Vivah (Marriage) is a Hindi-language romantic drama film from India, released in 2006.
It stars Amrita Rao as Poonam, an orphan being raised by her aunt and uncle. Though her uncle Krishnakant and cousin Rajni treat her as a daughter/sister, her aunt Rama has never warmed to her. Despite this situation, Poonam's beauty and good nature net her a prospective marriage with Prem (Shahid Kapoor), the second son of a well-off businessman friend of Krishnakant's. Prem and Poonam hit it off and a wedding is planned. However, between foreign business ventures, antagonistic family members, and general disaster, a lot has to happen before the two lovebirds can get hitched.
Tropes:
- But Not Too Black: Rajni isn't considered as attractive a marriage prospect as her cousin Poonam, even though Poonam is an orphan with no dowry, in part because Rajni is darker-skinned.
- Dowry Dilemma: The heroine Poonam is so lovely and good tempered her perfectly arranged fiance Prem's family gleefully pass over that she is an orphan without dowry, even explicitly saying "we don't care about the dowry, we just want the girl." Meanwhile her cousin Rajni does have a substantial dowry and is just as nice, but because she has darker skin than expected for a girl from her caste and social class her family finds that their money isn't enough to lure a good enough match for her.
- Evil Aunt: Rama's husband may be raising her niece Poonam along Rama's own daughter Rajni, but Rama has always disliked Poonam for her beauty and how she takes away from Rajni. Krishnakant even points out that Poonam is a lovely girl and Rama is the only one who has ever had a problem with her. Poonam risking her life to save Rajni is what causes Rama to finally realize how badly she's been acting.
- Heroic Fire Rescue: In the climax, Poonam demonstrates her loving nature by risking her life to save Rajni after the latter is trapped in their burning house. She is badly scarred for her efforts, but is met with a grateful family and a loving fiance who still wants to marry her.
- Metaphorical Marriage: Prem decides to informally marry Poonam before she is whisked away for surgery. Later, the two marry in a traditional Hindi ceremony.
- Nephewism: Following the deaths of her parents, Poonam is raised by her uncle Krishnakant and her aunt Rama.
- Perfectly Arranged Marriage: Prem and Poonam meet for a prospective marriage at the behest of their respective father figures, but when the two meet they're charmed by each other and soon agree to get engaged. The two only fall deeper in love throughout the film.
