It's raining Mira!

Arthur J Pais

Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding lost the Oscar nomination and was turned down by the Golden Globe Awards.

But in Italy and Britain, where the film opened three weeks ago, the film is doing well, thanks to strong word of mouth and solid reviews.

"Richly detailed, funny family comedy," writes Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian. "This film is a real tonic."

A BBC reviewer says, "After the critically acclaimed Salaam Bombay (1988), Mira Nair's first feature film, the films that followed never quite enjoyed the same success. Monsoon Wedding sees her back with a vengeance."

"Pedophilia, secret trysts, bitterness and resentment within marriage are all thrown in. Nair doesn't treat the issues lightly," the review continues. "She allows each character to confront their problems openly and honestly. In doing so, she successfully creates the opportunity for tense drama, which does not stifle the overall feel-good nature of the film."

Monsoon Wedding, which opens in New York and Los Angeles on February 22, and will add more cities and screens in March, was the fifth highest grossing film in Italy in early January.

The film, which won the top Golden Lion award at Venice Film Festival, is expected to end its Italian run with about $1 million. The film was reportedly made for about $1.5 million. It could reach the break-even point from the grosses in Britain and Italy alone.

Nair had expected the film to strike a chord with cinegoers across the world.

"This is a film made on my own terms," she had told rediff.com after the film was screened to a standing ovation crowd at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.

It has all the colour, melodrama and family sentiments of Bollywood films, she said, adding that she had tried to offer a more honest portrayal of the middle class families.

"I expect the film to touch the hearts of audiences everywhere," she added. She said the theme of clashes between traditions was, in some way or the other, was familiar to people across the world . And the subject of sexual exploitation was universal.

While the film is awaiting its release in several European countries, in Great Britain, it increased its screen count and box office gross in the third week.

Placed 11th on the box office chart, it grossed 210,644 pounds (about $320,000) last weekend. Its gross was up by a whopping 51 per cent from the previous week, and it was playing on 60 screens, up by 150 per cent from the week before. More than half of the audiences were reportedly mainstream. The film has grossed about 640,400 pounds (about $960,000). If it maintains the current grip on the box office, it end up with $2 million.

Meanwhile, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, on its last leg in England, has grossed a mind boggling 2.3 million pounds or $3.5 million.

Nair directs with unflagging energy, style and pizzazz, periodically whisking her crew out into the teeming streets for external locations and using the real-life Delhi crowds as a seamlessly integrated real backdrop for her family drama. This film is a real tonic.