon Wedding so evocative. Despite the uncomfortable subject matter, it is a purely enjoyable film and is much more layered--and therefore a much better film--than its sitcom-ish counterpart, My Big Fat Greek Wedding (which was obviously geared to a more mainstream audience).
55 Excellant movie, great film to watch over and over again.
This is a wonderful movie about an Indian family whose memebers are scattered about the globe who gather together for a wedding. The movie is very cross cultural, as it is about family. It is funny, moving and at times challenging as the family faces different issues. The filiming is beautiful---very colorful with great shots and the score is wonderful as well. The characters are well developed and interesting. I highly recommend Monsoon Wedding.
56 Both subtle and complex
Mira Nair's first film, Salaam Bombay was an extremely emotional film, with simply astonishing moments. This is the first film since her auspicious debut that lives up to the promise of her first film. The reviewers who have criticized it for either having no story, or being a soap opera, have truly missed the boat. The dynamic of the film derives from the clash between divergent forces, honoring tradition, yet assimilating to alien cultures, honoring family, yet making difficult and painful decisions when paternal responsibility demands. Then there is the contrast between the issues surrounding an arranged marriage between strangers, whose wedding is filled with splendid pomp and ceremony, and the simple romance between the event planner and a servant girl. The romantic elements of their developing relationship contribute to the most touching moments of the film, although this is a film that is filled with poignant moments. There are actually several plots and several reverse plots unfolding simultaneously, which leads to considerable complexity, yet in the end, all these threads are delicately interwoven in a satisfying manner.
57 love and marigolds
i see this movie about once a week. it is absolutely gorgeous and has opened my eyes to a culture that reminds me a bit of my own, but it also so different from mine, and that excites me. the woman especially are so naturally beautifully, they put average american chicks like me to shame!
the love story between dubey and alice is especially touching, and makes me cry every time.
this movie will touch every nerve in your body.
58 Rent it and decide for yourself
I really liked this movie when I saw it. It was colorful and the love story was quite touching especially the one between the wedding planner and the house maid. However, when discussing it with very well rounded, intelligent, highly educated women I know who was born and raised in India, she said it was to much like a "soap opera" and there were better Indian moves out there. I thought that this was supposed to be some great indie movie but is it really just a "cheesy romance" disguised in America as a trendy "foreign film?" I guess you will have to be the final judge. For the record, I liked it.
59 Extravaganza!
"Monsoon Wedding" is unlike any other wedding movie you have ever seen -- funny, sad, romantic, sexy, and full of whirling music and color. With superb acting and a lovingly fragmented storyline, this is an amazing movie. You'll feel all warm and fuzzy after seeing it. Love is in the air in Delhi!
An extended Verma family is overjoyed when Aditi, the daughter of the house, agrees to an arranged marriage with a young man now living in Texas. Unfortunately, she is only doing this because she doesn't believe her married lover will get divorced and marry her. As the wedding preparations swirl around her, she wobbles on the line of rebellion -- especially when she begins to really like her future husband.
Like the charming "Waking Ned Devine," this is one of those great movies that doesn't use a single stereotype; you could imagine these people in any part of the world. And like "Waking," the main plot isn't the only one: There is a charmingly hesitant romance between the harried, marigold-munching wedding planner and a shy young maid, a frustrated young boy's hopes to become a chef, a young woman trying to keep her niece safe, and a budding attraction between a pair of very photogenic teenagers. Of course, there are the staples of a wedding movie -- first everyone is giddy and love-obsessed, then they're freaking out because the tents aren't waterproofed. One of the funniest scenes has Aditi's frazzled mom going out shopping with curlers in her hair.
The direction in this movie is exquisite. Nair manages to capture actions as small as a girl tucking a flower in her hair, and makes it a vital element in the plot; at the same time, there is the camera swooping and ducking as a girl does a sexy, rollicking dance for the wedding crowd, cutting between a sweet, intimate wedding ceremony and the bouncing, joyous bigger ceremony. The colors of the movie are dazzling without ever being garish. The biggest problem is that often handheld cameras are used, and the result was making me dizzy. And English, Hindi and Punjabi are all spoken, sometimes shifting in mid-sentence, so keep your eye on the subtitles.
The actors are one of the best elements of "Monsoon Wedding." You don't get acting like this in most movies. The actors often will go through a scene with only one or two words, but their faces and eyes eloquently show what the characters are feeling. Vasundhara Das is pretty good as the conflicted Aditi, although she is probably the weakest performance of the film; Parvin Dabbas is charming and sensitive as her very tolerant fiancee; Naseerudin Shah is wonderful as Aditi's father, who is put in a horribly difficult position while under wedding stress; and Shefali Shetty crackles with repressed emotion as Ria. Tilotamma Shome is adorable as the maid Alice, and Vijay Raaz is delightful as her suitor.
There is some profanity, not really any violence. There is a bit of smut, but nothing too substantial -- the most disturbing element is a serial child molester going after Aditi's young cousin, and former victim Ria speaking out against him. These scenes are the only ones without a trace of humor or sweetness, and it makes them all the more intensely sad and powerful. And the soundtrack is outstanding, a mix of traditional Indian music and rollicking pop that had me bouncing in my seat.
"Monsoon Wedding" is a charming, delightful romantic comedy that makes the whole tired "wedding fiasco" plot seem fresh and charming again. So bring out the marigolds!
