Cast: Megha Sandhu, Kavi Raz, Jordan Willaims, Saydee Dickinson, John F. Thomas
Critics Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Director: Anoop Rangi
Duration: 1 hour, 29 minutes
Genre: Dark Comedy
Release details: ‘Arranged Marriage’ will be launching worldwide on VOD across all major streaming platforms from October 14th, 2022
Story
A young Indian woman living in Canada discovers the ugly face of her deeply conservative and regressive family as they force her into an arranged marriage. Will she rebel or play ball?
Review
Kamali Matthu’s life takes a turn for the worse when she suddenly realises that her family wants her to be married off to a boy she has never even met. Here, the groom’s face is covered with a paper bag and his father actually pulls out a magnifying glass to check the diamonds he is shamelessly accepting as dowry. But Kamali has bigger problems. She is already dating one of her fellow students, who is white. As Kamali walks into her own surprise engagement one day, her boyfriend Clive decides to meet her parents and formally ask her hand for marriage. But little do they know that the Matthus are far from the harmless Punjabi family as they look. They can really go to the extremes if their so-called family honour is at risk.
It’s a conflict that escalates quickly as the true face of Kamali’s family is revealed. Some gruesome acts of crime take place as the story progresses further but director Anoop Rangi has firm grip on the darkness of this awkward comedy which is wildly unpredictable. While toxic patriarchy and honour killings may be a reality in smaller towns of India, the film really makes us wonder if such a family would exist in a western country like Canada. Performances are loud and too gregarious but maybe that’s by design. And Canada’s law order is made to look deeply racist and ridiculous.
Megha Sandhu looks super glam and acts with oodles of confidence. She is able to bring about Kamali’s inner conflict, vulnerability and rebellious streak pretty well, as she tries to live her life like a regular young girl, who has every right to choose her partner. Rest of the cast is more caricaturish and stereotyped. The screenplay moves at a solid pace and as audience you’re hooked to know what lies next in this deeply disturbing comedy where nothing is really funny.
Overall, ‘Arranged Marriage’ is a fun dark comedy that tackles a serious issue of societal norms and familial pressures, especially for a young Indian girl. It shows the hidden evil face of a seemingly happy family whose beliefs and way of life are far too problematic and dangerous.
ReviewRon 