In Mira NairÆs (2001) film Monsoon Wedding, we are treated to a number of couples with romantic attachments. Chief among these and the focus of the film is the arranged marriage between Aditi Verma and Hemant Rai. Aditi actually is in love with a married man, the host of an edgy television talk show. However, she consents to the marriage with Hemant, even though he is a non-resident Indian and lives in Houston where he works as a computer programmer. The only problem with the marriage of Aditi and Hemant is that they have no clue about each other, their likes, dislikes, or even their views on marriage, sex or family. Other relationships in the film include the wedding planner P. K. DubeyÆs infatuation with the Verma family maid, Alice, and AditiÆs cousin AyeshaÆs attraction to a visitor from Australia, Rahul. Using a dialectical-tension perspective and incorporating issues of disclosure, the following letter is to Aditi regarding her arranged marriage with Hemant.
Your nuptials with Hemant Rai are impending. However, there are a number of issues I feel it is important to discuss with you before you enter into a lifelong commitment. One of the main issues is the tension that exists between you and Hemant, with respect to your need for independence and his need for dependence on you. Your affair is evidence of this yearning for independence. HemantÆs desire to get you alone to woo you is evidence of his dependence on you. What is going on here is something known as dialectical-tension. According to Kramer (p. 311), ôA dialectical perspective recognizes that there are tensions between oppositions in human interaction such as the need for independence and the need for dependence.ö During your affair with a married man you admitted to a friend, ôIÆve read too many magazines. I know what happensö (Nair, 2001). This demonstrates you understand the futility of being in love with a married man, but it also shows yo...