60 the 'subplot' is the best part
the small sweet thing between alice and dubey is surreal and nice and real and fantastic all at once. I especially like the character Dubey. I think he is by far the best actor in the movie. Comfortably eating marigolds, fighting, talking on the phone, going home, finally dancing. I thought more could have been done with the boy from australia and the cute girl. I somewhat agree about the forced nature of "the bad thing," though it leads to a very good scene between the father and that girl. Overall, the movie is a great spectacle, lots of energy and color and all that stuff. Not corny like Kama Sutra was. (was that her movie?? not sure.) The soundtrack is wonderful, too.
61 A delicious slice of life and love!
MONSOON WEDDING turned out to be one of the best movies of the year. A wonderful and joyous film about the hectic going-on's trying to plan a traditional Indian wedding. Part FATHER OF THE BRIDE, part Bollywood, and part ensemble drama, but all brilliant. The gifted actors bring the unique characters to life, for a truly memorable and emotional film. The film starts off light and turns more serious in tone when a series of family secrets are slowly revealed. ...the film is a crowd-pleaser if there ever was one. Some light comedic touches, amazing performances, and electric musical moments (with some amusing songs) add to the fun, making MONSOON WEDDING an extremely unforgettable and deliciously clever film...I practically danced my way out of the theater when it was over...this one is highly recommended! Don't miss it!
62 When it rains, it pours....
"Monsoon Wedding" is a gorgeous, engaging film on a number of different levels. It follows the Verma family as they prepare for their daughter Aditi's wedding to an Indian who had been living in Houston and working as a computer engineer (a common theme throughout the film is the Indian diaspora to Western countries in order to have a better chance at success, such as cousin Rahul, the family "idiot" just back from years in Australia (note: the Australian accent of actor Randeep Hooda is real: he obtained both his bachelor's and master's degrees in business management in Melbourne).
The film is full of the hectic moments that can only come before stressful family gatherings such as weddings: shopping for wedding saris, building outdoor canopies, guest lists, preparations....compounded by the pouring rain of the monsoon season. "Monsoon Wedding" beautifully captures a vibrant modern India, at home in Hindi, Punjabi and English, turbans and T-shirts, and the showstopping spectacles of Bollywood. Music plays a large role in the film as a background element and also as dance numbers at the wedding, and Torontonian Mychael Danna (who also scored "Monsoon Wedding" director Mira Nair's "Kama Sutra") strikes a comfortable blend of Indian instruments and modalities with piano, bhangra rock, and several very catchy Bollywood tunes.
The film is aided not only by the beautiful, exotic scenery, but also by the diverse cast of supporting characters: the scheming wedding planner Dubey, "idiot" cousin Rahul, just back from Australia and apparently an all-Australian boy, having shed most of his Indian customs and past, a sensitive younger brother more interested in cooking and dance than in sports or studies ("Let's find him a nice boy," the cranky father snaps), a cousin abused by a family member who must confront her past, and a myriad of shopkeepers, workers, and ordinary people that bring Delhi to life, much like Bombay in Manil Suri's excellent first novel "The Death of Vishnu."
There are a number of humorous moments, tender exchanges between the bride and groom-to-be, who, as participants in an arranged marriage had never met until days before the wedding, lively dance numbers, and moments in daily life that could take place in any corner of the world, which make the story universal in spite of some cultural differences. The varying English accents can make the film at times difficult to understand (Randeep Hooda's Australian accent was surprisingly one of the easiest for me), and older family members especially only converse in Hindi and Punjabi (there are English subtitles). A most unusual love story on a number of levels: the renewal of love between an aging husband and wife, new love between the newlyweds, a heartfelt declaration of love from a wedding planner to a maid, budding love between those who have just met yet are instantly attracted. Add to that the exotic scenery, catchy Indian pop music and dance, beautiful saris and everyday touches of India, and a quirky cast of characters, and you have the exuberant whirlwind of sensations and emotions that is "Monsoon Wedding." Enjoy!
63 Comes Out in the Wash
This film is sort of a My Big Fat Greek Wedding for those of the Indian middle class, with fewer outright laughs but just as much heart. That said, the similarities are scarce, mostly because the cultures are so different - actually, the culture of MBFGW is American and that of Monsoon Wedding is Indian - and partly because the characters are not well known American types.
Where Monsoon Wedding succeeds, and I think brilliantly, is in making these unfamiliar character types seem like comfortable, old friends. In spite of the trilingual communication (English, Hindi, Punjabi), and perhaps because of the universal appeal of a story that mixes them, if they don't exactly conflict, the old-world values work with the modern-day mores and technology. The plot is simple: Aditi Verma (Vasundhara Das) accepts a marriage arranged by her parents (Naseeruddin Shah and Lillete Dubey) to a computer programmer from Houston she has never met (Parvin Dabas), after a failed affair with a married TV producer. The wedding planner (Vijay Raaz) is smitten with the Verma's maid (Tilotama Shome); a family benefactor is found to be a serial child molester; and a new romance develops between Aditi's attractive cousin Ayesha (Neha Dubey) and Rahul (Randeep Hooda).
That all this works so well is a credit to excellent ensemble acting and, of course, to director Mira Nair's sure hand (she directed Mississippi Masala, 1991). It is missing the point to say that things eventually work out in the end. It's the getting there, even in the monsoon rain, that's most of the fun.
