The first half of this movie sets the stage for at least four simultaneous, interesting stories. We have the father of the bride frantically preparing the logistics for his only daughter's wedding, spending tons of money he doesn't have. Through his character we experience his loving, mutually respectful and interdependent relationship with his wife, and their relationship and disappointments with their son. Their words and concerns convey the tremendous focus on family in Indian culture. For the upcoming wedding festivities, dozens of family members, from both sides, converge on this man's house. Though not poor, he stretches his finances to be a good host, and provide the appropriate arrangements for his precious daughter's wedding, a day of great importance for his family.

Through the Dad we meet India's most superficial and annoying wedding planer. Is this guy a scam artist or just a pushy, irritating watch-every-penny businessman? The initial take is that he's a flimflam man, constantly wheeling and dealing from his ever-ringing cell phone. His slick and slime maneuvering soon melts away surprisingly, as he falls head over heels in love with the young and lovely servant girl who works at the wedding family's large home. It is one of the major accomplishments of this film for this obnoxious scam-man to believably transform into a sincere, caring and loving suitor. I was stunned to actually like him by the end of the movie!

The third story deals with the bride's unmarried older cousin. Being unmarried in this culture at her age (an ancient thirty years old or so) is not only odd, it brands her as a failure in life. We are eventually shocked to learn that the groom's cousin, the handsome, well educated and dapper man, who now lives in America (and offers to sponsor her in school there) molested her as a child. That's why she's not married! And now this creep is spending way too much private time with the precious little ten-year-old girl in the family.

Finally, we have the conflicts of the bride herself, sneaking off for a final rendezvous with her married lover. She willingly accepts her decision to enter into an arranged marriage with a stranger, yet is still compelled to see her lover one more time. That secret tryst turns into a bit of a disaster and propels her into a need for honesty. She is compelled to tell her betrothed the truth before she can allow him to marry her. Not certain he will still accept her as his bride, she risks the wrath of her family by wrecking all the wedding plans and being forthright with him about her lover. He is angry, shocked and disappointed, and torn about the decision to marry her. Ultimately, he values her unnecessary honesty, loves her for it, and decides they can forge a future and family together.

Tell Me More About It: During the first half of this movie I struggled to connect with it, partly because of the gentle introduction of the different stories. The film plunges right into the ice-cold water of the wedding planner's character (and obnoxious personality). He is so annoying that I had to literally sit on my hands in the screening room to keep from bolting. And eventually I end up liking this guy…that's a miracle! The other difficulty for me was my reluctance to embrace the Indian culture. I have lived in Asia and Europe, and in fact in Asia my two best male friends were both Indian, but in this film I found I was not appreciating their jangling music, their jangling jewelry, their voices even seemed too lilting to me. I found myself not appreciating their clothes and feeling that their sense of beauty was excessive. Surprisingly to me, I couldn't get past some of these superficial elements and engage with the story. And then, even more shocking to me, it all changed. In the second half of the film, I was completely engrossed and was swept away by these characters and their stories. I love the way this film tricked me into thinking I didn't care for it and then mesmerized me. I was ultimately touched by the exuding love of family in this culture.

The film nonchalantly conveys the ever-present western influence in India that seems to actually affect only the superficial aspects of their lives. Their language slips easily from Hindu to English, often in the same sentence. Their dress as well, slips from western to traditional garb without them even noticing it. In one vivid juxtaposition of the two cultures, the men are playing golf and wearing the most typical western golf attire (alligator insignias on their shirts, and all) while women dressed in saris pass in the background, carrying supplies on their heads in a traditional Indian manner. Modern skyscrapers loom in the background. The ultimate blend of the two cultures is in the firm decision of the young bride to have an arranged marriage to a fellow Indian, and move with him back to his home in America.

Aditi Verma: Vasundhara Das	Pimmi Verma: Lillete Dubey
Dubey: Vijay Raaz	Alice: Tilotama Shome
Lalit Verma: Naseeruddin Shah	Director: Mira Nair

Vasundhara Das: Hey Ram	Lillete Dubey: Zubeldaa
Vijay Raaz: Bhopal Express	Tilotama Shome: film debut
Naseeruddin Shah: Bhopal Express	Director Mira Nair: Salaam Bombay