Monsoon Wedding (2001)

Director:

Mira Nair

Writer:

Sabrina Dhawan (writer)

Release Date:

12 December 2001 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

The Rain is coming... and so is the Family.

Plot:

A stressed father, a bride-to-be with a secret, a smitten event planner, and relatives from around the world create much ado about the preparations for an arranged marriage in India.

Plot Keywords:

Female Director | Male Female Relationship | Sex In Car | Wedding | Bride

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 6 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Naseeruddin Shah	...	Lalit Verma
Lillete Dubey	...	Pimmi Verma
Shefali Shetty	...	Ria Verma
Vijay Raaz	...	Parabatlal Kanhaiyalal 'P.K.' Dubey
Tillotama Shome	...	Alice
Vasundhara Das	...	Aditi Verma
Parvin Dabas	...	Hemant Rai
Kulbhushan Kharbanda	...	C.L. Chadha
Kamini Khanna	...	Shashi Chadha
Rajat Kapoor	...	Tej Puri
Neha Dubey	...	Ayesha Verma
Kemaya Kidwai	...	Aliya Verma
Ishaan Nair	...	Varun Verma
Randeep Hooda	...	Rahul Chadha
Roshan Seth	...	Mohan Rai

Also Known As:

Mariage des moussons, Le (France)
Monsoon wedding - Matrimonio indiano (Italy)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, including some sex related dialogue.

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

India | USA | France | Italy | Germany

Language:

English | Hindi | Punjabi | Urdu

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Portugal:M/12 | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Hungary:14 | Malaysia:U (cut) | Malaysia:18SX (uncut) | Canada:PG (Ontario - 2007) | Finland:K-7 | Iceland:L | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:Livre | France:U | Germany:o.Al. | Italy:T | Peru:14 | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

New Delhi, India

Company:

IFC Productions

Trivia:

A large portion of the original footage (including the wedding itself) was ruined by an airport x-ray machine. The scenes had to be re-shot, when additional funds had been raised to do so, some months later.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Reflection of cameraman in car window when Tej starts to drive away with Aliya.

Quotes:

Hemant Rai: No sugar in mine.
Jai Chand: You've been brainwashed by America.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 2006 Independent Spirit Awards (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Aaja Nachle (Come On Dance!)

One of the most brilliant movies I've ever seen

Monsoon Wedding was perhaps one of the most brilliant films I have ever seen. It took me somewhere I'd never been, and by the time two hours were up, I felt at home.

A lot of the film's success was in the acting. Talented portrayals of deep complex characters who can make you laugh and cry in just minutes. I was amazed how easy it was to keep tabs on no less than 5 separate subplots without getting the characters mixed up or losing interest.

Another key to Monsoon Wedding's success was how the camera told as much story as the actors and dialogue. Lingering shots on a character who doesn't seem part of the action revealed so much more than dialogue could.

And the most amazing thing - this film was made in 30 days!! Couldn't believe it. Fantastic production values, mind, not like many other Indian movies I've seen. And down-to-earth realistic, not like Bollywood. Yes, there is singing and dancing, but in context, not every five minutes!

I don't have anything against Bollywood, but I'm glad to see that there is a higher standard of Indian film-making out there.