39.50.7.148: /* Plot */

2021-08-11T11:18:56Z

Plot

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{{short description|2001 film by Mira Nair}}
{{more citations needed|date=February 2015}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2013}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Monsoon Wedding
| image = Monsoon_Wedding_poster.jpg
| caption = U.S. poster
| director = [[Mira Nair]]
| writer = [[Sabrina Dhawan]]
| starring = [[Naseeruddin Shah]] [[Lillete Dubey]] [[Shefali Shah]] [[Vasundhara Das]] [[Vijay Raaz]] [[Tillotama Shome]] [[Randeep Hooda]] [[Rajat Kapoor]] [[Jas Arora]]
| music = [[Mychael Danna]]
| producer = [[Caroline Baron]] [[Mira Nair]]
| editing = Allyson C. Johnson
| cinematography = [[Declan Quinn]]
| studio = [[IFC Films|IFC Productions]]<ref name=cnt/> [[Mirabai Films]] Delhi Dot Com<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kasbekar|first1=Asha|title=Pop Culture India!: Media, Arts, and Lifestyle|date=2006|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|isbn=9781851096367|page=182|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Sv7Uk0UcdM8C&pg=PA182}}</ref>
| country = {{ubl|India<ref>{{cite web|title=Monsoon Wedding (2001)|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/monsoon-wedding|website=[[Golden Globe Awards]]|access-date=30 January 2018}}</ref>|France<ref name=cnt/>|Germany<ref name=cnt/>|Italy<ref name=cnt/>|United States<ref name=cnt>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b86e6f142 |title=Monsoon Wedding (2001) - BFI |date=7 May 2017 |publisher=[[British Film Institute]]}}</ref>}}
| distributor = [[USA Films]]
| released = 30 August 2001 (première at [[Venice Film Festival|Venice]]) 30 November 2001 (Worldwide)<ref name="saw">{{cite web|url=http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/moviemicro/cast/id/508082|title=Monsoon Wedding: Cast and Crew|publisher=[[Bollywood Hungama]]|access-date=8 May 2014}}</ref>
| runtime = 113 minutes
| language = Hindi<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/monsoon-wedding-2001 | title=MONSOON WEDDING - BBFC | publisher=[[BBFC]] | access-date=26 March 2016}}</ref>
| budget = US$1.2 million<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2002/MONSN.php|title=Monsoon Wedding (2002) - Financial Information|website=www.the-numbers.com}}</ref>
| gross = US$30,787,356<ref name="boxofficemojo.com">{{cite web|title=Monsoon Wedding|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=monsoonwedding.htm|publisher=Box Office Mojo|access-date=9 April 2019}}</ref>
}}
'''''Monsoon Wedding''''' is a 2001 Indian [[comedy-drama film]] directed by [[Mira Nair]] and written by [[Sabrina Dhawan]]. The film stars [[Naseeruddin Shah]], [[Lillete Dubey]], [[Shefali Shah]] and [[Vasundhara Das]]. The story depicts romantic entanglements during a traditional [[Hinduism in Punjab|Punjabi Hindu]] wedding in [[Delhi]]. Dhawan wrote the first draft of the screenplay in a week while she was at [[Columbia University]]'s MFA film program.<ref>{{cite book|last=Muir|first=John Kenneth|title=Mercy in her eyes: the films of Mira Nair|year=2006|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation|isbn=1-55783-649-3|pages=166–7}}</ref> Although it is set entirely in New Delhi, the film was an [[international co-production]] between companies in [[India]], the United States, Italy, France, and Germany.

''Monsoon Wedding'' premiered in the [[Marché du Film]] section of the [[2001 Cannes Film Festival]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.screendaily.com/sony-classics-usa-turn-up-cannes-buying-heat/405742.article|title=Sony Classics, USA turn up Cannes buying heat|publisher=[[Screen International]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/may/19us4.htm|title=rediff.com US edition: Monsoon Wedding heads for the US|work=[[Rediff.com]]}}</ref> and went on to win the [[Golden Lion]] award and receive a [[Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Award]] nomination while grossing over $30 million internationally at the box office.<ref name="boxofficemojo.com"/> A musical based on the film premiered on Broadway in April 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-12-12/news-interviews/35750455_1_broadway-debut-mira-nair-vijay-raaz|archive-url= https://archive.today/20130426161551/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-12-12/news-interviews/35750455_1_broadway-debut-mira-nair-vijay-raaz|url-status= dead|archive-date= 26 April 2013|title= Monsoon Wedding to make Broadway debut in April 2014 |author= Garima Sharma |date= 12 December 2012 |work= [[The Times of India]]|access-date=24 February 2013}}</ref> In 2017, [[IndieWire]] named it the best romance of the 21st century.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.indiewire.com/2017/07/best-romance-movies-ranked-1201849113/|title=Best Romance Movies of the 21st Century, Ranked {{!}} IndieWire|last=Thompson|first=Michael Nordine, Anne|website=www.indiewire.com|access-date=2017-07-12}}</ref>

