Human interactions flow ceaselessly around us. In this river of emotion, we rarely take time to step back and behold the depth and complexity of our words and actions.
"Monsoon Wedding" is a film that allows the viewer to gain this perspective, if only for a few hours. And while you are not watching your own life, the lives of those on the screen are universal in their love, anger, despair and joy.
"Monsoon Wedding," masterfully directed by Mira Nair, centers around the story of a Punjabi wedding in New Delhi, India. The characters in the film speak in English, Hindi and Punjabi (with English subtitles), effectively depicting the current linguistic state of India, with many upper and middle class residents being bi- and trilingual.
While India is a country rapidly modernizing, Aditi Verma (Vasundhara Das) is awaiting her arranged marriage (an age-old ritual) to Hemant (Parvin Dabas). Hemant lives in America as a computer programmer and the two had never met before. "Monsoon Wedding" follows the Verma family's anxiety and their different responses to the upcoming event.
The film plunges the viewer into the multi-faceted family life from the start and leaves you to sort out the characters as it progresses. Aditi's parents, Lalit (Naseeruddin Shah) and Pimmi (Lillete Dubey), are the key players in the film, serving as emotional anchors. Their concerns are numerous: Lalit is preoccupied with money for the wedding, the preparations for the wedding and his youngest son's failure to live up to his expectations, among numerous other problems; Pimmi focuses primarily with the happiness of her children.
As the film progresses, the family is revealed to be slightly dysfunctional: Lalit fails to accept anything but that which he sees as correct, and there is an uncle with a disturbing fondness for Lalit and Pimmi's daughter. But these aspects of the film are important, as it is through these trials that the joy "Monsoon Wedding" displays really shines through.
There are numerous subplots that complicate the film even further. For one, Aditi is agreeing to an arranged marriage largely because of her lover's unwillingness to divorce his wife, forcing Aditi to give up on him altogether. Yet their feelings for one another still exist and interfere with the upcoming marriage.
The movie also follows the lives of those peripheral to the family. One of the most interesting characters in the film is the event coordinator, P.K. Dubey (Vijay Raaz) who falls in love with the Verma family maid, Alice (Tilotama Shome). Dubey and Alice's shy relationship is a delightful theme of the movie, and eventually one of the most rewarding.
Enhancing "Monsoon Wedding" is the brilliant cinematography of Declan Quinn, who uses vibrant colors and wide camera angles to give the film a feeling of importance. The camera often cuts suddenly to a series of shots of the streets of New Delhi. This camera work extends the scope of the movie even further, reminding the viewer that all the events of the film are occurring within an enormous society and are just one slice of a whole. The cinematography helps the film in reflecting on the condition of mankind.
The acting is also quite excellent. In particular, Shah and Raaz give compelling and energized performances.
Another nice aspect of the film is the way music is seamlessly incorporated into the plot. While music is a trademark of Indian film, often it seems forced and out of place. "Monsoon Wedding" brilliantly blends story and music, life and song. With happiness comes dancing, and with sorrow, silence. In the end, the music is just another representation of joy in the film.
"Monsoon Wedding" is a must- see. One of the most creatively directed and visually overwhelming films to come out this year, "Monsoon Wedding" exhibits Mira Nair's adroit ability to take a facet of Indian culture that seems impenetrable to outsiders and make it shine, transcending nationality and tradition.
