In India, November-February is the dreaded “wedding season” where you are sure to stumble upon every other person either attending a wedding-- or worse, getting married.
So, when Netflix decided to make a show about it, I wasn’t ecstatic; in fact, I was indifferent. I mean, did I really need another wedding inspired cringe-fest like Indian Matchmaking in my life? Certainly not.
But, boy, was I in for a surprise. Netflix’s The Big Day, which is a pretty self-explanatory title in itself, takes viewers through the journey of six couples who are about to get married soon. As these couples embark on the most important phase of their lives, the audience is given an insider look into what makes these weddings happen.
Right from the way these couples tweak ceremonies to make them more contemporary, to how they plan each detail on their own terms, this show is a refreshing take on modern Indian weddings. Here are my thoughts about it:
1. Before showering praises, can I just point out how annoying it is that with every intro of each of its shows, Netflix is just making me feel poorer and poorer?! It’s so grand and effortless at the same time, and I’m just like, HOW??!!
2. LOL, so this one Indian uncle who is an NRI says that being an Indian immigrant in the USA who is well-settled there is like being a coconut-- you’re brown from the outside and since you’re well-settled there now, you’re white from inside. This might be the only actually funny dad joke I might have heard my entire life
3. Divya is one of the brides that is actually creating a lot of local employment for the village near her wedding location by sourcing most of her decoration from them like drapes, flowers, pillow covers, etc. It’s such a lovely and unique thought that I think some people who actually need to care about employment should take some inspiration from Divya, am I right? (if you know, you know).
4.Mukund, another groom, is talking about how his bride Nikki is not the typical Indian bride. He further goes on to elaborate this by saying that Nikki needs to oversee every detail and make sure everything is planned down to the tee. Umm, sir, have you met an Indian bride?! They’re LITERALLY all like that.
5. And honestly, why wouldn’t Nikki be that way? According to Mukund himself, he has taken no part in the design and decoration of the wedding. In his own words: My support has only been, “Hey, how are things going?”. You made her the way she is, Mukund.
6. Also, in addition to the standard ceremonies that every event has, one of the couples also has a ‘Welcome event’... Like our weddings didn’t have enough rituals and ceremonies already?!
7. On finding that the bride wasn’t going to apply henna on her wedding day, her mother-in-law also refused to do so as a show of support, and they ended up converting the whole event into a locally-sourced farmer’s market! While the market is an amazing gesture, can I just acknowledge how sweet it was of the mother-in-law to support the bride like this? Guys, she’s made it to mother-in-law hall of fame right off the bat.
8. One wedding also has a fantasy-themed party with the most elaborate decorations and over-the-top designs. I’m confused whether it’s a wedding or Jay Gatsby’s party.
9. One of the grooms, Rajat, talks about how his bride earns a lot more than him, and how it doesn’t bother him at all, in fact, he’s proud of her for it. Without a doubt, this guy is my favourite out of all the grooms.
10. The second episode has a bride called Pallavi who talks about how bad the connotation of a Bridezilla is. She says how wrong it is to label women compulsive and demanding when all they’re trying to do is be thorough with one of the most important days of their life. Tbh, nobody could’ve said it better. Thanks a lot, Pallavi.
11. The last episode has a gay wedding with Katrina Kaif in attendance. It’s such a delight to watch one of the grooms, Tyronne, enjoying himself so much that he actually dances better than Katrina! What a boss!
12. Honestly, this show is so comprehensive -- the first episode has instances of a grand big fat Indian wedding that also cares about the environment and local employment. The second has couples where the brides seem to be more assertive and successful; something the grooms have adjusted very well to, thus showing you can support your wife even if she’s doing better than you and might seem more bossy. And finally, the third episode shows a gay wedding and an inter-religious wedding. The creators haven’t missed a thing!
13. I’m sorry, but for all the representation this show has, one particular thing did miss the mark-- FOOD! How can you have a show about weddings and not give mouth-watering, soul-crushing food sequences??!! Ah, I guess no show is perfect, after all.
14. Loved the show, but honestly, it’s made me complain about my fate even more and how I’ll never have a wedding like this. :(
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