Love and Sex in India

From the alarmist tone of Sarah Fournier’s documentary, viewers might reasonably wonder if anyone in India marries for love. Fournier focuses on arranged marriages and related services, starting with Rajani Pandit, a Mumbai love detective who wears a burqa as a disguise and speaks with neighbors regarding potential matches. Over the course of her career, Pandit and her team of about 20 have reputedly influenced 75,000 marriages. A client who has paid 1,000 Euros for her services describes her as an "Indian James Bond." Fournier also meets with Mr. Singh, a lawyer who defends parents who have killed their children for disobeying relationship edicts. If his daughter had premarital sex, Singh states plainly, "I would burn her alive." Singh, who travels with a security detail wherever he goes, has only lost two honor cases in 30 years. In the New Delhi area, Fournier meets Nancy, a beautician engaged to Goran, a man chosen by her parents. After their wedding, she will quit her job, move into his home, and get up early every morning to serve his family. It sounds like indentured servitude, but she swears she's looking forward to it. Although she and Goran belong to the same caste, those who don't, like Danas and Sagar, must use subterfuge if they wish to make things official. With assistance from the non-profit Love Commandos, they are able to find shelter and tie the knot, but it's unclear if they’ll ever be able to return home. While often thought-provoking, Fournier’s documentary would have been better had she taken a less judgmental tone. A strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)