Mira Nair describes 'Monsoon Wedding' as

Thursday 2nd July 2004

Mira Nair describes ‘Monsoon Wedding’ as “a Bollywood movie made on my own terms.” With close reference to the opening section, analyse the techniques Nair used to achieve this aim.

Mira Nair directed the 2000 film ‘Monsoon Wedding’ with the intention of making it a Bollywood film on her own terms. Through watching the film, it becomes evident that this was mixing traditional ideals of Indian Bollywood together with the modern elements of the West, such as those depicted in particular in Hollywood films, the Western equivalent of the Bollywood film industry although on not so large a scale. Nair spent the latter part of her further education in the United States of America, attending Harvard University, where her more modern ethics, compared to the conventional Indian principles she was brought up with, were developed and thus came to influence her works.

She achieves her aim through the use of cinematic techniques, one of which is music, also effectively using diegetic and non – diegetic sound; non - diegetic predominantly to symbolise the traditional Bollywood theme and diegetic to symbolise the modern Hollywood theme. The opening credits immediately indicate to those expecting a Bollywood film, or a more orthodox Indian film, that this was something completely different. The music used incorporates traditional Indian instruments, such as tablas, Indian drums, but uses them in a Western way; the underlying bass is a traditional Indian beat but remixed on top are Western - influenced beats which increase both the pace and tempo of the piece. The melody, complementing the upbeat percussion, is also very cheerful; this contrasts greatly to a large majority of Bollywood films, which tend to begin with very slow, mournful tunes, tending not to include percussion at all - an example of this is a typical Bollywood film, ‘Khabhi Kushi Khabie Gham…’ which does exactly this.

Some characters have their own individual themes with regards to the style of music played when they are onscreen; for example, Rahul, a 19 year old University student from Sydney, is introduced driving in a car into a traditional Indian home playing very loud heavy bass Western music, an example of diegetic sound that would not normally be found within a traditional Bollywood film. The character for whom Nair uses music to it’s greatest effect is Alice, a servant within the main family’s, the Verma’s, household. Whenever she is onscreen, much more traditional non – diegetic, or mood music, is played, using a combination of conventional, lower tempo and pace tabla beats. This gives strength to her individual storyline, which is a more typical Bollywood love story, and is noticeable in particular in scenes with her love interest, a wedding organiser named Dube. It also helps to establish the nature of her character, which also is more traditional, using only Hindi and Punjabi to speak with unlike other characters who also use English, which once again shows a Western influence although Nair herself did not write the script.

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Camera angles and editing play an important role with regards to the success in the achievement of Nair’s aim. Close-ups in particular are one of the most effective camera angles as they often emphasise parts of the storyline by focussing on a character’s face to show the true extent of their feelings; for example, when Aditi, the central character of the film is told that her prospective groom has arrived, the camera zooms in on her face, showing panic that would not have been seen from further back. Close-ups also help to build up atmospheres, such as the intimate scene between Aditi and her former employer and ex – lover Vikram which takes place after his television show. The situation itself, infidelity, would be completely unacceptable within Indian society and culture, and is not normally addressed in Bollywood films, and Nair uses the close-ups to accentuate the situation to its full potential. Another example of this is the meeting of two of the characters, Ria and Tej, where a close-up is used to show how uneasy and panicked Ria is despite the fact she appears smiling.

A slow movement sequence is used to immense dramatic effect, which takes place between Alice and Dube, showing the moment they fall in love, once again, emphasising the situation. This is more typical of a Bollywood film, and follows the trait that Nair follows with regards to this particular love story; one of tradition. The use of the handheld camera allows for a greater feeling of involvement from the viewers, in scenes such as family discussions, which breaks down barriers for viewers who do not understand Hindi or Punjabi, the main spoken languages, despite subtitles.

Contrasts once again between the two conflicting cultures are shown through Nair’s use of colour, as well as lighting. The opening credits of the film use colours that are characteristically Indian because of their bright, fiery nature; they appeal to Indians and yet are not typically used during opening credits in Bollywood films, nor are the geometrical shapes which are also used, contrasting with more traditional Indian patterns such as paisleys. A sharp insight is made during a scene where Dube and his workers are erecting a white wedding tent; Lalit expresses outrage because white is regarded as a funeral colour in India, and even when Dube tells him that white is what is used in America, Lalit will not relent – in this particular instance, to the modernising ideas coming from the West. Many of the characters dress in dull, drab colours such as greys and blacks, which differ to those who wear saris and pyjama kurthars, Indian clothing, which usually consist of intense, vivid colours such as oranges and reds.

Colour is also used to make a much deeper point to viewers; there are a few references during the meeting of Aditi and her prospective husband about the colour of her skin, by her grandmother, a quintessentially Indian woman – it is referred to as beautiful because she is very fair. Skin colour, or the shade of it, had deep roots in the classification and therefore worth of people within India, a problem that to many extents still exists today. The ancient Hindu caste system, established over 5,000 years ago, originally classified people into groups. They included businessmen, farmers, military men and so on, and each group was on a symbolic ladder of society; at the top end were the Brahmans, the priests who were regarded as God’s people, and the richest of all the groups. At the other end were the Untouchables; those who were regarded as the filth of society whose occupations were to be the most lowly servants, cleaning up after the rest of the groups and live in slums, or shanty towns. The Brahmans and the other higher groups also had the fairest skin, whereas the Untouchables had the darkest shade of brown. It was another factor that separated people; the fairer the skin colour, the better. By focussing on this issue, Nair is criticising a deeply embedded trait of Indian society.