==Plot==
The film's central story deals with the organisation of an enormous, chaotic, and expensive wedding that is due to take place in a modern Indian family. Lalit Verma ([[Naseeruddin Shah]]) and his wife Pimmi ([[Lillete Dubey]]) have [[arranged marriage|arranged a marriage]] for their daughter Aditi ([[Vasundhara Das]]) to Hemant Rai ([[Parvin Dabas]]). Hemant is the son of a family friend who lives in Texas, and Aditi has only known him for a few weeks. As so often happens in Indian culture, such a wedding means that, for one of the few times in each generation, the extended family comes together from all corners of the globe, bringing its emotional baggage along.

Lalit and Pimmi are helped with the main planning by Pimmi's sister Shashi and her husband C.L ([[Kulbhushan Kharbanda]]), who have arrived earlier from Oman. A few days before the engagement, Tej Puri ([[Rajat Kapoor]]), Lalit's extremely wealthy brother-in-law, arrives from the U.S.. Tej is married to Lalit's sister and has helped the Verma family regain their financial footing after the [[Partition of India]] left them penniless many years ago. Tej offers to pay for Aditi's cousin, Ria Verma ([[Shefali Shah]]) to attend university in the U.S., after the family consults him for advice. Ria and her mother live with the Verma family, who took them in after the death of Ria's father. Despite his generous offer, Ria stays away from Tej and is not comfortable in his presence.

Lalit begins experiencing difficulty in paying for the final, smaller aspects of the wedding and is embarrassed when he has to borrow money from friends and colleagues. Meanwhile, P.K. Dubey ([[Vijay Raaz]]), the eccentric wedding planner, falls in love with Alice, the Vermas' maid. Ria grows concerned after she witnesses what appears to be Tej [[pedophilia|grooming a younger relative]], ten-year-old Aliya. Aditi's younger brother Varun (Ishan Nair) plans an elaborate dance for the pre-wedding party with another cousin, Ayesha ([[Neha Dubey]]), but Lalit worries that his son is becoming too [[Effeminacy|effeminate]] and plans to send him to boarding school. Dubey's workers see Alice trying on Aditi's wedding jewellery, and the men accuse her of stealing. The incident causes her to become withdrawn from Dubey and he grows depressed.

A few days before the wedding, Aditi sleeps with an old lover, her married boss Vikram; and confesses this to Hemant. The incident only serves as a reminder to Aditi as to why she stopped seeing Vikram. Though he is initially angry, Hemant is glad for her honesty and is confident that they can put it behind them and be happy together. The workers apologize to Alice and she reconciles with Dubey. The night before the ceremony, Varun refuses to dance due to the comments made by his father, and Ayesha performs with the help of Rahul ([[Randeep Hooda]]), Pimmi's nephew from Australia. Aditi and Hemant grow closer and they share a few intimate moments, which re-affirms their faith in the marriage. After a night of jokes, drama and dances, Ria catches Tej trying to take Aliya for a drive alone. Ria stops them from driving off and takes Aliya away from him, revealing to Lalit and others that Tej had molested her as a child. Lalit's sister does not believe her, attributing her accusations to her character and unmarried status. Emotionally distraught, Ria leaves.

The next day, Lalit pleads with Ria to return to the wedding, admitting that he can't possibly imagine what she has gone through but also saying that he can't disown Tej, since they are family. Ria is not happy but agrees to return for the sake of Aditi. Hours before the wedding, however, Lalit changes his mind and tells his sister and Tej to leave the wedding and the family home. Tej's wife insists that Ria's accusation was a small matter but Lalit stands his ground.