64 Enjoyable Distraction
Mira Nair's latest romp into Indian culture takes us to the rain soaked outskirts of Delhi as the colorful tale Monsoon Wedding unfolds. Filmed on a tight schedule with minimal resources over a course of merely 30 days, the film chronicles the days leading up to the wedding of the daughter of Punjabi businessman Lalit Verma (Naseerudin Shah) and his high society wife Pimmi (Lillette Dubey). In Monsoon Wedding, Nair makes a 180 degree turn from her days of slum hopping in Salaam Bombay, by weaving aspects of India's rapid globalization into the thick fabric of Indian traditionalism. As patriarch Lalit golfs with his friends, he discusses his troubles financing the wedding despite his shipments to Macy's. All the while, his golf cart coasts past village women walking along the greens, donning fruit baskets on their heads as they have done for centuries. Meanwhile the comical marigold munching wedding planner Dubey (Rajiv Vaaz) talks on his cell phone with his stock-market obsessed mother who later laments in a single breath, the downturn of one of her investments before switching to complaints that her son has "not taken an interest in any girl and will never allow me to see the face of a grandson".
Naseerudin Shah and Lilette Dubey give strong performances as the preoccupied parents of Aditi (Vasundhara Das) the daughter who tries to do the right thing by entering into an arranged marriage despite her passion for her former boss and married lover Vikram (Sameer Arya). Nair doesn't shy away from taboo topics as the arrival of a family friend leads the orphaned older niece Ria (brilliantly acted by Shefali Shetty) to expose a terrible secret from her past that threatens to break up a long friendship. Meanwhile Rahul (Randeep Hooda) an NRI from Australia and Ayesha (Neha Dubey), Aditi's promiscuous cousin act on each other's attractions towards one another under the very noses of the elders. Never one to lose sight of the labor class, Nair tenderly portrays the blossoming romance between wedding planner Dubey and the pretty young servant girl Alice (Tilotamma Shome).
Despite brilliant performances by Naseerudin Shah as the dutiful father and uncle, Lilette Dubey, Rajiv Vaaz and Shefali Shetty, Monsoon Wedding is not without its weaknesses. The hand-held camera, a by-product of the low budget makes the film look at times more like a home video taken by the unsteady hand of a thirteen year old. Wavering shots, extreme close-ups and noticeable breaks in the film are distracting. Also disappointing was the pallid performance given by Vasundhara Das. As the confused bride, Das pouts and blinks, but for all her lip -biting and knit eyebrows, she appears to be acting in her own film. One begins to wish that she would return to her old lover and allow a romance to blossom between her understanding fiancˇ (Parvin Dabbas) and her more mature and worldly-wise cousin Ria.
But Nair once again surprises at the end and manages to serve up a Bollywood style-ending that allows for an enjoyable distraction on any rainy, if not monsoonish afternoon.
65 Expected a little more thunder.
It's fun but Mira Nair hasn't been able to find her step since the phenomenal success of "Salaam Bombay." The acting is very natural, the cinematography is gorgeous, and you get a modern portrait of India, rather than some bloated view of its colonial past. There are lots of witty lines and it is a good story that pulls you along, but somehow it doesn't quite come together in the way I had hoped. Mira rather deftly handles the "family secret." But, she floods the screen with incidental characters, rather than reveal the deeper layers of her main characters. Fortunately, the actors convey a lot with their gestures.
66 monsoon wedding
Fantastic. Reminded me of my own Punjabi wedding in Delhi (minus the child abuse). The dialogs, dancing, and interactions captured the essence of Indian life for most middle-upper class Indians.
The movie exudes the importance of rituals, something we so casually dismiss in the US.
67 Bolywood Delight
Monsoon Wedding was a wonderful film. The main characters in this film were very complex and interesting.. There were five interweaving stories in this film. all of these were centrifugal to the wedding. As a Panjabi, I beleive they captured the culture very well. Mira Nair should win an oscar for directing this production. if you are a big fan of Indian music you'll love this film. It mixes old bollywood style with a new flavour. Ultimately I give this film THREE thumbs up.
68 Bolywood Delight
Monsoon Wedding was a wonderful film. The main characters in this film were very complex and interesting.. There were five interweaving stories in this film. all of these were centrifugal to the wedding. As a Panjabi, I beleive they captured the culture very well. Mira Nair should win an oscar for directing this production. if you are a big fan of Indian music you'll love this film. It mixes old bollywood style with a new flavour. Ultimately I give this film THREE thumbs up.
69 Hilariously Funny! Mira Nair At Her Best!
Without a doubt, this is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. This was the first time in my life that I had to pause a movie while I was watching it because I was laughing so hard that I almost urinated in my pants. I happen to be Indian, so I found added humor in all the hilariously foul words spoken in Hindi throughout the movie.
The movie itself consists of two very compelling plots, one a major while the other a minor plot. The major plot concerns the wedding of Aditi, an Indian girl, to a "NRI" (Non-resident Indian) boy from the United States. Amidst the logistical chaos of marrying this boy, Aditi faces the added task of breaking off her relationship with a married man whom she had hoped would leave his wife for her. On top of that, she must break the news of her affair with this man to her husband-to-be. It's a moving story about loyalty, betrayal, and putting someone's past into perspective.
Equally compelling is the sub-plot dealing with P.K. Dubey, the high-strung wedding planner who secretly laments the fact that he has successfully organized dozens of weddings but still hasn't found a bride to call his own. This character provides most of the funny parts of the movie, and some of the most touching ones as well. You'll fall in love with Dubey, and you'll cheer for him as he attempts to win the heart of a peasant girl.
The only reason why I didn't give this movie a 5 star rating is because of the controversy that it stirred up in the Indian community; some of it which I consider to be legitimate. Indians are proud people who think themselves to be morally elevated, and many were upset to see a movie featuring Indians who freely blurt vulgarities, consume alcohol to the point of intense intoxication, and partake in pre-marital sex and extra-marital affairs. Mira Nair might make movies about Indian people, but she doesn't necessarily represent their values and beliefs, and she deserves a little discredit for selling-out. Regardless, you'll certainly get your money's worth after watching this movie. Monsoon Wedding is worthy of strong recommendation.
