Meet the patels

The documentary Meet the Patels is as a real-life romantic comedy. Its a story about a single Indian man seeking the love of his life, while his camera-wielding sister films his quest. Ravi’s older sister, Geeta, directs Meet the Patels with a tone of mischief recognisable to anyone who has a sibling. You can often hear her behind the camera laughing at Ravi’s romantic mistakes. Geeta and Ravi are the unmarried children of Vasant and Champa Patel. Their single status is of concern to their father and a major point of aggravation for their Mom. Mr. Patel tells his son that Mrs. Patel was the twelfth woman his family introduced him to, and their one date before marriage consisted of a chaperoned visit where his future wife said very little.

When Geeta mentions that she’s gone on 200 dates without success, Ravi tells her she should be in front of the camera instead of him. Maybe a “Meet the patels II”. The documentary speaks to the generational struggles over tradition and societal expectations, highlighting that children often have different ideas about life than their parents. When “Meet the Patels” opens, Ravi has just broken up with Audrey, a White woman he has been keeping from his parents for the past two years. It seems like she’s the one, but Ravi knows this relationship is controversial. Feeling the pull toward the expected tradition of marrying an Indian woman, Ravi finally decided to use his Mom’s services. This yearlong, cross-country search takes up most of the film.