The Monsoon rains begin as Aditi and Hemant are married in an elaborate wedding, while Dubey and Alice simultaneously wed in a simple ceremony, and later celebrate with the Vermas. Ria moves on from her past life, and is finally able to freely enjoy the festivities.

== Cast ==
* [[Naseeruddin Shah]] as Lalit Verma
* [[Lillete Dubey]] as Pimmi Verma
* [[Shefali Shah]] as Ria Verma
* [[Vasundhara Das]] as Aditi Verma
* [[Vijay Raaz]] as Parabatlal Kanhaiyalal 'P.K.' Dubey
* [[Dara Singh]] as Kanhaiyalal Dubey
* [[Tillotama Shome]] as Alice
* [[Parvin Dabas]] as Hemant Rai
* [[Kulbhushan Kharbanda]] as C.L. Chadha
* Kamini Khanna as Shashi Chadha
* [[Rajat Kapoor]] as Tej Puri
* [[Randeep Hooda]] as Rahul Chadha
* [[Neha Dubey]] as Ayesha Verma
* Ishaan Nair as Varun Verma
* [[Roshan Seth]] as Mohan Rai
* [[Soni Razdan]] as Saroj Rai
* [[Jas Arora]] as Umang Chadha
* [[Natasha Rastogi]] as Sona Verma
* [[Ram Kapoor]] as Shelly
* [[Dibyendu Bhattacharya]] as Lottery
* [[Rajiv Gupta (Actor)|Rajiv Gupta]] as Delhi Cop in Rain Scene

==Reception==
Monsoon Wedding received positive reviews from critics on release. [[Roger Ebert]] rated the film 3.5 stars out of 4 and called it “one of those joyous films that leaps over national boundaries and celebrates universal human nature.”<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ebert|first=Roger|title=Monsoon Wedding movie review & film summary (2002) {{!}} Roger Ebert|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/monsoon-wedding-2002|access-date=2020-11-23|website=rogerebert.com/|language=en}}</ref> Sandi Chaitram of [[BBC]] gave a positive review and wrote “she (Mira) successfully creates the opportunity for tense drama, which does not stifle the overall feelgood nature of the film, or impede the finale's (somewhat cheesy) confirmation of family love.”<ref>{{Cite web|title=BBC - Films - review - Monsoon Wedding|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2001/12/28/monsoon_wedding_2001_review.shtml|access-date=2020-11-23|website=www.bbc.co.uk}}</ref> [[Review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]] reports that the film holds a 95% approval rating, based on 120 reviews by critics, with an [[Weighted mean|average score]] of 8 out of 10.<ref>{{Citation|title=Monsoon Wedding (2002)|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/monsoon_wedding|access-date=2019-02-18}}</ref>

==Soundtrack==
{{Unreferenced section|date=February 2015}}
The soundtrack includes a [[qawwali]] by [[Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan]], a [[ghazal]] by [[Farida Khanum]], a Punjabi song by [[Sukhwinder Singh]], an old Indian song by Rafi, a folk dance song.
The film includes an [[Urdu]] ghazal, ''[[Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo]] (Don't Be So Stubborn About Leaving Today)'' sung by Pakistani artist [[Farida Khanum]].
The song ''Aaj Mera Ji Karda'' is recreated by Indian musicians [[Tanishk Bagchi]] and [[Arjunna Harjaie]] for the film [[Lucknow Central]] starring [[Farhan Akhtar]].
{{tracklist
| all_music = [[Mychael Danna]] (except where listed)
| title1 = Feels Like Rain
| length1 = 0:28
| title2 = Kaavaan Kaavaan
| note2 = Performed by [[Sukhwinder Singh]]
| music2 = [[Sukhwinder Singh]]
| length2 = 5:11
| title3 = Baraat
| length3 = 2:13
| title4 = Aaj Mausam Bada Beimann Hai (*) [Today The Weather Plays Tricks on Me]
| note4 = Performed by [[Mohammed Rafi]]
| music4 = [[Laxmikant–Pyarelal]] (*)
| length4 = 3:20
| title5 = Your Good Name
| length5 = 3:38
| title6 = Delhi.com
| length6 = 1:41
| title7 = Fuse Box
| length7 = 2:31
| title8 = Mehndi / Madhorama Pencha
| note8 = Performed by Madan Bala Sindhu
| length8 = 3:26
| title9 = Banished
| length9 = 0:52
| title10 = Good Indian Girls
| length10 = 3:41
| title11 = Fabric / Aaja Savariya
| note11 = Performed by [[MIDIval Punditz]]
| length11 = 3:01
| title12 = Allah Hoo
| note12 = Performed by [[Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan]]
| length12 = 4:39
| title13 = Hold Me, I'm Falling
| length13 = 2:57
| title14 = Love and Marigolds
| length14 = 2:45
| title15 = Chunari Chunari (**)
| note15 = Performed by [[Abhijeet Bhattacharya|Abhijeet]] and [[Anuradha Sriram]]
| music15 = [[Anu Malik]] (**)
| length15 = 4:08
| title16 = Aaja Nachle
| note16 = Performed by [[Bally Sagoo]] feat. [[Hans Raj Hans]]
| music16 = [[Bally Sagoo]]
| length16 = 3:40
| title17 = Aaj Mera Jee Kardaa - (Zimpala remix)
| length17 = 4:56
| title18 = Fuse Box - Alex Kid's Dub Remix
| length18 = 6:14
| title19 = Fuse Box - Julio Black Remix
| length19 = 3:03