70 Beautiful slant on an Indian world
If you don't count the hour I spent watching Lagaan (I tried to rent that one first, but it was out), Monsoon Wedding serves as my first introduction to the illimitable products of Bollywood, Bombay's equivalent for the American film scene. Put plainly, the movie is a gorgeous, light-hearted piece of visual fluff, proving a wonderful introduction into Indian life but possibly a bit over-the-top for the more critically minded viewer.
Take the plot, for instance. It hinges upon the wedding of the only daughter of the father (whose name, I don't believe, was ever mentioned in a conspicuous manner). As many weddings are even in present day India, the couple is arranged, and the first, inevitably awkward meeting is at the engagement party, set only a week or so before the wedding. Yet the couple's whirlwind courtship proves only the backdrop: the real drama plays out in the various inter-personal relationships within the family unit. Who loves whom seems to be a popular topic. The wedding organizer takes one look at the comely servant and cannot forget her, nor does any of the resulting entanglements changes his heart. The sparks flying off the exchange student and the bride's lovely cousin are measurable in the rise of temperature. Who is seducing whom? Who has previously been seduced? With such a tangled web the watcher cannot be sure. What is certain, however, is that we are entranced by the telling even as we realize its unreality.
The beautiful scene New Dehli presents to the Occidental viewer enhances this sense of otherworldliness. The director often chooses to add slices of every-day Indian city life throughout the picture: glorious colors continually overwhelm, as do the hordes of people and traffic that run through the narrow and crowded city streets. Though the pieces themselves are obviously shot from real life, the color and tableau-like quality make India seem like paradise, one which those of us in the West may wistfully enjoy, but never fully comprehend. The ritual of the wedding and its preceding ceremonies creates this same feeling: the entire party knows what words follow each other in succession, and they can all sing the tune as well. When the entire group gets up and begins to dance, their spontaneous gaiety is natural and carefree, born out of knowing that no matter what they do, they belong.
Though there is a difference in classes, as shown clearly by the wedding scene, it is beyond this movie to do any explorations of any topic other than the superficial. The story almost has too many threads as it is, and so to remain light-hearted, it is fitting that it gloss over such problematic details. Other, more problematic details (abuse, infidelity) aren't glossed over, but instead are dealt with in such a quick manner as to show the movie's true emphasis. And that? That is to resolve a couple of problems, to have fun, and most of all, to make us feel good about the world, ourselves, and India in particular. Arranged marriages really aren't all that bad, are they? Indian families are all large and boisterous and happy. And the caste system prevents no one from finding his or her true happiness. But in the end, (and despite my griping) I had a wonderful time watching it, and in that respect, Monsoon Wedding is a complete success.
71 Blissful Wedding in Rain with Shower of Marigold Flowers
India is the country where more than 600 movies are produced every year. You might know the name of acclaimed directors like Satyajit Ray, but most of these films are in fact pure entertainment, dealing with very romantic love, and they are all full of dancing and songs, each film often running as long as 3 hours.
Mira Nair's latest film goes (partly) back to her roots, and though "Monsoon Wedding" is not a musical, it gives good love stories and many beautiful songs, just old Hollywood romances did in the 1950s. If you have seen any Indian films -- particularly so-called Bollywood films (though not all Indian films are made in Bombay), "Monsoon Wedding" might be the best starting point for you.
The film has two love stories: one about the bride Aditi Verma, who is living in New Delhi, and going to marry Hemant Rai, a computer expert in America. They will be married four days later in a traditional fashion, and their father Lalit Verma is really worried about the delayed preparation of the wedding. And the father of the bride has to welcome all the relatives coming from all over the world, as the chief of the family. But the bride Aditi is not as happy as she should be, because, as you will see, she cannot still forget the memories of her old love.
The other love story goes alongside with the first one, describing the budding love between the wedding planner of this ceremony P.K. Dubey, and a timid girl Alice, maid working at the Verma family. Fast-talking Dubey falls for this innocent girl immediately, and shy Alice too for him, and as they are working for the preparation of the rich Vermas, they are going to know that the day of happiness is coming for them, too.
Of these two loves in "Monsoon Wedding," the former one traces a rather old-fashioned way, maybe looking too soap-opera-ish to some people. Actually, many Bollywood films have similar stories, but as this film is much shorter than them, it is regrettable that the first story about the Verma family's wedding goes too fast.
However, it is the second love story that makes up for any inadequate development of the other. The wedding planner, who complans that he has never planned his own wedding, finally finds his love, and when he proposes before his girl, with a charming token of love made from flowers of marigold, the scene will stay with you forever, making many of you choked with tears.
Director Mira Nair, thus coupling two loves among each class of society -- high class and working class -- implies the existence of problems in India, using skillfully the emsemble cast surrounding the rich Verma family. The characters are all well-drawn with balanced view from the director, and though she never loudly accuses anything, Nair never fails to remind us that even the father of the bride, apparently all-powerful status of the family, has many things to worry about, making him a very humane figure. She even goes further than we expect, courageously suggesting a horrible sin in the family, something hideous which I ought to leave for you to find.
But the most attractive part of "Monsoon Wedding" is the blissful feelings of the wedding ceremony (you can see two), and that feelings are the charm of the film. The film starts with a little bit in "DOGMA" style (the photographer being Declan Quinn, brother of actor Aidan), with a moving handy digital camera shooting the daily life of the Indian family, but wait! it slowly builds up to the happiness of this family. Yes, I can say the film invites you exactly to the "Monsoon Wedding," and you will definitely share the bliss of the moment. And the last song is so bewitching!
