Not sure if that was intended, but it became a love story. I was intrigued for the entire movie watching the relationship evolve between the kidnapper & the kidnappee. Enjoyed it.

Highly respected writer/director Michael Winterbottom created this fast-paced, near inscrutable thriller that allows the viewer to follow the strange trail of a hired kidnapper whose assignment goes oddly off center.

The visually stunning and emotionally tense story is viewed through the actions of Jay (Dev Patel),a man with a secret who travels from Britain to Pakistan on an assignment from one Deepesh (Jim Sarbh) to attend a wedding - armed with duct tape, a shotgun, and a plan to kidnap the bride-to-be. Despite his cold efficiency, the assignment quickly spirals out of control, sending Jay and his hostage, the bride-to-be Samira (Radhika Apte),on the run across the border and through the railway stations, back alleys, and black markets of New Delhi - as all the while attractions simmer, loyalties shift, and explosive secrets bubble to the surface. Murder may appear to be the nidus of the reason the assignment fails, but the oddly complex interaction between Dev and Samira - and Deepesh - sets an entirely different tone to the adventure.

As much a diatribe about men's control over women (forced/arranged marriages by fathers, abandonment by lovers, secrecy and emotional aloofness by escorts) as it is a suspenseful unwinding of an assignment gone wrong, the unspoken aspects of this story make it at times problematic while at other times completely engrossing as a thriller. Fine acting on the parts of the three main characters as well as from the cameo roles complete the success of this unique film.

Director Michael Winterbottom is one of the busiest directors about. He has also made several films based in the Indian subcontinent such as A Mighty Heart.

The film opens like a brooding thriller. Jay (Dev Patel) is a man on a mission going to Pakistan to attend a wedding. However this wedding guest plans to abduct the bride, Samira (Radhika Apte) who is going through an arranged marriage.

Jay has been hired by Samira's boyfriend Deepesh and the plan is for them to reunited in India. The plan goes wrong and Deepesh turns out to be a bit of a creep. Jay and Samira need to keep their wits about.

Dev looks bulked up and mean. However it is very difficult to take the story seriously. His character cannot speak Urdu for a start so he is navigating around Pakistan and asking people if they speak English. He will have the same problem in India with his inability to speak Hindi (which is similar to Urdu) so it is a good job that Samira can speak the lingo.

The boyfriend Deepesh is a bit of an untrustworthy idiot but hints that Samira might just be a femme fatale. The Wedding Guest shifts to being a noirish type thriller but it is too subdued and flat. The main leads do not sizzle and the escape plan is too convoluted. India is a big country and Jay and Samira seem to want to cover every inch of it.