Monsoon Wedding (2001)

Directed by Mira Nair. Starring Naseeruddin Shah, Lilete Dubey, Vijay Raaz, Dara Singh, Parvin Dabas, Vasundhara Das, Shefali Shah, Rajat Kapoor, Tillotama Shome, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Randeep Hooda, Kamini Khanna, Neha Dubey, Ishaan Nair, Roshan Seth, Soni Razdan. [R]

A sumptuously bejeweled, music-filled soap opera during the stressful lead-up to a traditional Punjabi wedding in northern India, depicting elaborate dances, rituals, family dysfunction, and romantic entanglements. The overstuffed yet disposable pleasures are primarily related to the vibrant sights and sounds, since the drama and comic relief have no resonance or surprises; indeed, so many of the swirling narrative threads are such crowdpleasing mush that it all drains away at length instead of hitting satisfying emotional crescendos. There’s also the case of a darker subplot involving repressed memories and inappropriate behavior that’s almost startlingly dissonant among its frivolous feelgood bedfellows. Seems to be angling for a “best of both worlds” approach in fusing Hollywood with Bollywood, but ends up with the most middle-road clichés and stereotypes of those global industries. Winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.

51/100