72 A Rainy Wedding!
There is a wedding in four days for the daughter of Lalit Vermat and it is stressing him out both emotionally and economically. Lalit is struggling to keep it together with the event organizer, P.K. Dubay, who is pondering over life more than working. Meanwhile, the daughter is trying to see her lover before the marriage, and the mother is on Lalit's case about their dreaming son. On top of this the older daughter, who is still unmarried, is hiding something from the family and a cousin is falling in love during the situation. When a woman says, "only brave warriors fall from their horses in battle, how can a kneeling coward know what a fall is?", she sums up the film's lesson.
73 Fabulous movie ruined by crass commercialism
Let me begin by saying that Monsoon Wedding is an utterly fantastic film. Everything everybody else said to praise the film in their reviews is absolutely correct.
Why am I giving such a terse review and such a low rating, then?
Well, as some of you know, DVDs have a mode where they can disable most of the user controls -- you can't fast forward or search backward, you can't skip to a different chapter, you can't even enter the DVD menu.
Most movies use this strictly for the copyright notice. This doesn't bother me at all.
The Monsoon Wedding DVD, which I just purchased and brought home and sat down with a friend who had never seen the film to watch, uses this mode to force you, each and every time you want to watch your copy of Monsoon Wedding, to watch a trailer for another movie and a commercial for the Monsoon Wedding soundtrack.
Even if you've seen these commercials a thousand times, still, you have to pay your dues and sit through the advertisements before you'll be allowed to watch your movie. Not only can you not skip them, you can't even fast forward through them.
You'll know every word of these commercials as well as you know the movie. In fact, one could say that they've been more or less integrated into the movie by tying the two inextricably, except that at least with the movie you can skip to chapters you like or watch only parts, whereas theres no way around these if you wish to watch the film.
...
74 ALL IN THE FAMILY
This is another outstanding film by director Mira Nair, who has previously directed such wonderful films as Academy Award nominee "Salaam Bombay", the lush and erotic "Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love", and "Mississippi Masala". This is a director whose very touch turns all her films to gold. She is truly an artist, and her films are palpable with feeling and emotion that move the storyline.
Though a low budget film, it features high budget, quality acting, as well as an absorbing story and world class direction. It focuses on the arranged marriage of a young, upper class, Punjabi woman in Delhi, India, which is a mecca for Punjabis. It offers a birdseye view at a family in transition, one that is ringing in new values, while maintianing the old ones. Moreover, as in all families, there are many joyous moments, as well as troubling ones.
While the focus is on the wedding celebration and all the preparation and rituals surrounding it, there are five subplots in the film, all of which are interesting, but it is the acting by the ensemble cast that makes the film so memorable. Naseeruddin Shah gives an award calibre performance as Lalit Verma, the financially strapped patriarch who wants all to go right with the wedding, but who, at the eleventh hour, is forced to confront a secret tragedy from the past and make a decision that shows his sensitivity and love for his family. His is truly a magnificent performance.
Shefali Shetty, with her large, expressive eyes, is superb as Ria Verma, Lalit's dead brother's daughter, who is forced to reveal a terrible secret from her past in order to prevent a tragedy from taking place in the present. She gives a performance so soulful that the viewer cannot fail to be moved. Aditi, the daughter who is to be married, is a walking paradox, agreeing to an arranged marriage, while simultaneously having an affair with a married man. The role is beautifully played by relative newcomer, Vasundhara Das, who in real life is an Indian pop star. Her prospective bridegroom, Hemant Rai, is played with modern sensiblility, by the very attractive Parvin Dabas, a real life, male fashion model, in his first silver screen role.
Vijay Raaz, in a breakout performance as P. K. Dubey, the wedding events coordinator, adds a deft comedic touch. It is his poignant wooing of the Verma family's maid, Alice, that nearly steals the show. Look for the nightime marigold scene in which Dubey puts Shakespeare's Romeo to shame. Tilotama Shome, in her first silver screen role, brings a subtle, sensual shyness to the part of Alice that is touching. Theirs is an interesting coupling, as P. K. Dubey personifies the new India, with his cell phone, his entreperneurial flair, and his email address, while Alice, the shy servant girl who is always dressed in a sari, seems to symbolize a more traditional India.
The film is a polyglot of languages, with English, Hindi, and Punjabi spoken at different times by various family members. I confess that I found it a little confusing to have the subtitles crop up, on and off, and I also found the English spoken a little difficult to understand, at times. So, thanks to DVD technology, I was able to watch the film with English subtitles on the entire time, so as not to miss a thing. The cinematography is beautiful in this film, with lush, vibrant colors throughout. The occasional use of handheld cameras throughout the film gives it the feel of a docudrama, at times, which is very effective, as the film is a voyeuristic look into a family. Moreover, this filming technique adds to the cacaphony of feeling and emotion that abounds in this film.
The DVD offers a limited number of features, the most interesting one being the director's commentary, which is an insightful look into the making of the film, as well as the backround and reasons for each scene. It is clear that for the director, who is herself Punjabi, this film was a labor of love. Bravo!
75 A disappointing English/Indie film
When my family saw this film, we thought that it would be good. Strangely, we were disappointed. The acting and dialogues come across as faked. The costumes were Ok. The cast could have been better. As for the music, the only good pieces were the bumbling 'Madhorama Pencha' and the melodious 'Chunari Chunari'. If you love good movies, then you had better avoid this film.
