A Real Wedding
Beautiful is how I would choose to describe this movie even though there are numerous other adjectives that would come to one’s mind (including mine) while watching this film. I say beautiful because it’s a movie about different relationships and it brings out each and every one of those relationships with utmost simplicity.
The thing that sets it apart from other films of its generation is the way it’s been shot. The entire movie has been shot with an old fashioned hand held camera (which uses a cinema reel as the recording source) to give it a look and feel of a marriage video and the effect has worked for it magnificently. It gives the whole movie a home video kind of a feel which is what Indian marriages look like.
The film has a simple story line which revolves around the build up to a wedding. But even here the film doesn’t go overboard with ceremonies and useless nach-gaana. It has these things in just the right amount. Aditi Verma the bride to be played by Vasundhara Das is having difficulty letting go of her previous relationship and doesn’t pay heed to her elder unmarried cousin Ria’s (Shefali Shetty) advice. The father of the bride (Naseeruddin Shah) is tense about the preparations and takes out his anger and frustration on others including Dubey Ji (Vijay Raaz) who is not only the organizer of the marriage but also a part of the most precious relationship in the film, that of him and the maid of the house Alice. I don’t want to spoil everybody’s fun by spilling the beans entirely but it does have a nice unexpected end to it.
Of the relationships that I have been raving about the one that stands out is undoubtedly the relationship of Dubey Ji and Alice. It is so simple yet so romantic. So extravagant yet so down to earth. Vijay Raaz’s character is easily the most memorable one. Among other characters the Middle East returned Mr. C.L Chadha and wife Shashi Chadha played by Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Kamini Khanna are a treat to watch. Nasseruddin Shah is fabulous as the father and the scene where he breaks down and asks his wife to hold him is truly marvelous and Lillete Dubey playing the wife complements him very well. But the other actor who took my heart away was Shefali Shetty who played the most difficult character in the film with such ease.
It’s an excellent piece of cinema, one that we all should be very proud of.