WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Oh, you two are going to be SO happy together! Uttered by many a family member or wedding guest throughout time, it is a sentiment of well-wishes and support that would be welcomed and accepted as a pleasantly affirming truth for a bride and groom to hear before and on the advent of their special celebration and for the future it will hold. At least, that’s the way it SHOULD be. On this particular day, Khan (Kashif Hussain) is being fussed over by his transgender girlfriend Chandni (Alina Khan) as he prepares to get married to the woman arranged for him by his traditional family. Knowing it’s not where his heart truly lies while feeling the harsh pressures of friends and family who question his manhood pressing down on him, he attempts to hold Chandni to a key promise. But, will it actually happen or not?
Next, my Mind:
In what are truly commonly addressed, but no less essential or necessary, elements of contention in this world and its often skewed ideologies about anyone seen as “different” or “outside the established ‘norm'”, deep-seated cultural/societal traditionalism once more clashes with the fickle, fervent, highly self-defining factor that is the human heart in love through this 10-minute short film from writer/director Sana Jafri, producer Qasim Abbas, co-producers Syed Musa Raza and Rizwan Malik, plus executive producer Olomopolo Media that had its Texas Premiere as part of the LGBTQ Programming at the 2022 DFW SAFF sponsored by Toyota USA and hosted by Jingo Media Founder/Festival Director Jitin Hingorani and Artistic Director Ambica Dev. This particular study in world culture continues to amaze me in that there’s nothing wrong with having established customer and convention, but to see how drastically any alteration or deviation from it can cause such heavy conflict still remains a mystery to me admittedly.
In this narrative, we find one man having to face the arranged marriage his family set up for him, coming down to the day itself, while he seriously battles his own conscious and yearning in having to give up the one he really loves, a transgender woman whom his family considers an utter aberration. The film therefore wastes no time in its briskly presented 10-minute length jumping into a myriad of thematic tangents that become a part of this, whether directly or beneath the surface, primarily focused on the questions of what we really want, what we love, who we love, and why along with additional forays into what happiness really is and the facets of our sought after relationships that could signal either a solid future or a death knell to it all. I even felt the film illustrates a more allegorical portrait of the REAL couple’s affiliation that places quite an exclamation point on the events we see transpire, perhaps even influencing the conjecture-laden finale the project presents.
Additionally, there were also the notions of “what defines a man/manhood”, heated intolerance, the harsh judgment that can be placed upon us when defying expectation, and the desire to still fly in its face are all explored to some degree here as well. Everything lends a serious heaviness to the film’s overall tone, but honestly, it should, because this ongoing conflict between societal prejudices when it comes to one’s sexual orientation and associated choices remains one of the most hotbed debates despite the strides made in so many places that are legally accepting it, yet still face massive hardships for those who choose to live that way being at minimum ridiculed or seen as something less than a man, or a woman, or they/them, etc. It should be perfectly ok for anyone to agree OR disagree about the lifestyle choices themselves, but to know there’s still such overly bigoted, angry, hateful sentiments that are thrown out there at those individuals–folks, this isn’t going to solve anything. The effects of all this I felt were portrayed in the character’s struggles depicted in this film.
Hussain turns in a solid performance here as the groom-to-be Khan, a man whose wedding day isn’t remotely what he would actually WANT it to be only in that he’s being made to marry a woman whom his parents arranged for him, which per usual, has nothing to do with love being a part of it. Even as Khan both spends time with and is actually being prepared for the ceremony by the woman he TRULY loves, he is still being pushed to marry regardless, even as he wants a promise fulfilled when it comes to his real love. It’s both a subtle but still tense air of ridicule and support he’s facing long with whether he will actually gain happiness or not by the time everything comes to a head, and Hussain takes the character through this stormy path with straightforward acting and an intentionally muted delivery that carries within it the burning frustrations and passions the character is experiencing.
Alina Khan takes on her role with an equally tangible degree of fire and earnestness but still in a controlled, non-melodramatic way as Chandni, the girlfriend of Khan who actually seems to be one of the main people pushing him to go through with the marriage he doesn’t want. Her adoration for him is evident, but yet is there possibly a hesitation or something that has caused her to ponder more deeply what future they might have together. Chandni is being held to a promise to dance at his ceremony, but even as they have their conversations and phone call-based interruptions by family waiting for him to cast Chandni aside and become a real man, she exhibits the same moments of questioning it all that he doesn’t have. Even as she has to make a choice, will she or won’t she go through with his promised request? It’s a nuanced but weighty moment that she must make the choice within, and Khan does do a splendid job at conveying all the inner conflict her character is facing.
So, in total, “Happy Marriage” makes a definitive statement while still allowing enough to remain open to interpretation so as to guess what the proverbial fate its two protagonists will encounter. As indicated above, this is a bold, unapologetic excursion into the advancement of modernity vs. the ingrained perceptions and prejudices of the society portrayed, and it perhaps will somehow find a way to cause further reconsiderations about how those in the LGBTQ community are viewed but also in grander scope how the film simply speaks to a seemingly age-old saying–“the more things change, the more they stay the same.” It’s time for true change. Change that sticks. Change that unifies. Change that erases hate and promotes a world where even disagreement can be tempered with respect, love, and understanding.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