76 Simply the emptiest imaginable project
I wouldn't even call this a film. It looks like one long MTV video, or a hip, happening tourism commercial. Depressingly shallow, the movie never tries to convey anything at all. I felt like someone told me interminable, tedious, mild stories about their family, while the TV played in the background, and someone arranged flowers nicely in the foreground. The 'making-of' documentary on the DVD showcased the glibness of the director, so impressed by cellphones and computers side-by-side with pigs and saris, that she completely lost sight of the fact that texture does not make a tale.
77 Absolutely the best foreign movie I watched recently
when the movie finished, I actually wanted to stand up and apploude the director and the actors.
What a beautiful way to capture the colors, and a great, funny story to watch.
Not just another foreign movie, it is artful.
Absolutely, Loved it!
78 Monsoon Wedding
This delightful film, gives us an insight to the problems and pressures of the young struggling with traditions, parents who are beginning to live beyond their means, and abuse problems that have been kept hidden and must now be faced. There isn't a culture on the planet that cannot identify with the many issues addressed in this film. The performances were first rate and quite natural, and the music was wonderful.
79 Indian celebration
This film is about an arranged marriage between the daughter of a upper-middle class Indian family in Delhi, and the son of an Indian family who have relocated to Texas. The film begins as the father, expecting guests to arrive from around the world, juggles last minute wedding details.
In all of the flurry and fuss that surrounds the wedding, few people notice that the bride seems somewhat distracted by a previous love affair, or that an orphaned cousin seems a little uncomfortable in the presence of her uncle, the accepted family patriarch. But all these troubles are resolved by the end of the film.
The sub-plot of the film involves the Indian version of the 'wedding planner'--a lower-caste Indian named Dube who catches the eye of a servant girl. Dube was an incredible character with all of his drive, ambition, and the latest gadgets. The film cleverly made a statement about the caste-system, but it was subtle and elegantly woven into the film.
This was a wonderful film--the colours, the music, the vegetation--everything was lush and rich. I loved seeing the Indian relatives converge on the household--there were Indians from America, Indians from Australia, etc. The subtitles are mixed with some English and a patois that is utterly charming.
80 Delightful
This movie was just delightful. The clash of the old and the new in the guise of an Indian wedding was so well done -- an Indian version of "Father of the Bride" where everything that can go wrong does.
This family comedy takes place almost entirely within the walls of the bride's family home as they make the preparations for this arranged marriage. Relatives arrive from all over, as does the family of the groom. The house grows increasingly loud and the tension rises accordingly. The characters are never really introduced and I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out who was who.
There is a lot of conventional typecasting in this movie, but that seems to work in a comedy (although the subplot of the lascivious uncle is not funny). The comedy is in the clash of old customs with the new ways of doing things and the logistics of accommodating both.
Great cinematography combined with a lush setting and great music made this an enjoyable movie.
81 boring and pointless
I guess I have to be in the right mood to see a movie like this, but I could not stay interested in it at all. I liked movies such as Gosford Park, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, etc. But those movies usually had interesting characters, plot intrigue, and some humor mixed in to keep the movie upbeat at least a little. This movie had none of that. I did not care about any of the characters. It was mostly depressing (when not boring) and the sporadic use of subtitles was annoying and distracting. The plot was straightforward-almost like a documentary. My wife did not care for this film either so I am truly astounded by all the positive reviews. I would pass on this one.
82 Great Big Fat Indian Wedding
As indicated by my title for this review, this movie has all the fun and joy attributed to Nia Vardalos' successful comedy, 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding', albeit told at a slower pace in a mixture of English and subtitled Punjabi which may or may not prove daunting to some viewers. However, 'Monsoon Wedding' even with all its fun, has an added dimension, capturing both the stress and happines of a Delhi family as it prepares for the huge four-day Indian wedding ceremony. At first, the audience watches with sufficient interest the variety of ritual activities (which are explained in adequate detail on the movie's website)and then with mounting scrutiny as the events trigger reactions of internal angst, anger, trepidation and a spectrum of other emotions for many of the film's main characters and threaten to thow a number of ill-timed monkey wrenches into the well-oiled wedding machinery.
A few of the peccadilloes to be surmounted: The bride-to-be has never before met her intended husband, an engineer from Houston, Texas. The groom is expecting a virgin bride, not realizing that she has been having an affair with her married boss. The father of the bride has over extended himself financially throwing a wedding he cannot really afford. One of the bride's cousin must deal with a treacherous secret from her past regarding an older family member. And most charming of all, the wedding consultant falls head-over-heels for a young family servant and can barely concentrate enough to get the huge tent up in time in case of the threatening monsoon rains.
I recommend this film to anyone who enjoys watching and participating in family drama. The culture and ceremony may not be familiar, but certainly the ties that bind us as kin to one another are universal,relegating the particulars meaningless.
83 colorful, joyous Indian film
Occasionally, we Americans are treated to a delightful foreign film. I suspect that lots of these are made every year, but the powers that be long ago decided that we have neither the patience nor the inclination to watch them. One that did get through was the joyous Indian treat, "Monsoon Wedding".
A family in Delhi is overjoyed after one of its daughters accepts an arranged marriage with a successful Indian engineer who lives in Houston, TX. The girl's reason for accepting isn't out of respect for tradition. She's simply given up hope that her married lover will ever divorce his wife. When the prespective groom arrives, he turns out to be a really nice guy, and the bride-to-be agonizes over whether or not to be honest about her past. Meanwhile, the man hired to build the wedding tents finds himself head over heels in love with the family's shy young maid.
