Monsoon Wedding could be seen as Bollywood's answer to Father of the Bride, but such a comparison would be selling short this choice comedy-drama about a modernized, Westernized upper middle-class New Delhi family having a culture clash with their own Punjabi rituals and arranged marriage tradition. Beautiful, stunningly blue-eyed young Aditi (Indian pop singer Vasundhara Das) has agreed to the match made by her parents because she's become bewildered by her mixed-up life and sees the marriage as a way to force herself to take a direction. Meanwhile, amusing pre-wedding chaos includes an endless parade of family arrivals, a constant ringing of cell phones, and the bride's flustered father (Naseeruddin Shah) humorously butting heads with a weasel-like wedding planner who happily overcharges for every little unexpected need. Directed by Mira Nair (Salaam Bombay!, Mississippi Masala, Kama Sutra) with a light touch and a palpable affection for her characters, this is recommended. [Note: DVD extras include feature commentary with director Mira Nair, a behind-the-scenes eight-minute "making-of" featurette presented by the Independent Film Channel, and a theatrical trailer. Bottom line: a standard extras package for an enjoyable film.] (R. Blackwelder)[DVD/Blu-ray Review—Oct. 13, 2009—Criterion, 114 min., in English & Hindi w/English subtitles, R, DVD: 2 discs, $39.95; Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its second appearance on DVD, and first appearance on Blu-ray, 2001's Monsoon Wedding features a great transfer and a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack on DVD, with a DTS-HD soundtrack on Blu-ray. DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Mira Nair, a video interview with actor Naseeruddin Shah conducted by Nair (22 min.), interviews with cinematographer Declan Quinn and production designer Stephanie Carroll (11 min.), and seven short films by Nair related to India with introductions by the filmmaker: “India Cabaret” (60 min.), “So Far from India” (50 min.), “The Laughing Club of India” (35 min.), “Migration” (19 min.), “The Day the Mercedes Became a Hat” (11 min.), “11'09”01—September 11 (Segment “India”)” (11 min.), and “How Can It Be?” (9 min.). Also included is a booklet featuring an essay by Pico Iyer. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a rich and colorful film that especially sparkles on Blu-ray.]
Monsoon Wedding
Universal, 114 min., in English, Hindi & Punjabi w/English subtitles, R, VHS: $106.98, DVD: $32.98, Sept. 17 Volume 17, Issue 5
Monsoon Wedding
Star Ratings
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