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Why does Bollywood keep setting all these wedding dates?
A high dose of drama and endless entertainment are the elements common to Indian weddings and Bollywood movies. From Hum Aapke Hain Koun…! to Veere Di Wedding, the celebrations never end. Industry insiders tell us why.
Big, bold, vibrant, dramatic, entertaining — those are words that apply both to Bollywood films and to Indian weddings. And they have a close relationship, too.
In the Nineties, we had Hum Aapke Hain Koun…!, cheekily described as the world’s longest wedding video. In recent years, we’ve had the new releases Veerey Ki Wedding, Veere Di Wedding, and Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, and before that Running Shaadi (2017, about an agency that facilitates elopement); Dolly Ki Doli (2015, about a con artist bride); Shandaar (2015, about a destination wedding); and Band Baaja Baaraat (2010, about two wedding planners).
Dolly Ki Doli director Abhishek Dogra feels that marriage movies are very relatable for audiences. Dogra, who has another wedding-related film in the works, says, “Marriage is one theme from where you get several ideas.”
Actor Sumeet Vyas, who romanced Kareena Kapoor Khan in Veere Di Wedding, feels that a wedding-centric plot makes a movie exciting — the set resembles an actual wedding, he says. “Everybody’s getting dressed up, getting ready… Just as there are guests at a wedding complaining about something or the other, that happens on the sets, too. Be it Hollywood or Bollywood, weddings are an evergreen part of the films, and bring the entire family together,” he says.
Mainstream Bollywood films, as an overall genre, are “incomplete” without weddings, believes trade analyst Amod Mehra. He says, “Weddings are an important part of cinema and romance. A bit of family drama and Punjabi flavour is what audience loves to watch.” Commenting on an upcoming wedding-related movie, 5 Weddings, starring Nargis Fakhri and Rajkummar Rao, in which Fakhri is an American journalist sent to India to cover Indian weddings, trade analyst Taran Adarsh says, “Marriages have had a vital role in Indian cinema; it’s also a great way to portray the Indian culture. It sets a joyous mood — there are light moments on-screen that everyone can relate to.”
Wedding movies, wedding trends
Filmmaker Abhishek Dogra and trade analyst Amod Mehra both think that wedding-centric movies help viewers and wedding planners. “Viewers start to plan their wedding — where they want to get married, what kind of wedding they want, where do they want to go for a honeymoon,” says Dogra. “These movies have also highly benefited wedding planners,” says Mehra.
Shinjini Amitabh Chawla, a wedding blogger, says, “The Internet has made it so easy for couples to know about global trends, how brides and grooms are increasingly making decisions for their own nuptials, and the boom of talented wedding vendors coming up in India! All these things together have brought about a huge change in the way our weddings are celebrated, and it’s about time someone put it up on the big screen. We’re finally seeing Bollywood representing the reality of what the 21st century Indian wedding looks like.”
As for business benefits, Kaveri Vij, a wedding planner, says, “We’re boutique wedding planners, and sometimes, getting this message across gets a little difficult. Relating it to Bollywood helps us break the mind barrier.” Her business partner Akshay Chopra says, “Wedding-themed movies are inspiring people to think different and accept offbeat concepts. A lot of our clients want to experiment if you have a reference to a Bollywood movie / Bollywood stars.”
Planner Shweta Acharya adds, “Movies prove to be a great source of inspiration as they set new trends in the wedding industry. They’re also a platform to showcase what’s already taking place in the Indian wedding industry, for example, the bachelor/bachelorette trips, bridal entry scenes etc.”
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