Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding released 22 years ago and is one of the greatest gems of cinema. However, the movie’s value was almost unobvious and in a way, stowed away from the masses for a while after its release. Today, not just original fans, but the mainstream audience recognises the film for its brilliance. Starring Naseeruddin Shah, Shefali Shah, Lillete Dubey, Vijay Raaz, Tillotama Shome and Vasundhara Das, Monsoon Wedding was a melting pot of some of the most talented actors of our time.
Centred around a wedding between the couple Aditi (Vasundhara Das) and Hemant (Parvin Dabas) and the family surrounding the two, the film gives us an interesting peak into the intricate minds and lives of the people involved.
So, if this Mira Nair film remains at the top of your watchlist, feel free to look back at these actors who were a part of the project. And in case you haven’t watched the film, there could be some spoilers in here for you, just a forewarning.
1. Naseeruddin Shah played the role of Lalit Verma, the father of the bride (played by Vasundhara Verma) in the film.
2. Shefali Shah AKA Ria Verma, cousin to the bride and to date one of the best women characters Indian cinema has given to us.
3. Randeep Hooda played Rahul Chadha in Monsoon Wedding, the cousin who’d come for the wedding all the way from Australia.
4. Parvin Dabas played Hemant Rai, an engineer from Houston AKA the groom and to-be husband to Aditi.
5. Aditi, the bride was played by Vasundhara Das, a woman who’d agreed to an arranged marriage, but still had conflicting feelings about an old lover.
6. Rajat Kapoor played the disliked Tej Puri, a relative within the family who turns out to be a predator and child abuser.
7. Vijay Raaz played the role of Parabatlal Kanhaiyalal, the wedding planner and someone who develops feelings for Alice, the help of the family.
9. Kulbhushan Kharbanda AKA C.L. Chadha, is the typical flavoursome uncle of every desi family in Monsoon Wedding.
10. Lillete Dubey played Pimmi Verma, AKA the mother of the bride (Aditi Verma).
Monsoon Wedding invokes thoughts and questions around family, culture, tradition, human imperfection, marriage, love, and class. So, if you haven’t yet gotten the chance to watch the film, then we hope this list offered you some inspiration to do so.