Well, it's not about the movie by the same name, that had a sequel which did not stand vis a vis the original, both starring Steve Martin. This blog is about the reaction of 3 different fathers facing an almost similar situation, in their daughter's life.
1967 classic, 'Guess Who's coming to Dinner ?' ' Time Pass 1' and of course last but not the least 'Sairat'
Multiple Oscar winner 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner' was well ahead of its times even by American standards. Joey or Joanna daughter of a liberal white couple, Mr and Mrs Drayton returns home early from her Hawaii holidays with a black boyfriend Dr John Prentice, whom she had decided to marry, the decision that topples the apple cart of the outwardly liberal facade, so far running smoothly. With the ominous declaration, the very white foundations of news baron Mr Drayton are shaken to the core. The fears are heightened by the laws prevalent then. Till the time of the release of the film or six months around in 1967, in 17 states of US of A, mostly from the south, Interracial marriages were forbidden. By the law! [ We in India are lucky in that sense because not only inter-caste marriages are not banned by the law but are encouraged by the government in power, always, bestowing innumerable gifts and facilities in money and kind on the newly wedded couple, right from the day one !]
It was ironic that this law, known as 'Anti-Miscegenation law' was struck down by Supreme court of US of A only 2 days after the death Mr Spencer Tracy, the protagonist of the film, Father of the Bride!
Yes, he reacts in the same way every father of the bride would react if she goes against his wishes when mostly he has doubts about the compatibility on personal and more importantly on a social level. Though ridiculed by his golf buddy, a catholic priest who dares to tear his mask of liberalism on his face, though warned by his wife of 40 years about the likelihood of bad blood being run between his only daughter and his double standard principles he goes ahead and objects to the very idea, the marriage of his only daughter to highly qualified, intelligent, polite, well mannered but.... a black 'Negro ' guy! The word 'Negro' is used unabashedly to describe him and his ilk. But our hero though smarting under the attack does not give up on his principle, to get the permission of Mrs and Mr Drayton, wholeheartedly for the alliance!
And 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? ' to add fuel to the fire.
Parents of Dr John, Mrs and Mr Prentice! Mr Prentice gives piece of his mind to John, his son, about how lowly paid mailman he was, how hard it was for him to educate John to this level, how he walked 75000 miles carrying the heavy load of mail, all usual emotional blackmail, in short, He asks for his pound of flesh.
The rejoinder given by Dr John is worth emulating and should be an eye-opener to all those in India who are still burdened under the caste system. he says,
"Throughout your life, you thought as a black man, I think simply as a man"
The day, downtrodden in India will accept this reality lot many problems would be solved!
No, no... drawing-room rejoinders and spitfires with small amount of rational sympathetic bond between the two mothers is not the subject to whet and whine, How rationally Mr Drayton comes to a laudable solution keeping all the aspects of positive and negative outcomes open, is worth a watch and imbibe! That's how the father of the bride should be!
I stayed for 8 years in Lalbag Parel area during my student days, so I am quite conversant with the milieu of the area. The 'Tapori' types in the area, were/are always after the girls to patao them. Classier the dame more the efforts. But when it comes to their own sisters having even serious affair with a deserving boy, they let the hell loose for the boy, and even for their own sister. Thrashing, lambasting, beating is a common practice. The happiness of sister ... what ?.
I happened to view 'Time pass 1' with such crowd sitting just next to me in the row. With every showdown of 'The Father of the Bride' here a Brahman, a lower level clerk working in BARC, entire row used to go into ecstasy with loud boohoos and shouting explicit s. Here his being Brahman was the butt of the joke ! Exasperated by the situation, not having monetary, or political clout at his disposal this poor 'Father of the Bride' who could not fathom [ I must say here, that I too won't, being a father of a similar daughter] his smart well educated talented daughter getting involved with a son of a rickshaw driver, duffer in school, lacking common manners and decency decides to flee from the scene. That's his upbringing, his values, to a certain extent his cowardice, resigning in front of the masses, but not uttering a single word of dissent or taking any malicious action against them either! What else he could have done? The Father of Bride.
