Released in 2015, The Second-Best Exotic Marigold Hotel by Director John Madden serves as a sequel to the 2012 film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. The film is a comedy-drama that tells the story of expansionism as Sonny Kapor, played by Dev Patel, wants to expand and establish a second location for his first hospitality business, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel for the Elderly and Beautiful. Finding unprecedented success, Sonny intends to expand his hotel into India after it has been fully booked. The film presents a cultural interaction that sets the tone, showcasing different aspects, especially in the storytelling and delivery. Reviewing the movie reveals several insights into what a culture clash often means for outsourcing and expanding one’s business and the toll it takes on one’s personal life.
Plot Summary.
The film’s plot follows a group of primarily British retirees peacefully living out their old age in an Indian hotel, the Marigold Hotel. However, unlike the first film, the sequel follows an expansionist narrative. Sonny, currently overwhelmed with the visitors and feeling the hotel’s capacity needs to be improved, wants to expand to a second location. An American company is willing to invest in the business (Guttman & Smith, 2020). However, they need to send an assessor to India to determine the viability of the investment. An American, Guy Chambers, played by Richard Gere, visits the hotel, and Sonny erroneously perceives him as the secret inspector (Madden et al., 2015). Sonny does his best to make him comfortable and even encourages a romance between him and his mother as he seeks favour from American investors. Sonny also has to balance managing the hotel while pursuing marriage to Sunaina. His exploits create a dilemma as he finds it challenging to balance marrying the love of his life and profitably managing the hotel while securing investment and support from American investors. The other characters go on numerous adventures as there is a love story plot between Evelyn, played by Dame Judy Dench, who takes up a job as a fabric merchant, and Douglas Ainslie, played by Bill Nighy. Douglass is interested in her, but taking up the fabric trade implies she will need more time to spend with him (Guttman & Smith, 2020).
Analysis of Major Themes.
Though the expansionist narrative drives the plot, it serves as the main story vessel for exploring the numerous themes explored by the film. The movie’s central theme, carried on from the prequel, is the role of older people in society. Both films ask what society has to do with older people. This part of the population is past their productive primes, yet they are still capable citizens who can add value to society in various capacities (Madden et al., 2015). The film showcases the dilemma through Evelyn Greenslade, who picks up a new economic hobby as a fabric merchant. She can execute the role; however, it eats into her personal life, derailing the relationship she is trying to build with Douglas, who also feels that pursuing a serious relationship with her could derail her dreams (Guttman & Smith, 2020). By telling Evelyn’s story, the movie asks the audience what to do with older people, even if they showcase economic potential. The film also explores cultural clashes and differences each culture creates when it is expressed or explored in a new environment (Tomarken, 2020). Director Badden uses Guy Chambers’ character to explore the theme. As an American visiting India for the first time, Guy needs to navigate the cultural differences between the country where older people are taken care of by their families compared to America.
The culture clash Guy experiences makes him fall in love with Sonny’s mother. However, they soon realize the difference in culture can derail their romance. Another theme the film explores is traditionalism vs. modernity, primarily explored through Sonny’s upcoming marriage to Sunaina. Sonny has to navigate the complexities of the traditional wedding he owes his bride while also running a business. Sonny also has to fend off interests from other suitors as conventional Indian culture allows Sunaina to entrain proposals from other suitors. Taking up the investments from the American also means Sonny will take up new responsibilities that can demean his role as a husband and put pressure on him and his personal life away from the hotel. Another theme that dominates the run time is family and human relationships. The writers acknowledge the significance of nurturing relationships through spending time with each other. Time is an ungranted resource of age, and the movie explores this by describing two couples struggling to find time to spend together. Sonny and his bride, Sunaina, cannot spend time together as he takes on new responsibilities in the expansion efforts. At the same time, Elvyn and Douglas cannot grow their relationship as she takes on her responsibilities as a fabric merchant. The themes align with the plot and are easy to deduce and follow.
Analysis of the Film’s Presentation of Indian Culture.
