Films of Mira Nair: The Monsoon Wedding - Movie Review Example

The Monsoon Wedding Mira Nira is a well recognised film producer hailing from India but based in the United s of America withMonsoon Wedding as one of her major award winning films. Having her roots from Delhi in India, Mira is best placed to take us into the inner workings of the Hindu culture and traditions which have clear differences with the Western culture. The movie Monsoon Wedding falls under the category of Punjabi comedy with its setting in an upper middle class lieu in New Delhi with the main focus being the arranged wedding of the main character, Aditi Verma. In the course of the movie, Aditi happens to mention to her cousin, Ria that she wants to settle down and start a life even though Ria expressed he doubt in Aditi being ready for that step. This step is the main focus of this paper with relation to the understanding of the subject of arranged marriages in the West. According to most Westerners, the issue of arranged marriages emerges as an arbitrarily parental decision with no though of what the child wants in truth. The simples understanding of an arranged marriage is one that is established without a lengthy relationship between the two involved. In simple terms, it is the opposite of a love marriage in which a decision to get married is to intensify the solidity the already existing relationship. It is clear from the Monsoon Wedding that the subject of arranged marriage is of great importance owing to the fact that the members of the extended family arrived in New Delhi from all corners of the globe just to participate and bear witness to this auspicious occasion. Arranged marriage is seen as an object of a culture where the structure of the family is more superior to the individual. Aditi, the bride-to-be’s relatives arrived from different areas such as Australia, United States and definitely those based in their native state of India. It is a sure fact that the children being from different corners of the world, they were torn between their traditional culture and the culture in which they thrive in the Western world. The families of Aditi and the groom, Hemant Rai, prearrange their marriage and even though they have never met, before the few weeks preceding their wedding, they are not coerced into getting married. Hemant is a software engineer who lives in Houston, Texas while Aditi is a television producer living and working in India. Lalit Verma, the father of the bride-to-be is very concerned with organizing an enormous and memorable wedding for his daughter even though he is having trouble with his business and the wedding expenses would be weighty on the present conditions given that he is an international businessman. This is a clear indication of the importance of this marriage within the Indian society at that time. In India, the most important event for any family is a wedding as clearly portrayed by Mira, and this was a huge point of consideration of Aditi who had a secret that was known only by her. Aditi is engaged in an affair with her former boss, a local television show host, who is a married man and almost twice her age. Mira brings out through the film that Aditi is caught between her duty in complying with the arranged marriage and her passion for the illicit and reticent affair that was ongoing. Such a position gives more insight into the present stand of contemporary India divided between the possibilities of a global world and the respected traditions of its past. However once Aditi confesses this to her soon to be husband, Hemant, he gets very angry but finally calms down since she assures him that she would put the affair to an end. As much as physical attraction plays a large part in which we choose to relate with at an intimate level as is the case for most Western societies, arranged marriages are more analytical and look into several factors. This can be proven by the choice made by Lalit to pick out Hemant for Aditi. Some of the factors brought into consideration include the reputation of the likely candidate’s family, the prestige ascribed to the family and the amount of wealth amassed by the new family. Additional factors to consider are the height and colour of the prospective spouse along with the family and most importantly the medical status to avoid any serious hereditary disease. A majority of people from the western society or a family with western values therein, there is a high possibility of the belief that the main factor to consider a prospective spouse for purposes of marriage is love. Taking an in-depth look into the traditions in India that vouch for arranged marriages reveals that the Indian couples are expected to grow to love each other as they got a better chance to know each other. Studies reveal that being in love is not a god enough reason to get married since love of a fleeting emotion and so a whole range of factors need to be put into consideration as earlier explained. On many occasions however, arranged marriages are mistaken for forced marriages. A proper marriage is where both the people getting married enter into it at their free will. As earlier explained, arranged marriages are arranged by a party other than the prospective couple, say their parents but with the consent of the two involved. This is clearly illustrated in the marriage between Aditi and Hemant who were in agreement with the arrangement even without having previously met. On the other hand, in forced marriages, one or both on the individuals is coerced by use of pressure to marry against their will. Such can happen to any gender and age and is a form of violence against the individuals in question. Some of the known advantages of an arranged marriage can include the lessening of incompatibilities since the couple will be from the same religion and the same caste, they might even have trivial similarities such as the same dietary preferences; they might be from the same linguistic grouping and also the same socioeconomic status. As for the matter of marital expectation, since expectations are uncertain, the couple is pleasantly surprised of their working marriage. In terms of divorce, the rates are low. This can be attributed to the fact that in arranged marriages, the families involved do not believe in divorce as a way to deal with marital issues. For every coin however, there exists the flipside. The arranged marriage also has its negative side. Some of the disadvantaged include the individuals not having a choice of who will be their spouse. In an arranged marriage, it is imperative to satisfy the interests if the parent rather than those of the self. Also, love is not a priority in such a marriage since it is said to bloom after years spent together. Lastly, there are multiple chances of interference by the couple’s family hence not giving the couple a chance to enjoy the marriage. The problem of family interference especially affects the aspect of future planning since most decisions are affected by the family. This may not on the other hand be the case for all arranged marriages. In earlier ages, the understanding of arranged marriages was as a way of ensuring continuance of the caste system or racism in order to protect a particular community of the upper caste and thus maintain their social status. It is important to note that there exist different rituals and customs depending on the caste and religion of the people. The practice of the arranged marriages has over the years become synonymous with the culture and society of the Indians specifically with the main difference being less rigidity as opposed to yesteryears. Yet another touching subplot of the movie which Mira quite remarkably fixed into this romance cum comedy movie is the story of Dubey, the wedding planner and Alice, the house maid in the Verma household. The occurrence of a wedding for sure offers limitless prospective for romance to ignite between members of the wedding as was the case for these two. The smitten wedding planner took the bold step of approaching the young lady and as a result of this spontaneous love match, they got married in the rain after Dubey presented Alice with a heart made out of marigolds. Such happenings indicate the presence of possible love marriages even in highly cultural settings such as the one depicted in Monsoon Wedding. Progressively nevertheless, there have been considerable changes in the concept of arranged marriages. Nowadays, the parents show concern for the life of their children and seek the consent of the children before embarking on the arrangements. The parents have conceded with the fact that for an arranged marriage to be successful, they should give consideration to their children’s desires and likings. In addition to this, to ensure sustenance of the marriage, there must be mutual approval and understanding amongst the children and parents and most especially between the couple. Monsoon Wedding takes the viewer through the traditions of a Punjabi wedding while at the same time demystifying the stereotype that arranged marriages are not necessarily cold and without love. As one sits through the 114 minutes of this movie, we are brought into the traditions and culture of the Indians. Mira was crafty in causing her audience to understand the workings of the Indian culture while at the same time being conscious of the effect of globalisation in the region. Having looked at the different perspectives that the West has about arranged marriages, we can come to a more informed understanding of the importance of this type of marriage in relation to the culture of Indians who are the predominant participants. The movie also goes to show how present day Indians inculcate their traditional culture with modern ways. References Anonymous. Monsoon Wedding (2001) IMDb. Retrieved from http://www.m.imdbcom/title/tt0265343/plotsummary?ref_=m_tt_stry_pl Iyer, P. (2009) Monsoon Wedding: A Marigold Tapestry. The Current Criterion. Retrieved from http://ww.criterion.com/current/posts/1266-monsoon-wedding--a-marigold-tapestry Read More