There are lots of laughs in "Monsoon Wedding", as well as many witty and insightful observations about middle-class Indian society. While there is a fascination in seeing some of the more exotic aspects of life in India, the most satisfying aspect of the film is its way of showing how universal the joys of love and of family are.
Typical of cosmopolitan families outside of the USA, the characters often switch from one language to another while speaking. In this case, they speak Hindu, Punjabi and English. I know some moviegoers can't stand subtitles, but, to me, the use of multiple languages simply adds to this film's charms.
84 Fabulous movie!
As an Indian, this movie hits close to home. I have been to several weddings in India, and this is an exact depiction. The chaos, the drama, the color, arranged marriages, the large cohesive families - this is exactly how "Punjabi" marriages are. I just couldn't resist watching this movie over and over, without ever getting bored! Kudos to Mira Nair for wonderful work!
85 This is what movie-making is all about.
As the movie slowly navigated its way through the introductory scenes, I began to think I was in for one of those boring international films with all the excitement of sludge drying. But as the plot developed and the characters became more comprehensible, it became a truly exciting and heart-touching production. It is one of those special gems that can be watched over and over, with new facets and insights coming out in every viewing.
Let's be clear about this. Monsoon Wedding is about relationships rather car chases and exotic weaponry. But I can honestly say, watching this movie was one of the most exhilirating and heartwarming experiences I have had in a very long time.
86 Hilarious, Touching and Real!
I loved this film! It centers around a young girl who is having an affair with a married man, but is tired of waiting for him, and decides to enter into an arranged marriage with a total stranger. Actually, there are many charming substories occuring within the main plot. The budding love between the wedding planner and the servant is especially touching. The film's soundtrack is excellent too, and the director was able to incorporate dancing and music into the film WITHOUT turning it into a musical! Yes!! It's also a wonderful look into the lives of Indian families today. English seems to be spoken much of the time, and even though the old traditions are still a huge part of their lives, the youth is progressive, modern, and worldy. "Monsoon Wedding" managed to make me think, laugh my head off, and cry my eyeballs out all within two hours! Really I recommend it highly. One of my favorite new films in a LONG time!
87 Delightful!
I fell in love with the characters in Monsoon Wedding and enjoyed learning about modern day Indian weddings. At times the characters are a little hard to follow, as the family is huge and characters often talk at once. I loved the music, dancing, and scenery and would recommend thid movie to anyone.
88 One chick-flick with curry coming up!
Women will love this Indian film (half in English/half in sub-titles) about women and their friends, loves, fiances, families, children, emotions and relationships, relationships, and more relationships. Nothing happens but a wedding. Anyone who has ever gone to a large ethnic family wedding and get-together will experience Deja-vu. Guys will find this about as interesting as an Oprah re-run starring Dr. Phil and filmed in Bombay. Predictable and boring. Left me thinking, "So what?" The music is a mix of Indian and Western dance music and is lively, though. You can skip this one unless you loved "Beaches".
89 A cinematic pageant for all the senses
MONSOON WEDDING is one of the most sumptuous visual banquets available for viewing. This is Indian film making at its best. The story is as multilayerd as the intricate Indian paintings which combine all the mysteries of Hindu philosophy, mythical beasts and beautiful damsels, and arrogantly handsome warriors. Mira Nair has woven this opulent traditional Punjabi wedding celebration with quality threads of statements about current affairs of the heart in Delhi, changes in the caste system, the humor that abounds in family gatherings, and the profoundly honest commitment to honor among these animated characters. The musical score is a delight, the colors are glorious, the use of monsoon rains adds to the joy rather than the ususal spoiling of manmade events by natural weather anomalies. All of the actors are fine and the ensemble sense achieved is akin to the celebration of life that is part of the Punjabi mentality (as sensitively and joyously stated in the Director's comments that accompany this DVD). Sharpen your ears as the dialogue is in English, Hindi, and Punjabi and it is difficult at times to understand the 'untranslated English' lacking subtitles!
90 Very well made movie
Its a very well made movie with great music, acting and direction. A must see
91 Amzing in these days
i found utter peace in this movie, it bought me nothing but happiness, fun and great music.
It is worth to watch over and over again.
92 Rain-Soaked Romance in the Real World
The rain-soaked scenes in this movie are nothing short of visual intoxication. With the rain comes a feeling of renewal and child-like exuberance
Mira Nair is a director who brings a sense of soul and passion to her movies. As in her movie, Kama Sutra, you become so absolutely entranced, you forget you are watching a movie and imagine you are living within one of the character's minds. While the Kama Sutra movie is intoxicatingly erotic, this movie focuses on contemporary culture and is a window into a world you would otherwise never see unless you traveled to India. Together with the writer, Sabrina Dhawan, she has woven the ancient traditions of a Punjabi wedding with the life and pulse of contemporary India.
It is a more realistic expression of the culture and cares of modern society. The R-rating seems mostly for swearing which is at times comical although mostly unnecessary.
Delhi is a city where tradition collides daily with global culture. Mira Nair focuses on the family relationships taking place at an affluent farm-house on the outskirts of Dehli where women sing and dance in intricate silky saris.
While this is mostly a family comedy/drama, the director occasionally draws your attention back to the street life in India. She celebrates the sensual pleasures of cinema, while also succeeding in taking hold of your heart in the most interesting way. There is a sense of intimacy as she delves into the minds of her characters, revealing their hidden hopes, dreams, anxieties and well-guarded secrets.
What is most fascinating about this movie is the familial relationships. Family arrives from all over the world to attend the wedding. The dialogue shifts effortlessly and between English, Punjabi and Hindi reflecting the real India where speakers often use both English and Hindi in the same sentence.
