I was skeptical at first about seeing this movie. I'm not into Bollywood movies at all. I saw this film with a high school senior class in Newark, New Jersey and they were captivated by the film as well as myself. Mira Nair is becoming one of the world's best known film directors as I write this review with Namesake on it's way to release. The characters were fully fleshed out rather than just caricatures. Who didn't love the wedding planner who curses like a sailor and the servant who succumbed to his charm and spell? Who didn't love the actual couple based on arrangement between families? The bride has a secret that could have destroyed or stopped the marriage. My sister's friend is probably going to be married in New Delhi herself. I wonder how similar and different the wedding and reception will be. From what I know about Indian weddings, I can invite you which means you, your family, friends, and neighbors. They appear to have a really good time at weddings in India. There was a serious topic that could have dampened or ruined the movie but it was well-orchestrated by the director.

I have to admit that I don't really know much about East Indian weddings, so what I saw in "Monsoon Wedding" was totally new. Focusing on the various events and revelations surrounding a wedding in India (no, this isn't a South Asian version of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"),the movie is really something. I will say that as for director Mira Nair, I liked her "Mississippi Masala" better, but this one is still interesting. We may think of Indian movies as over-the-top musicals, but this shows that there are other kinds of cinema coming from the subcontinent. The only cast member whom I recognized was Roshan Seth (you may remember him from "Gandhi" and "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom").

All in all, a pretty neat movie.

There was a time when this was so highly recommended it used to have to have a spot in the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book, so I thought it had to be good, so of course I thought I'd find out, from director Mira Nair (Kama Sutra: A Story of Love). Basically the story is set in an upper-class part of India, where the Delhi-based Verma family are excited and getting ready for the arranged marriage of daughter Aditi (Vasundhara Das) to Houston based Hemant Rai (Parvin Dabas). Aditi's father Lalit (Naseeruddin Shah) is having some disagreements and squabbles with slacker wedding contractor Parabatlal Kanhaiyalal 'P.K.' Dubey (Vijay Raaz) who is running way behind schedule. Niece Ria (Shefali Shetty) is thinking about going to America to take up a new profession to get away from the abuse from her uncle, and Lalit's wife Pimmi (Lillete Dubey) has taken up smoking in the bathroom. Aditi's brother Varun (Ishaan Nair) longs to be a chef and not obeying the traditions of his religion, including becoming homosexual, and one the youngest relative Ayesha (Neha Dubey) is flirting with the bride's cousin Rahul Chadha (Randeep Hooda) from Melbourne. While all the final preparations are being made, and the guests start arriving from all over India, Australia and America, Aditi is nervous since she has been having an affair with her married ex-boss Vikram Mehta (Sameer Arya). She does get to know Hemant better before they are due to get married, but she is worried she will be disloyal to him, and she does tell him the truth before the wedding, which would probably explain their faces at the end. I was really intrigued with he subplot story of contractor P.K. falling in love with family maid Alice (Tillotama Shome),and I was really happy when they got married in the end too. Also starring Kulbhushan Kharbanda as C.L. Chadha, Kamini Khanna as Shashi Chadha, Rajat Kapoor as Tej Puri and Roshan Seth as Mohan Rai. Made with the help of both Bollywood and Hollywood, it is a likable film with a great ensemble cast, wonderful costumes, brilliant use of colours, and great Indian music for dances and stuff, all in all a very watchable comedy drama. It was nominated the BAFTA for Best Film not in the English Language, and it was nominated the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, there was more English than Hindi? It was number 74 on The 100 Greatest Tearjerkers. Very good!