The wedding industry is one of the biggest industries in India, but it also accounts for a tremendous number of frauds. In the pre-internet days, wedding searches used to happen on a word-of-mouth basis. However, ever since the internet became the buzzing thing across the world, the search for a suitable bridegroom has also gone online. With matchmaking having gone online, the risk of being defrauded has also grown many times. ‘Wedding.Con’ takes a jibe at this industry through some real-life stories.
‘Wedding.Con’: Story
‘Wedding.Con’ revolves around 5 women who are seeking a hand in marriage and therefore create profiles on different matrimonial websites. However, they get exploited by conmen who end up posing as grooms online. The women end up losing huge sums of money and at the same time, they even keep getting emotionally manipulated. With ‘Wedding.Con’ they finally open up about the entire episode of their lives in detail.
‘Wedding.Con’: Performances
All 5 women have spoken up about their deepest insecurities with such openness that it gives chills to you as a viewer. Even though many of them were in silhouettes, still their emotions were so impeccable that they touched your hearts.
‘Wedding.Con’: Script, Direction & Technical Aspects
Akshay Jhunjhunwala’s writing is good. Even though there wasn’t much to tell from a writer’s perspective, it was the way he managed to bring together the interviews and intertwine that with the enactment of the situation really well. Those enactments feel so real as if the entire con is happening right in front of you.
Tanuja Chandra’s direction is sheer class. After a long time, a docu-series has come which has tried not to preach but just tell the situation of a problem just as it is. The raw emotions that she could capture of the women telling their stories were so aesthetically put in the final film after edit that you’re pinched by the situation, but you’re not too gored by it that you end up switching the show off altogether. Getting that balance is sheer perfection. Add to that the decision to not just keep it full of interviews but even show some footage of the enactment of the real-life situation was good. It works in favour of the series and doesn’t let you as an audience feel bored. However, a disclaimer could have been pasted at the bottom saying that this is an enactment of the situation, otherwise it just feels as if the actors playing the parts are the real culprits. Had she not blurred out the faces in the photos and in the matrimonial websites, then I could have still understood the reason behind not giving the disclaimer, but when you’re anyways blurring the faces out to hide the identity, why not put a small disclaimer saying that these are just actors and not the real culprits.
The music by Anuraag Dhoundeyal and Steve Thomas Kottoor is sheer brilliance. The background score is so haunting that it gives you a feel of the gravity of the situation. The usage of Sarod in some situations made the intensity of what the woman was saying come out so effectively. The opening and closing theme songs are also well-tuned.
If I had to nitpick, Eeshit Narain’s cinematography didn’t explore new territories. In a docu-series of this magnitude, he could have easily tried to experiment with some new ways of showing an interview-driven docu-series. Rather, he decided to stay stuck to the age-old format of how such interview-led docu-series or documentaries have been shot since time immemorial. Keeping within his boundaries, he has done a good job of being able to tell flawlessly. The quick switches between the interviews and the enactment of the situations were pretty smooth and blended well with the storyline.
Parikshhit Jha’s editing was one of the best parts of the docu-series. The way he has seamlessly maintained the flow of the story you’re able to clearly understand which story is of which woman. Also, he has managed to never let the silhouettes go away from the faces of the women who decided not to show their faces. Also, to be able to keep the series to just 5 episodes was a brilliant masterstroke.
Lastly, whoever in the team came up with the name of the show ‘Wedding.Con’ is sheer genius. What a brilliant name! It helps showcase all the varied aspects of what the viewer can expect from the storyline – weddings, online matrimony websites and conning. All three key aspects are encapsulated so beautifully in the title.
‘Wedding.Con’: Cast & Crew
Direction: Tanuja Chandra
Cast: Pragati Mishra, Swati Verma, Sandeep Soman, Rajesh Pentela, Astha Gulati, Reeta Prajapati, Debanjana Nath, Isha Raina, Kamal Chellani, Anjum Ara, Yunus A Bilakhiya, Rajshekhar Chandran, Baburaj Thomas Chellappan, Archana B Deshmukh, Tripti Dixit, Divyani Gupta, Rozi Mishra, Vijay R Pawar, Bhagyashri Rao, Neha Sahu, Neeraj Sharma, Laxmi Thakur, Chitra Raghavan, Gautam Mengle, Vaishali Bhagwat, ACP KVM Prasad
Available On: Amazon Prime Video
Duration: 5 Episodes, Around 30 Minutes Each
‘Wedding.Con’: Can Kids Watch It?
Yes
Outlook’s Verdict
‘Wedding.Con’ is a brilliant showcasing of real-life fraud cases of women getting duped for money and emotional support by fraudsters in the online matchmaking industry. The way the tales of the women are narrated, makes you feel so connected to what’s happened to them. You end up feeling their pain. Add to that, Tanuja Chandra’s brilliance in the directorial chair makes it worth the wait. It’s definitely a Must Watch. I am going with 4.5 stars.