The Second-Best Marigold Hotel is an exploration of South Asian culture. The movie gives prominent roles to the Indian cast as Sonny, Sunaina and Mrs. Kapoor all play prominent roles in advancing the plot. Unlike the first movie, which was essentially from an outsider looking inward, the second movie considers both the locals exploring Western culture through the Indian characters and the foreigners experiencing foreign culture through Guy Chambers’ perspective (Madden et al., 2015). Throughout the movie, the storytelling is appreciative and respective of Asian culture; there are no instances where the foreigners find the culture strange or repulsive. The creative choice was necessary because, unlike the first movie, the sequel wanted to tell an Indian story and have the local population on board for the ride (Guttman & Smith, 2020). The story’s simple presentation unfolds pleasantly while respecting the Indian culture (Madden et al., 2015). The movie tells the story of expansions and acknowledges the cultural differences that often plague outsourcing in other countries. For instance, there is a scene from the movie where Sonny describes his activities and how he usually takes a headcount every morning of all the visitors at the hotel (Tomarken, 2020). Though the American investors appear baffled by the gesture, it is normal for Sonny as Indian culture tends to treat older people as part of the family. This extends to how Sonny runs the hotel, which contradicts the client designation the American investors prefer.
Regarding the presentation of Indian culture, the film is pretty accurate. The wedding rituals and rules Sonny needs to follow to marry his bride are accurate and respectful of the culture. However, the film also falls into some stereotypes by including dancing scenes, which have become increasingly synonymous with Bollywood films. The second film celebrates Indian culture and excludes exploring the concept of otherness, as most characters are familiar with the setting except for Guy Chambers, who is experiencing the culture for the first time (Madden et al., 2015). Minimizing the use of stereotypes adds value to the film, elevating it as a piece of cinema focusing primarily on storytelling without relying on sensationalizing the Indian culture to appeal to Western audiences (Tomarken, 2020). The movie’s narrative unfolds independently of the Indian setting and tells a relatable story of a young man trying to juggle a career catering to older people while marrying the love of his life and starting a family (Guttman & Smith, 2020). Cultural interactions are an inevitable aspect of the modern world. Although these interactions facilitate cultural clashes, it does not imply that there will always lead to conflict as there are numerous grounds for comprise, which we can explore. The movie shows distinctive cultures can coexist, provided each can exist and thrive with minimal hindrances. The movie serves as a mild gateway into Indian culture that Western audiences can utilize to appreciate, acknowledge, and understand.
Criticism.
Critiquing the film narratively, it becomes apparent that numerous flaws take away from the storytelling. Too many characters make it difficult to invest in their experiences as the story unfolds. Following three major love stories at once is exhausting. The audience has to follow Sonny and Sunaina, Evelyn and Douglas, and Mrs. Kapoor and Guy’s love stories at once (Guttman & Smith, 2020). It is also frustrating that the film builds on the first movie, making new audiences distant from the characters, especially if they fail to appreciate their stouts when we meet them in the current movie. The film would have benefited from having just two love stories and focusing on developing the other characters in a manner that makes the audiences invested in their growth and development. The movies also take themselves jokingly to the extent that they derail the viewing experience. The jokes come at you fast and frequently, and you watch the severe scenes expecting an oncoming joke. For the fans of the first film, the second instalment is a watered-down version of the original. It does not expand the story nor take the characters on adventures in a new setting, making it exhausting. However, the story’s pacing and simplicity make the film endearing, and one can easily watch it without noticing the passing of time.
In conclusion, The Second-Best Exotic Marigold Hotel tells a story of love between people from different cultures and how humanity should coexist in a multicultural world. The film explores South Asian culture respectfully while also allowing the audience to follow three distinct love stories with different implications. There is minimal exploration of stereotypes, and exploring foreign cultures is respectful and accurate. However, as a piece of entrainment, the narrative structure effectively tells a cohesive story that appeals to a broad audience. After watching the movie, one can effectively endorse it to anyone seeking a comedic romance story away from the usual ones available in Hollywood.
References.
Guttman, A., & Smith, M. (2020). Call Centre Karma, or How Popular Culture Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Outsourcing. Critical Arts, 34(4), 132-143. https://doi.org/10.1080/02560046.2020.1779325
John Madden, Thomas Newman & J. A. C. Redford. (2015) THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL. UK/USA.
Tomarken, E. (2020). Hayden White and history are a mixture of fact and fiction. In Why theory? (pp. 38-61). Manchester University Press.
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