Set in modern India, the story weaves several storylines together during the events that lead up to a big wedding. The film is listed as subtitled, but I'd say only a third of it is in a foreign language, because all the characters speak English, Punjabi and Hindi (sometimes all in the same sentence). Filled with melodrama, romance, music and vibrant color, this film can cross language barriers anyway.
The main story centers on an arranged marriage between Aditi Verma (Vasundhara Das), a native Indian, and Hemant (Parvin Dabas), an Indian who works in Houston. Aditi agrees to the arranged marriage because she wants a change in her life from her married lover, who keeps promising he will divorce his wife. Another love story is between the gorgeous Ayesha (Neha Dubey) and Rahul (Randeep Hooda), the young, very modern visitor from Australia. Probably the most charming love story is between dorky wedding planner P.K. Dube (Vijay Raaz) and Verma's maid, Alice (Tilotama Shome). Lalit (Naseeruddin Shah) and Pimmi (Lillete Dubey) are the parents of Aditi and worry so much about their children.
Another big plot line deals with Ria (Shefali Shetty, in an impressive film debut), Lalit's niece, and a family friend, who molested her when she was young and hangs around the young girls too much during the wedding. Lalit owes a lot to the friend and has to cope with hard choices in dealing with the situation. In addition, Lalit struggles with his youngest son's "sensitivity" and his financial problems.
Director Mira Nair skillfully steers through the various stories, reminding me of a good Robert Altman (GOSFORD PARK, COOKIE'S FORTUNE) film. I liked how she handled the issues of arranged marriages and the blending of traditional Indian and Western cultures. I loved Lalit's line when he sees the decorators using the Western traditional white — what is this, a funeral?
The movie also works as a musical with various songs and dances worked in naturally. Another treat is the music, which adds a lot to the carefree festive feel of the entire picture. Whether you know what they are saying or not, you'll be humming the songs for days. The film transports you into a modern, upper-middle class Indian family and shows you the current merging of tradition and the modern dot-com age. If you want to put a smile on your face and feel like you've taken a comfortable trip to a far off land, watch this film.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