The story begins four days before the wedding. A lavish garden ceremony has been planned at Aditis's home. Almost immediately, you are drawn into Aditi Verma's (Vasundhara Das) sorrow, her sense of loss during a moment in time where you would imagine she would be opening a new door in her life. Instead we see her ex-boyfriend (Vikram, her boss) closing a door as he walks back into his life.
Aditi's unmarried cousin, Ria (Shefali Chaya), watches her plunge herself recklessly into marriage and warns her that she might not want to devulge all her sexual secrets. Aditi hardly seems concerned that she is leaving India for a life as a housewife in Houston, Texas and that she has never met the man she is about to marry.
Rita is soon to devulge her own secrets and this highlights some intensely emotional situations where the devastating family betrayal brings out the absolute best in Aditi's father as he has to decided between family loyalty and a strong moral position. Some of the scenes in this movie show such intense love and care, they will take your breath away.
Aditi finally meets Hemant (Parvin Dabas), who seems to long for a pure innocent Indian bride who is a flower waiting only for him to pluck her from this sea of custom and take her back home to America. I would love to see Mira Nair take "Of Marriageable Age" by Sharon Maas and turn it into a movie. Hemant reminded me so much of "Nat" in her novel who was also looking for a sweet innocent Indian bride.
What he finds is a slightly wilting flower, still longing passionately for her ex-boyfriend. Drawn by destiny the couple has submitted to their parents wishes and while they both have known deep love, their commitment to this marriage is highly romantic. There is a beautiful moment where Aditi's fiancˇ forgives her for not saving herself for him and admits that he too has loved deeply and been hurt before. This moment brings out such respect in Aditi's heart and is a real turning point in the movie.
Aditi's father, Lalit Verma (Naseeruddin Shah) can't afford the ceremony and already the wedding planner has requested an additional fee to waterproof the tent in case of rain. As with any wedding, the wedding planner has to deal with last minute anxieties and the Bride's father is not at all pleased with the marigold archway which is disintegrating before his eyes as petals fall onto the ground, perhaps symbolic of his daughter's situation. He seeks solice in the arms of his wife Pimmi (Lillete Dubey) and they share some extremely touching moments that show their true love for one another.
P.K Dubey (Vijay Raaz) is responsible for the wedding and seems rather jaded and seems to have a penchant for eating marigolds which actually are a bit spicy. He has planned so many weddings and has yet to find his own true love. Alice (Tilotama Shome), the Verma's maid shows him a small kindness and gets his attention.
I found the Marigolds to be of interest. Marigolds have at different times stood for sacred affection, life, fertility, protection from evil, jealousy, faithfulness, and submission. These flowers make their appearance throughout the movie and seem to be symbolic in many ways. They are considered to be sacred and said to cure the trembling of the heart. This might be why Dubey keeps eating them as he is falling in love with Alice.
Monsoon Wedding will leave you feeling refreshed and longing for a sense of family and tradition in your own life. This is a beautiful expression of culture, creativity and connection with an emphasis on rain, romance and relationships.
93 I saw this movie in the theater
I enjoyed this movie. It highlighted many aspects of modern Indian society. Family, social class, traditions, sacrifice, education, and culture.
94 This is a wedding you wont want to miss.
The hardest thing about writing a story is giving it enough real depth without losing focus on the story. Monsoon Wedding is just that. After a long period of arrid and dust filled months it finally rains and cleans the air. The Monsoon is a deluge...just like this film. It is a deluge of stories. Each character has one...it's exactly like life.
Most movies lose the ability to portray the lives of all the characters involved, but Mira Nair does not back away from the challenge of bringing all the stories together. Some might think that this is a stereo-typical view of the lives of Indians. If you have ever been to India, you will know that this is not a stretch from reality. Social castes, social appearances, dark secrets, slick business practices, traditional ceremonies between the women, rebellion against arranged marriages, desires to find a love of your own, desires to know what it is like to be on the other side of the social coin, sexuality and acceptance....all of this is Monsoon Wedding. A real masala. This movie has heroes, villains, deep characters dressed in shallow images, shallow characters dressed in deep images. All reveal themselves in the course of this film.
Nair does her best to keep this from being a full blown Bollywoord flick and holds back until the scenes of the day before and the day of the wedding when song and dance breaks out like an Indian Rogers & Hamerstain musical. That is Indian cinema...and in case some didn't know it, although a resident of Canada, Mira Nair is Indian.
It's a great film and has a wonderful soundtrack. If you are expecting Deepa Mehta-esque type story telling...this is Mira Nair. Nair is a real genius for telling and filming a story. She is resourceful and incredibly open. By the time you see this review, it will be out of general cirulation in theatre..so go to Blockbuster and rent the DVD.
95 A Fabulous Romantic Surprise!... A MUST SEE!
This is an excellent, feel-good movie. It's got it's flaws...but it's certainly one of my favorite movies of all time! It's full of energy and fantastic characters. Nair approaches several topics that are rarely approached in most contemporary movies coming out of India...but she does so with both wit and a rare grace. The story line involving Alice, the household servant is refreshing and incredibly sweet. A fun movie, that deals with urban Indian families with a refreshing accuracy, without glossing over social complexities. An absolute delight!
96 Awesome Movie- at last on DVD
This movie is awesome. Story line is funny, but not in a Jerry Seinfeld way- it's more sophisticated in nature. A superb love story between a soon-to-be-married girl, who's also scoring her ex-bf when the wedding procedure is going on, with a US returned handsome young man. They had their respect for this arranged marriage, and the groom decided he'll continue with the m
