My friend Mariann recommended that I watch Meet the Patels, a movie about Ravi Patel, age 30, whose Indian parents are trying to arrange a marriage for him. So Ravi and Geeta (his sister) made this autobiographical documentary to chronicle it. Full of lore. Full of folk.
It's like My Big Greek Fat Wedding, in that everyone, who has ever felt any pressure from their parents to GET MARRIED ALREADY, will relate to it. You don't have to be Indian because familial advice/passive-agressive "helpful"suggestions/fretting is universal.
My personal dating culture didn't include biodata sheets, but I'm sure there are members of my family who would think we should try it. And I could relate to the singles conferences, oh boy, could I ever. The name in the move is just different: Patel Matrimonial Conferences, but it's a singles conference. The Moo Moo Here games were the same. I could smell the cologne and perfume wafting around just watching it. It was all coming back to me, even though the movie had Indian faces.
It was painful, it was funny, it was real. I laughed and cried.
I think it's one of those quirky movies that probably isn't for everyone. If you weren't single for very long, you won't get this movie. But if you've been there, you've been there, and you will get it, Indian or not.
I'd love to use this in the first week of a college folklore class. I'd have my students watch this movie and Arranged, and by the next class, there would be plenty to discuss.
P.S. Mariann, the shot of the disgruntled parents on the couch after he tells them: Classic.
