Holiday Bride by Amit Kaur

An amateur director from Bollywood, Amit Kaur, directed the Holiday Bride for her final film-making St. Xavier Mumbai. 

The movie raises a gender issue in Indian Panjab, whereby foreign passport holders marry young Indian girls only to abandon them later. This brings a lot of difficulties for the girl,  usually very young, not very educated or independent. Sometimes they end up raising their child or children alone, since divorce is often a taboo.

This short film, a little more than ten minutes long, is a brief peek into the life of such a victim. However, it is not just a tale of suffering but reinforces of the significance of individual freedom, education and equality. All the actors were natural and very Panjabi (much to my delight). Simar (Aditi Khana) must be commended for smoothly adapting to all the drastic role changes her character  goes through. The direction also deserves applause because despite the pithy but ponderous script, one didn't feel hasted through the film. Though the issue was grievous, the take on it was rather fresh as it refrained from unnecessary sensationalism or melodrama(something Star Plus is very guilty of). I thought I will stop when her mother will beat her chest and whine " Hai meri beti lut gaye...!" ( My daughter is robbed). But thank God, it never materialized. Instead of focusing on the injustice, the movie depicts the situation and how the characters recover.

The fondness for foreign passport holders isn't new or restricted to India. Since the girl's parents are very obliged by the proposal, they don't make a background check. There should be one golden rule for every prospective nuptial and that is "Check and keep a copy of all the guy's documents" and in return share the girl's documents. Verify all the claims the guy makes, especially property related. And very demanding or arrogant families almost never make good in-laws so show them the door sooner. Most Pakistanis only rush into a legal ceremony and wait for the documents to arrive before they send Bridie off to her new home. No matter how mouth watering the prospects, this small delay wards off the secret sex holiday fervor some guys have. 

All in all, a very sensitive issue portrayed very lightly yet effectively. A highly recommended watch. 


Watch the movie here.