Monsoon Wedding
This much-loved Mira Nair film follows the week-long events that precede a traditional Punjabi wedding in Delhi. In the upper middle-class Verma family, cultures and traditions clash, as Nair and screenwriter Sabrina Dhawan deftly infuse humour along with heartbreak, melodrama and provocative family secrets. Monsoon Wedding has none of the over-the-top theatrics of a mainstream Bollywoood feature, but is rather a vivid, nuanced examination of the Indian family. It is that rare wedding film that sticks like a reminder that come what may, family is always foremost.
2 States
Perhaps the closest a mainstream Bolywoood film has come to evoke a traditional wedding sequence. It features a Tamilian song instead of a Hindi dance number. Bereft of any additional opulence, the marriage between Ananya (Alia Bhatt) and Krish (Arjun Kapoor) forms the crux of Abhishek Varman’s 2 States. The marriage becomes a symbol of acceptance of the diversity of cultures, as a Tamilian girl and a Punjabi guy cast aside their personal differences to become united for a lifetime. Shot in the scenic Shore Temple of Mahabalipuram and infused with the gorgeous Ullam paadum, this sequence elicits a special kind of warmth.
Jodhaa Akbar
We love a period drama, more so when there is a grand wedding sequence in place. As Jodhaa, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s 16th century Mughal era bride look in Jodhaa Akbar is still a treat to the eyes. The marriage was initially never a choice. Even as Jodhaa declares her wish to grant her the autonomy to follow her religious customs, Akbar (played regally by Hrithik Roshan) agrees. The wedding itself was borne out of the quest of alliance as well as political resolve, yet progresses towards the steady acceptance between two religions and finally turns into love.
Bridesmaids
A modern female-led comedy that paved the way for more to come, the effect of Bridesmaids is unprecedented. Kristen Wiig serves up a marathon of physical comedy, from punching a big heart-shaped cookie to leading a drunk on-flight rant, all the while preparing to play one of the bridesmaids at best friend Lillian’s (Maya Rudolph) wedding. Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne and Ellie Kemper provide able support. Hilarious and hugely entertaining, the women in Bridesmaids make it a winner of a comedy, with equal amount of heart.
Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
Ayan Mukherji’s Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani was not only about how Naina (Deepika Padukone) and Bunny (Ranbir Kapoor) transform each other. It was also about Aditi (Kalki Koechlin), who never compromised on her self to fit the image of her lover. She ultimately married Taran (Kunal Roy Kapur) who respected her, instead of her college lover, the reckless man-child that was Avi (Aditya Roy Kapur). It all comes together in a beautiful wedding sequence, with Tochi Raina’s inimitable rendition of Kabira in the background. Aditi made marrying out of mutual compatibility normal.
Band Baaja Baaraat
Wedding planners Bittoo (Ranveer Singh) and Shruti (Anushka Sharma) start their company Shaadi Mubarak. Director Maneesh Sharma puts them right in the midst of the chaos and mayhem of local wedding spots, from where both business partners have to start from scratch. Band Baaja Baaraat gets its tone and setting right, where we witness what goes on behind the scenes in a wedding, first the local ones and then gradually, the more grand ones. The sentiment remains the same, no matter the place and the people. They just want to have a good time together with family and friends.
Wild Tales
This is a wedding film unlike anything you’ve ever seen. In Damián Szifron’s Wild Tales, the Oscar-nominated Argentinian anthology film about revenge, the last story follows a bride who finds out that her husband is cheating and gets her own share of revenge. As Romina (Erica Rivas) goes utterly insane in her quest for revenge, hurling the other girl into a mirror and opening a can of worms when her husband breaks down — the marriage ceremony turns into a farcical stage in a world filled with corruption and betrayal. It is riotously funny and cathartic.
My Best Friend’s Wedding
As Julianne, Julia Roberts reinvented the prototype of meet-cute, as a woman who would go to any lengths to break the marriage between her best friend Michael (Dermont Mulroney) to Kimmy (Cameron Diaz). Her desperate acts to ruin the wedding lead nowhere, and Kimmy confronts Julianne aka Jules in the washroom. Yet, the highlight is the wedding sequence when Jules goes back to her gay best friend George (Rupert Everett) to self-acknowledge how important it is to preserve the friendships that matter the most. Looking for a particular connection must not overshadow the strings of connections one already has.
Queen
Vikas Bahl’s Queen opens with a winner of a pre-wedding mehndi sequence, with Rani (Kangana Ranaut) and her entire family vibing to London thumakda. It has all the ingredients that promise a fun-filled, chaotic and loud Indian wedding. Yet the wedding fails, as Vijay (Rajkummar Rao) tells Rani that they are ‘not compatible’ with each other. She decides to go on her honeymoon to Europe all by herself. The wedding never actually occurs in Queen, yet its looming presence stays in the background. By seeing the world ahead of her sheltered existence, Rani steadily finds herself. Guided by Ranaut’s indelible turn, Rani eventually realises that she does not need to marry Vijay to give her life meaning.
Mustang
In Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s Mustang, set in coastal Turkey, five sisters face tremendous pressure from their families to get married. At the cusp of adolescence, their burgeoning sense of exploration is challenged. Marriage turns into an oppressive social prison of sorts, and the question of escape always remains. With an exhilarating background score, Mustang stages one incredible wedding sequence, where the sisters dance and face each other with the wisdom that this might be the last time they are together. They must resist.