One of the most visually beautiful movies to come out of Bollywood in the past several decades is Monsoon Wedding. There are many significant pieces of the Indian culture in this film. The movie was made in 2001 and was directed by a well-respected Indian woman named Mira Nair. The movie has many characters who have all gathered together for the arranged marriage and wedding celebrations of Aditi Verma (Vashundara Das) and Hemant Rai (Parvin Dabas.) The families come together to celebrate the union. They do not know that Aditi is really in love with someone else (a married man), and she struggles throughout the movie to accept that she will be marrying someone else that she barely knows.
Summary of Monsoon Wedding
The film follows the preparations for the wedding, including scenes dedicated to the wedding planner’s growing love for the family’s servant, Alice. Other characters in the movie help to move the plot along by participating in the many rituals. There is a lot of singing and dancing, and much of the wedding ceremonies include all the family and friends listening to each other sing. The colors in the film are beautiful, and the father of the bride-to-be even reiterates several times in the film that he doesn’t want any white in the wedding decorations. Everything must be in bright colors. This is demonstrated even more in the film by the recurring appearance of marigolds. The rich yellow is nearly everywhere around the house, and the wedding planner is often seen snacking on the flowers.
The environment away from the home in the crowded city is seen when the women of the wedding party go to a store to pick out their saris to wear. The streets are teeming with people, and many ride by on rickshaws that men are riding. While the women are walking, the streets are very muddy and uneven. It is interesting to see this part of India in the film because it is so completely different from all of the parts that viewers are used to seeing in the United States. The wedding eventually goes off successfully, and the bride determines that she really can fall in love with her groom. The families go through a lot to make sure that the event is a hit, but you can tell they all have a deep appreciation of each other.
Importance of Family in the Film
There is a strong emphasis placed on the importance of family in Monsoon Wedding. Everyone is there to support each other and there is much laughing and smiling. There is also a strong respect for elders. There are several parts in the film when the elders are required to bless the union and the bride and groom individually. There is an amazing appreciation for tradition, especially in the form of singing stories.
Music plays a crucial part in the ceremonies, and it seemed as though everyone had a chance to sing or dance in a solo part. While the whole family is very involved in traditions, the viewer could tell that the younger generations speak more English and gravitate more towards Western culture. The young people in the film spoke with more colloquial language and often used the same slang we use in the United States.
