Educational Media Reviews Online

Marriage is a very special occasion for families regardless of their culture, religion or region of the world. However, in India, marriage in general and especially for families that are getting a daughter married takes on tremendous significance. The bride’s family conducts the wedding with a lot of pomp and glitter. Since a daughter is expected to leave after marriage to live with her in-laws for most of her adult life, traditionally, from the very time of her birth she is considered “pariah wealth.” Parents are under immense pressure to ensure that their daughter goes into a family that will love her, where she will be happy and live in comfort for the rest of her life.

This need has led families to seek grooms from foreign countries in the hope that it will provide a quick path to a rich, successful and contented life for their daughters. Additionally, as a token for caring for their daughter and ensuring her comfort, parents present the groom and in-laws with money, jewelry and other forms of wealth during the wedding. However, this tradition has morphed into a stipulation rather than a gift—where grooms are able to pressure and demand large sums of money from the bride’s family. Director Ali Kazimi very skillfully brings out the utter callousness of this marriage tradition. He presents stories of many women who were betrayed after marriage by their husbands. The grooms disappear in Canada—the foreign country they came from—leaving behind the brides because some of their monetary demands are not met by the bride’s family or because they already received the money and knew they could deceive and get away with it. The film highlights the grave injustice of such acts, the loopholes in immigration laws and the painful broken lives of women left behind. For so many brides and families in northern India, in trying to meet the groom’s excessive expectations, greed and criminal behavior, the exciting and happy occasion of marriage ironically becomes an event of extreme stress and lifelong punishment. This film exposes the heinous crimes committed in the name of marriage and provides a much needed step towards fighting such injustices.

Awards

• Best Social/Political Documentary, Gemini Award, Canada, 2006
• Gold Award, Worldfest, Houston, 2006
• Best Documentary, Indian Film Festival of LA, 2006