If so, what did you think? If not, you’re in for a treat. (spoilers ahead)
I loved it. The subplot of Dubey wooing the housekeeper was cute. And I loved the parents of the bride who were trying to keep themselves together amidst all the hassle of the wedding and the imminent loss of their daughter to marriage. There were so many great scenes in the movie. Still my favorite scene in the whole film was when the women were together singing while the bride was getting mendhi painted on her. It was a real bonding experience for them. I got the feeling that a whole lot of other stuff was going on in this scene, but I couldn’t tell what, as the ladies were singing in Hindi or Punjab. I also loved the cinematography. The shots of the family’s quiet home contrasted with the grittiness and noisiness of the city and the greyness of the rain. Another gorgeous shot was when Dubey came home to hear his mother lamenting his single status. He goes out on the rooftop, sits down, and Nair aims the shot so that the audience can take in Dubey as a small part of a large panoramic view of the city. It’s difficult for me to really take this film apart. From the costumes to the lush colors of the landscape, it’s just really pretty to watch. I liked the sense of family and all the undercurrents and tensions displayed, but I got the sense that there were plenty of inside jokes I didn’t get.
I loved it, too–the color, the humor, the sadness, this film was just abundant with life. I agree that there were a few ‘inside’ references and jokes that I didn’t get, but it did not lessen my enjoyment.
Families can certainly be so different, yet so alike.
As soon as my local music store gets it in, I plan on buying the soundtrack.
Oh, I didn’t mean to imply that the inside stuff I didn’t get detracted from my enjoyment of the movie. Actually it just intrigued me. I know next to nothing about India or its societies. I want to see this film again because I feel like just watching it once won’t let me get all the complexities that are going on. I loved it because it just felt as if Nair was welcoming the audience into her family for a brief time, and the story and the characters didn’t feel contrived or artificial at all. Yeah, and I’d be interested in getting the soundtrack too.
I loved this movie. The humor, the warmth, the scenery. The mendhi scene was one of my favorites. I’ve been wondering if the song they sing is traditional, because it looks like the kind of song that could be stretched out to fit everyone present, not just the fair one or the fat one.
The comedy was natural, as opposed to a lot of wisecracks and the like that real people would never say. The father had a lot of the funniest lines. “If you’re going to smoke use a better air freshener.” “We should just find him a boy.” “The idiot’s dancing!”
I kept waiting for the married boyfriend to pop up at the end of the film and spoil things for the bride and groom. The groom seemed like a genuinely nice guy, and he was incredibly cute as well. As the only other arranged marriage in a film that comes to mind is the one in Titanic, it was good to see parents who matched up a plausible couple.
Ballybay, after the scene where the bride drives off in her self-centered boyfriend’s car, I got the sense that she was quite done with him, and good riddance. I wasn’t expecting to see him anymore, but I sure felt sorry for his wife whom we never got to see in the film.
The married cheat was actually really well-played too. He looked so oozingly convincing that he was all interested in the bride to be when she came to see him in the opening parts of the film. But I liked how just before the bride gets alone with him, Nair shows him hosting a really cheesy talk show. He looked so jaded and so, well, ho’ish there.
I really loved the father and mother of the bride too, and I liked how they chose a decent fella for their daughter and how the bride after the final incident with her self-centered cheating boyfriend wised up, got up the courage to face her fiance and be honest with him. That was another very powerful scene in the film. She was willing to let him go if he couldn’t or wouldn’t accept her as she was, flaws and all, and the groom displayed just the right amount of anger and hurt, but he wasn’t hypocritical about her affair. He was realistic about what she’d done and willing to work with her to move past it. But back to the father, I thought that he was well drawn out because throughout the movie Nair shows him to be an advocate for his children. Even while he’s getting further and further into debt, insulting his boys–this I actually found very disturbing–and near the end telling off the pervert, he’s consistently looking out for his family.
Man, there are so many layers to this film. I’m just pleased as punch with it, and I’m excessively critical of films.
I’m just pleased as punch with it, and I’m excessively critical of films.