In general, Bollywood films are very simplistic and unrealistic, especially with regard to their plots, which normally centre around melodramatic romances and family tragedies. Techniques used in the films can be equally unrealistic; in particular, lighting. Lighting is one of the key techniques used for dramatic effects, and Bollywood directors tend to intensely exaggerate it. Nair, to appeal to her Indian audience does this, although to a much smaller extent; the opening scene is a key example of this. The camera focuses on Lalit trying to hang garlands of marigolds, the traditional Indian wedding flower, under a bower; in reality, his face would have been shrouded in shadows, but in the film, the viewer can see him clearly. Light focussed upon the character of Tej is often, symbolically, much darker compared to the rest of the characters in similar conditions or in the same scene.

Nair also uses costume to distinguish the nature of characters. Some characters, such as Rahul, are pictured almost continually wearing clothes such as T – shirts, jeans, trainers and suits, whereas Alice is the opposite, dressing only in bright saris. Rahul also tends to speak in English more than Hindi or Punjabi, as opposed to Alice whose only English word in the entire film is ‘E – mail’. Nair portrays the conflict effectively during the TV chat show, where the two opposing sides, one pro – Western culture and the other anti, wear clothes to advocate their cause. Language is also used to show the divide, with the pro modernisation defendant often falling back from Hindi into English. Colour is also used symbolically to characterise roles within the film; the groom, Hemant, often wears white, to highlight his innocence with regards to the circumstances taking place about him, in particular involving his fiancé, Aditi. Lalit tends to wear a mixture of Western and Indian clothing, showing his indecisiveness to choose which path to follow, if any.

The scene involving the dubbing artist during the chat show was also highly poignant; what seemed to be a timid, nervous Indian woman, dressed in a sari, then came on to speak in a way that would have shocked India twenty or more years ago; language such as that used would never have been permitted to pass through censorships. This of course is the point the Western advocate is trying to make, that India is changing; through the use of costume and characterisation, Nair makes this point very well, unlike most Bollywood directors who choose not to address such matters within their films, perhaps not giving their audience enough credit by thinking that they wouldn’t be interested.

Nair also uses Dube as a character to challenge a stereotype about many Indian people, which in many cases could be correct; far from having modernisation, or westernisation forced upon them and having to reluctantly accept it, they are more than willing to embrace it. Dube wears Western clothes throughout the opening section of the film, but not in a conventional Western way. Odd assortments of clothing including polka dot scarves show his attempt at imitating what he believes would be accepted in the West, as does his use of mobile phones and watches with inbuilt calculators. He believes that dressing and acting in a Western manner makes him a better person, a belief deeply rooted in the psyche of many Indians, leading back to the colonial occupation by the British, who towards the end of their stay became increasingly superior in their attitudes which inevitably had an effect upon the Indians. Although the younger generation did not experience this, Western attitudes to countries such as India are still, though not to the same extent, similar and so this inferiority complex still remains.

All the set designs Nair uses are on location in both New and Old Delhi. Most of the film was shot in a spacious, opulent farmhouse on the more affluent borders of Delhi, and on its huge landscaped garden; Nair juxtaposes this with brief shots of poverty stricken areas in Delhi with people trundling through rain and mud in rickshaws, on bicycles and on their feet. These shots show a stark reality in a way other Bollywood producers shy away from, preferring to focus on idealistic scenery, jumping to rolling hills in Austria for romantic song and dance sequences as opposed to the sheer squalor in which the predominant population of India live in.

This is another point Nair addresses, and indeed is very noticeable to those familiar with Bollywood films - the lack of singing and dancing. Where most Bollywood films, principally musicals, would have maybe six or more main song and dance sequences, Nair has chosen to have just the one; and even more noticeably, on location. This retains just enough interest from Bollywood viewers to keep them satisfied and at the same time showing Western audience a more loyal depiction of a Bollywood film. Therefore, although remaining true to a certain extent to the Bollywood tradition on song and dance, Nair confines it in order to maintain the fluidity of the plot, which is normally fragmented by the interruptions of song and dance, lending a sense of unreality.

I believe Mira Nair successfully achieved her aim to make a Bollywood film on her own terms. As a director, she effectively combined the techniques of sound, editing, costume, colour and location to produce a fairly unique Bollywood film. Her message of the continuing modernisation of India, and her criticisms of both the societies she illustrates in the film comes across clearly, as do the more controversial points she brings up that Bollywood, as a film industry, does not typically address. Its appeal and effectiveness can be measured by the huge range of global audiences it has attracted, both Western and Eastern, which indicates that she accomplished her goal of making a realistic movie, breaking the traditional Bollywood mould.