}}

* (*) Originally featured in the Hindi film ''[[Loafer (1973 film)|Loafer]]'' (1973)
* (**) Originally featured in the Hindi film ''[[Biwi No.1]]'' (1999)

==Awards==
{{Unreferenced section|date=February 2015}}
The movie won the [[Golden Lion]] at the [[Venice Film Festival]]. Mira Nair was the second [[India]]n (after [[Satyajit Ray]] for ''[[Aparajito]]'') to receive this honour.

===Won===
{{Unreferenced section|date=February 2015}}
* [[British Independent Film Award]] for Best Foreign Language Film
* [[Canberra International Film Festival]] - Audience Award ([[Mira Nair]])
* [[Independent Spirit Awards]] - Producers Award (Caroline Baron)
* [[Venice Film Festival]] - [[Golden Lion]] ([[Mira Nair]])
* [[Venice Film Festival]] - Laterna Magica Prize ([[Mira Nair]])

===Nominated===
{{Unreferenced section|date=February 2015}}
* [[BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language|BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Language Film]] (Caroline Baron, [[Mira Nair]])
* [[Broadcast Film Critics Association Award]] for Best Foreign Language Film
* [[European Film Awards#Non-European Film - Prix Screen International|European Film Award for Best Non-European Film]] ([[Mira Nair]])
* [[Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film]]
* [[Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Foreign Language Film]]
* [[Satellite Award for Best Foreign Language Film]]

==Home media==
This film was released on DVD in 2002. In 2009, it was released as part of the [[Criterion Collection]].<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.criterion.com/films/2364-monsoon-wedding|title=Monsoon Wedding (2001) - The Criterion Collection}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Amg movie|254705}}
*{{mojo title|monsoonwedding}}
*{{IMDb title|0265343}}
*{{Rotten Tomatoes|monsoon_wedding}}
*[https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1266-monsoon-wedding-a-marigold-tapestry ''Monsoon Wedding: A Marigold Tapestry''] an essay by [[Pico Iyer]] at the [[Criterion Collection]]

{{Mira Nair}}
{{The Golden Lion 1990–2009}}

[[Category:2001 films]]
[[Category:English-language Indian films]]
[[Category:2001 romantic comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:Golden Lion winners]]
[[Category:Indian independent films]]
[[Category:Films set in Delhi]]
[[Category:Italian films]]
[[Category:Indian romantic comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Mira Nair]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Sabrina Dhawan]]
[[Category:Films about Indian weddings]]
[[Category:Films about adultery in India]]
[[Category:Films shot in Delhi]]
[[Category:Child sexual abuse in fiction]]
[[Category:French films]]
[[Category:German films]]
[[Category:American films]]
[[Category:Hindi-language films]]
[[Category:Films scored by Mychael Danna]]
[[Category:2000s multilingual films]]
[[Category:American multilingual films]]
[[Category:French multilingual films]]
[[Category:German multilingual films]]
[[Category:Mirabai Films films]]
[[Category:2001 comedy films]]
[[Category:2001 drama films]]

Monsoon Wedding - Revision history

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