By this time 'Sairat' must have crossed the bar of Rs 100 crores. The thrust of publicity was mostly on the boldness of the girl, almost reaching to the level of emancipation. But are we forgetting something here? what Mr Manjule wants to convey. The director shows a child running barefoot leaving bloody footprints behind him! And who is responsible for the bloodshed. Father of the Bride. Vacuous pride in caste superiority, total lack of reason, tremendous arrogance due to brutal political clout, that's today's rural Maharashtra for you!
Three fathers, three brides and three reactions!
Yes, he reacts in the same way every father of the bride would react if she goes against his wishes when mostly he has doubts about the compatibility on personal and more importantly on a social level. Though ridiculed by his golf buddy, a catholic priest who dares to tear his mask of liberalism on his face, though warned by his wife of 40 years about the likelihood of bad blood being run between his only daughter and his double standard principles he goes ahead and objects to the very idea, the marriage of his only daughter to highly qualified, intelligent, polite, well mannered but.... a black 'Negro ' guy! The word 'Negro' is used unabashedly to describe him and his ilk. But our hero though smarting under the attack does not give up on his principle, to get the permission of Mrs and Mr Drayton, wholeheartedly for the alliance!
And 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? ' to add fuel to the fire.
Parents of Dr John, Mrs and Mr Prentice! Mr Prentice gives piece of his mind to John, his son, about how lowly paid mailman he was, how hard it was for him to educate John to this level, how he walked 75000 miles carrying the heavy load of mail, all usual emotional blackmail, in short, He asks for his pound of flesh.
The rejoinder given by Dr John is worth emulating and should be an eye-opener to all those in India who are still burdened under the caste system. he says,
"Throughout your life, you thought as a black man, I think simply as a man"
The day, downtrodden in India will accept this reality lot many problems would be solved!
No, no... drawing-room rejoinders and spitfires with small amount of rational sympathetic bond between the two mothers is not the subject to whet and whine, How rationally Mr Drayton comes to a laudable solution keeping all the aspects of positive and negative outcomes open, is worth a watch and imbibe! That's how the father of the bride should be!
I stayed for 8 years in Lalbag Parel area during my student days, so I am quite conversant with the milieu of the area. The 'Tapori' types in the area, were/are always after the girls to patao them. Classier the dame more the efforts. But when it comes to their own sisters having even serious affair with a deserving boy, they let the hell loose for the boy, and even for their own sister. Thrashing, lambasting, beating is a common practice. The happiness of sister ... what ?.
I happened to view 'Time pass 1' with such crowd sitting just next to me in the row. With every showdown of 'The Father of the Bride' here a Brahman, a lower level clerk working in BARC, entire row used to go into ecstasy with loud boohoos and shouting explicit s. Here his being Brahman was the butt of the joke ! Exasperated by the situation, not having monetary, or political clout at his disposal this poor 'Father of the Bride' who could not fathom [ I must say here, that I too won't, being a father of a similar daughter] his smart well educated talented daughter getting involved with a son of a rickshaw driver, duffer in school, lacking common manners and decency decides to flee from the scene. That's his upbringing, his values, to a certain extent his cowardice, resigning in front of the masses, but not uttering a single word of dissent or taking any malicious action against them either! What else he could have done? The Father of Bride.
By this time 'Sairat' must have crossed the bar of Rs 100 crores. The thrust of publicity was mostly on the boldness of the girl, almost reaching to the level of emancipation. But are we forgetting something here? what Mr Manjule wants to convey. The director shows a child running barefoot leaving bloody footprints behind him! And who is responsible for the bloodshed. Father of the Bride. Vacuous pride in caste superiority, total lack of reason, tremendous arrogance due to brutal political clout, that's today's rural Maharashtra for you!
Three fathers, three brides and three reactions!
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