Monsoon Wedding
Monsoon Wedding, directed by Mira Nair, is a story of a closely – knit, well – off Indian family reunited for the arranged marriage of Lalit (Naseeruddin Shah) and Pimmi (Lillete Dubey) Verma’s daughter, Aditi (Vasundhara Das) is set in the modern day New Delhi. Aditi will marry Hemant Rai (Parvin Dabas), a Houston – based software engineer, someone she barely knows.
The plot, which initially appears to be simple, will take a sharp turn as the audience witness, Aditi’s affair with her ex – flame, Vikram Mehta (Sameer Arya). As the wedding approaches, we see the arrival of Aditi’s relatives and friends, from her cousins to her in – laws to the wedding planner. From then on, a wide array of multifaceted and damaging relationships, begin to unfold (Mundhra NP).
The most remarkable thing about the film is its production values. It is brightly shaded with primary colors and other eye – catching hues that give each and every scene a life of its own. The lively colors of the wedding household give a powerful contrast to the city outside of its portals. The clever direction by Nair was matched by the witty cinematography of Declan Quinn. Furthermore, the tandem was complemented by the lavish production design by Stephanie Carroll. The combined forces composed a look that will surely satisfy the curiosity of the international audiences seeking to take a peak of Indian culture, while doing justice to that culture (Ibid, par. 1).
The musical score of the film synchronizes with all the other elements at just the right tune. After all, an Indian wedding will not be complete without music. In the film, it takes the spotlight as composer Mychael Danna effortlessly depicts the cheerfulness of the occasion while balancing it off with the gloomy moments through his clever musical score (Ibid, par. 2).
The film deserves a round of applause for not reducing itself to be a moralistic portrayal of the Indian marriage culture to the delight of its international audiences. Through this, the audiences are able to see things as they are without the outer trappings that rob it of its authenticity. There is no stopping Nair of educating his viewer as they are taken into a glimpse of the Eastern life. As a result, the audience becomes the honored guests to the wedding as the rest of the cast add to the simple ambiance as the story is told (Ibid, par. 3).
There are scenes in the film that is consumed by sentimentalism which all too familiar with movies of the same kind. Nevertheless, it did not spoil the rest of the otherwise jovial moments in the film. It just leads to the realization that after all, a wedding is a sentimental occasion indeed. It is a luscious take on the relationships that gives definition to a family which sets them apart from all the rest. It is a theme that surpasses all boundaries demarcated by culture, while remains the same thing that defines them (Ibid, par. 4).
As most of the characters in the film are Hindu, Monsoon Wedding is clearly not a Christian flick. This is true even though the characters have undergone moderate secularization. Secular Indians though remain true to their vow to monogamy. They spend the rest of their lives as one family and stick it out together against all odds. This serves as their distinction from their Western counterparts. In point of fact, Bollywood films have gained recognition for the optimistic take on the subject of marriage and morality (Noll NP).
The audience needs to watch out for the notices on the use of bad language in films. Most films rated “R” by the regulatory board contain sex, violence and foul language. There are no rules governing how much sex, violence and vulgarity prohibits Christian viewers to see a certain film. There are Christian who totally abstain from watching films of this kind. Nevertheless, Christian viewers should pass up every opportunity of watching pornographic or “X” rated films or even those with “R” on their ratings (Ibid, par. 6).
Then again, we can not confine viewers as they all exercise the liberty to decide which films tickle their fancies. In reality, there are Christians who prefer to watch “R” rated films. This is the kind which includes sex, violence and vulgarity but do not venerate whatsoever any untoward behavior (Ibid, par. 7).
In the real world, the use of vulgar words is close to impossible. For some people, it is just as inevitable like for example P.K. Duyebi of Monsoon Wedding. The audiences do not find it hard to relate to his character as he portrays a very human trait. Throughout the course of our lives, we are all in search for something better. In his case, he found the love in Alice, a Christian. However, truth be told Alice alone will not be able to clear Dubeyi mouth off his vulgar choice of words (Ibid, par. 8).
Love has been the most clichéd themes ever captured on film. Nonetheless, Nair’s ability to capture on film the different faces of love remains to be unparalled even after many attempts have been made to follow her lead. In most cases, love as a cinematic theme has been depicted as it dangerously strides on the verge of melodrama to sentimentalism. However, the love story has always been told about a man and a woman (Mundhra NP).
Love comes in all sizes and shapes. It is so universal that it seems to speak just one language. Regardless of race, color and culture, love remains to be our common ground. Love is a powerful force so powerful that it can sometimes get the better of us. As life is not always a bed of roses, so is it with love. We all struggle along the bitter pangs that come with the whole package at all possible expenses. But love remains the driving force that steers us through the everyday grind.
Without it, we seems to be at a lost, alone in an island where no one will seem to come to our rescue. Nevertheless, the imperfections of life are certainly what make it more worth living. It test our patience and our faith that against all odds we could still come out unscathed and even more stronger to live another day.
On the other hand, Naiz exploits all of these classics and injects so much more of her own. She has cleverly done so by breathing life a tapestry knitted with brightly – colored fancy and cruel certainty, satire and authenticity, the bliss of love as well as its nasty incarnations (Mundhra NP).
The film outlines five interconnected stories each of which traverse the many faces of love. Each story transcends culture, territories and ethics. It celebrates the modern Indian life never before captured on screen (Mirabai Film NP).
Nair and Dhawan, created a link between the old and the new, the conservative and the bold, the naïve and the sexual in the modern day India. The camera style employed in the film becomes the viewer’s eyes as they see through the lenses the kind of lives the characters portray. The audiences are ushered in to the Punjabi culture, Nair’s very own. Such culture is characterized as hearty, earthy and effervescent. All these set against a backdrop of lively Bollywood music accompaniment as endless serving of kebabs and whisky depicts the festive mood that makes it undeniably a Punjabi wedding (Ibid, par. 13).
The camera style was utilized in the film. It is the style usually employed in filming documentaries. The hand – held camera, switching back and forth takes the audience attention from one character to another. It moves around a crowded room while it runs after the characters whose all over the place at one time or another. A film shot entirely in this style can be exhausting for the audience even though many traditional set – pieces were injected to the scene when the sense of movement and action requires an undisturbed mode.
Moreover, this style primarily relies on the sense of movement – the wedding hues, the choppy, the witty exchange of words, the trips around the city, makes the audience behave like a wave after another. There are stoplights along the road though just when you think the finish line is near, another race begins. The camera style, at a certain extent can be exasperating and jarring to bear the entire length of the film (The Everything Development Company NP)
Work Cited
Monsoon Wedding. Dir. Mira Nair. IFC Productions, 2001.
“Monsoon Wedding.” 2008. IMDb.com, Inc. Retrieved February 8, 2008, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0265343/plotsummary.
“Monsoon Wedding, a new film by Mira Nair.” 2008. Mirabai Film. Retrieved February 8, 2008
“Monsoon Wedding.” 2008. The Everything Development Company. Retrieved February 14, 2008 from http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1240139.
Mundhra, Smriti. “Review of Monsoon Wedding.” 2008. IGN Entertainment, Inc. Retrieved February 14, 2008 from http://movies.ign.com/articles/354/354297p1.html.
Murphy, Gareth. “Monsoon Wedding.” 2007. Entertainment.ie. Retrieved February 14, 2008
Noll, Stephen. “MONSOON WEDDING (2001). Notes for Mars Hill Video Club.” 24 September 2007. Stephen’s Witness. Retrieved February 14, 2008.
;
