Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #25925 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-01-01
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 109 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding is a return to the form of Salaam Bombay!, her 1988 feature. Nair's gift for observation of the everyday and love for her characters makes for a delightful film, with the whole web of family relationships that knit and break during a wedding being spun at a perfect pace.

The excellent performances exceed the often stereotypical roles on offer; the incomparable Nasiruddin Shah as the harassed father, Kulbhushan Kharbanda as the comic uncle, or Shefali Chaya as the orphaned cousin. Nair's sympathetic eye for the unnoticed and the harassed is at its best when showing the tender romance between the servant and Dube (Vijay Raaz), the marigold-munching upwardly-mobile wedding coordinator, who brings pathos and humour to the often unseen servant classes. The handheld camera gives a docu-drama feel to this celebratory look at the upper middle class Hindu Punjabi joint family, while paying tribute to modern Indian public culture of music, television and of course "Bollywood".

On the DVD: The viewer should watch the film once with Dolby Digital 5.1, then again with the director's commentary, with its excellent social analysis and fascinating anecdotal history. The trailer and behind the scenes are much less interesting. It would have been good to have had a full soundtrack of the songs but the viewer will have to buy the CD. --Rachel Dwyer

Special Features
16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
DVD 9
English\Hindi
Region 2
Dolby Digital 5.1 English Hindi
Dolby Digital 5.1
Directors Commentary
Behind The Scenes
Trailer
English

From the Back Cover
Meet the extended Verma family as long lost relations from around the world reunite for a last minute arranged marriage in the simmering heat of New Delhi. The family's hopes, anxieties and long guarded secrets emerge amid frantic wedding preparations. The relentless summer heat mirrors the story's building intensity as the city anticipates the cooling torrent of the monsoons, and when the rains comes, the downpour brings romance, revelation and liberation.

Customer Reviews

Like a great big party!
After having seen this film when it first came out, I felt like I'd been to a wonderful, fantastic, huge family party as I left the movie theatre. A party with wonderful food, lots of bubbly champagne, a deliciously sweet dessert and a rich, dark cup of coffee with a fine brandy to go with it. And then dancing and more bubbly, giggly champagne!!

It is a wonderfully made film about a wedding being planned, guests arriving from all over the world, family problems, lots and lots of family love, parallel love stories, etc. etc. The family father's disappointment with his young son, worrying that he will become a homosexual because he loves to watch cookery programmes on television and coreographing dances is hilarious! The way he handles a respected family member who has abused his beloved foster-daughter is deeply moving. It has everything you want in a great movie!! The music is fantastic as well - and perfectly matches the scenes of happiness, sadness, tragedy, dancing, falling in love, drama, and finally: the monsoon wedding. As the film proceeds, you feel that you get to know the family like they're your own. And the filming of busy, noisy Delhi makes you feel like you're right there. The love story of Alice, the maid, and the party organizer, which runs parallel to the family's trials and tribulations during the organizing of the wedding, is a lovely bonus!

I highly recommend it - having seen the film twice, I am now purchasing the video, and have already bought the soundtrack CD. I'm bitten, smitten - I have become a totally dedicated fan of Mira Nair.

India like you've never seen it before
This feel good film makes you want to stand up and have a go at the Indian dances you see in it, get into Indian music and buy a sari - as well as marrying Delhi-style! A celebration of all that is good in life and love, it also depicts the tragedies of an affluent family and how to overcome them with dignity, honesty and a good sense of humour - as wedding ceremonies take place and the monsoon rain makes its appearance. The brilliant soundtrack just adds to it and it's as charming as the film, while the DVD features are definitely a bonus, especially Mira Nair's commentary - full of insight, anecdotes and interesting details. And to round it up, a peek behind the scenes. Must-see and definitely must-have.

ALL IN THE FAMILY...
This is another outstanding film by director Mira Nair, who has previously directed such wonderful films as Academy Award nominee "Salaam Bombay", the lush and erotic "Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love", and "Mississippi Masala". This is a director whose very touch turns all her films to gold. She is truly an artist, and her films are palpable with feeling and emotion that move the storyline.

Though a low budget film, it features high budget, quality acting, as well as an absorbing story and world class direction. It focuses on the arranged marriage of a young, upper class, Punjabi woman in Delhi, India, which is a mecca for Punjabis. It offers a birdseye view at a family in transition, one that is ringing in new values, while maintianing the old ones. Moreover, as in all families, there are many joyous moments, as well as troubling ones.

While the focus is on the wedding celebration and all the preparation and rituals surrounding it, there are five subplots in the film, all of which are interesting, but it is the acting by the ensemble cast that makes the film so memorable. Naseeruddin Shah gives an award calibre performance as Lalit Verma, the financially strapped patriarch who wants all to go right with the wedding, but who, at the eleventh hour, is forced to confront a secret tragedy from the past and make a decision that shows his sensitivity and love for his family. His is truly a magnificent performance.

Shefali Shetty, with her large, expressive eyes, is superb as Ria Verma, Lalit's dead brother's daughter, who is forced to reveal a terrible secret from her past in order to prevent a tragedy from taking place in the present. She gives a performance so soulful that the viewer cannot fail to be moved. Aditi, the daughter who is to be married, is a walking paradox, agreeing to an arranged marriage, while simultaneously having an affair with a married man. The role is beautifully played by relative newcomer, Vasundhara Das, who in real life is an Indian pop star. Her prospective bridegroom, Hemant Rai, is played with modern sensiblility, by the very attractive Parvin Dabas, a real life, male fashion model, in his first silver screen role.

Vijay Raaz, in a breakout performance as P. K. Dubey, the wedding events coordinator, adds a deft comedic touch. It is his poignant wooing of the Verma family's maid, Alice, that nearly steals the show. Look for the nightime marigold scene in which Dubey puts Shakespeare's Romeo to shame. Tilotama Shome, in her first silver screen role, brings a subtle, sensual shyness to the part of Alice that is touching. Theirs is an interesting coupling, as P. K. Dubey personifies the new India, with his cell phone, his entreperneurial flair, and his email address, while Alice, the shy servant girl who is always dressed in a sari, seems to symbolize a more traditional India.

The film is a polyglot of languages, with English, Hindi, and Punjabi spoken at different times by various family members. I confess that I found it a little confusing to have the subtitles crop up, on and off, and I also found the English spoken a little difficult to understand, at times. So, thanks to DVD technology, I was able to watch the film with English subtitles on the entire time, so as not to miss a thing. The cinematography is beautiful in this film, with lush, vibrant colors throughout. The occasional use of handheld cameras throughout the film gives it the feel of a docudrama, at times, which is very effective, as the film is a voyeuristic look into a family. Moreover, this filming technique adds to the cacaphony of feeling and emotion that abounds in this film.

The DVD offers a limited number of features, the most interesting one being the director's commentary, which is an insightful and very personal look into the making of the film and the selection of the actors, as well as the backround and reasons for each scene. It is clear that for the director, who is herself Punjabi, this film was a labor of love. Bravo!