"Searching for Wives" Review

“Is a photograph enough to find your soulmate?”

A phrase that forms a central theme in “Searching for Wives”. A phrase that has distinct answers based on interpretation. For the men, it seems the photographs themselves are of little concern; they begin describing abstractions that they claim to find more important in a soulmate than physical appearance. One seeks maturity and sacrifice; another seeks empathy; and another states it's enough that they like each other.

Conversely, for the women, it would seem that the very ability to now be able to see the man in photos before the marriage, is a step towards empowerment. They now receive the ability to choose their partner, a liberty that is still uncommon among the rural Indian masses.

The documentary itself addresses the phrase from the perspective of men, particularly that of Patha, the gleeful protagonist. Patha is brimming with anticipation and excitement at any point in the film where the topic of his marriage is brought up, a feeling shared by most of the bachelors that visit the photo studio. The walls of the photo studio, teeming with portraits of suitors looking full of anticipation and nervousness as they await their approval for marriage.

At a certain point, the yearning of our protagonist becomes strong enough to scratch the surface of post-feminism as he ponders whether perhaps the women he is wooing have more rights and choices than he does.

The message that forms the core of this documentary is the loneliness of a man living far away from his family wishing to be loved, yearning for affection. His anguish, through which if anything prevails, it’s his faith. Faith we see in his eyes protected by his whimsy.

The film does a wonderful job of capturing the raw emotional value held in the actions and reactions of Patha. His highest highs and lowest lows all captured with a comfortable pace. The fact remains that Patha, just like all the men wishing to be grooms, continues to hold out hope. He dreams of living a complete life, one with a happy family that he wishes to take care of. Until then, he’ll be searching for a wife.