Monsoon Wedding

2001 Comedy

Following up on her controversial erotic drama Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love, Mira Nair directs this charming family drama about a very chaotic Indian wedding. Lalit Verma (Naseeruddin Shah) is a wealthy father who is trying to see that his daughter Aditi's wedding goes off without a hitch. Though familiar with Western ways, he has little patience with them and is dead set on seeing the nuptials done properly and traditionally. Disillusioned with her long time relationship with Vikram -- a man who is almost twice her age -- Aditi (Vasundhara Das) suddenly agrees to submit to an arranged marriage with Hemant, an engineer from Houston. Yet as the ceremony nears, she gets cold feet and returns to see her former lover -- even though it could spell disaster for everyone involved. Meanwhile, Aditi's comely 17-year-old cousin Ayesha is coming to terms with her blossoming sexuality and has her sights set on Rahul, another relative who is a college student in Australia. Then there is Rai -- also Aditi's cousin -- who has a shocking revelation to make. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto and Venice Film Festivals. At Venice, Monsoon Wedding won the prestigious Golden Lion award. more..

Director: Mira Nair

Starring: Naseeruddin Shah, Lillete Dubey, Shefali Shetty, Vijay Raaz, Tilotama Shome

Reviews

  • Contains an incest story line that's disturbing but shouldn't scare people away. Nair handles the subject with such grace and sensitivity that it becomes just another element in this complex celebration of family.

    - The San Francisco Chronicle

    26 April 2013

  • Sheer delight. An ensemble comedy-drama that recalls Robert Altman's best work.

    Jonathan Foreman - New York Post

    26 April 2013

  • The old-world-meets-new mesh is incarnated in the movie's soundtrack, a joyful effusion of disco Bollywood that, by the end of Monsoon Wedding, sent my spirit soaring out of the theater.

    Owen Gleiberman - Entertainment Weekly

    26 April 2013

  • Nair's movie, far from being paste, is a string of small, exquisite gems.

    Joe Morgenstern - The Wall Street Journal

    26 April 2013

  • One of those joyous films that leaps over national boundaries and celebrates universal human nature.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    26 April 2013

Awards

  • Outstanding Achievement in Feature Film

    American Choreography Awards (2002)

     
  • Performance in a Comic Role

    Awards of the International Indian Film Academy (2002)

     
  • Best Film Not in the English Language

    BAFTA Awards (2002)

     
  • Best Foreign Independent Film - Foreign Language

    British Independent Film Awards (2002)

  • Best Foreign-Language Film

    Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards (2003)