Monsoon Wedding

Monsoon Wedding Analysis: Commemorating the Old, Embracing the New

Monsoon Wedding reveals an experience that is equally foreign and familiar to both American and Indian audiences. In what seems to be a combination of Hollywood and Bollywood, the movie starts with a chaotic, arranged marriage that ends in moments of dramatic revelation and joyful celebrations. In her movie, director Mira Nair also provides a glimpse of two different couples, Alice and Dubey and Aditi and Hemant, centering in on their contrasting marriages. Nair illustrates the tension between a traditional and globalized India but encourages her audience to embrace both customs by comparing the marriages of Alice and Aditi.

In her movie, Nair depicts the culture clash of India through her two leading women, Alice, the Verma family servant, and Aditi, the Verma family daughter, who serve, respectively, as symbols for traditional and

During this moment, there is no regard for one's social standing or even if they are apart of the family or not. The Verma's kindly invite the newly married Alice and Dubey under their waterproof tent for a lively family dance. As the two couples' stories converge, a beautiful interaction between all of the characters takes place. The audience sees moments when Lalit pulls Dubey under the tent, the two later sharing a hug, and another family member, Ayesha, teaches Alice to dance. This scene captures a moment in which the characters transcend social limitations, embracing each other and the connection they share as humans. The last moment before the credits is perhaps most exciting: Lalit who is standing beside Alice and Dubey, says to Alice, "Come on, Mrs. Dubey! Let's Dance!" In inviting Alice to a dance, Lalit, who is the father of the bride Aditi, marks the merging of old and new, of two separate customs combining to define a unified