Does Meet the Patels ever go deeper than an amusing family comedy? It does for a timeβ¦. Meet the Patels , directed by Ravi Patel. A befuddled WASP searching for love across the American South is replaced here by an anxious Indian-American seeking a suitable marriage partner practically anywhere on earth.
Does anyone know the career of Ravi Patel, whose true-life quest for a bride is the subject of Meet the Patels , which he also co-directed? We see him at a restaurant with a decidedly attractive woman. Why is Ravi so desperate? The Indian way. Although he and Audrey got along fabulously, Ravi felt he should be involved with an Indian woman instead.
Estranged from Audrey, Ravi comes to his mom, Champa, and dad, Vasant, and agrees to abide by their wishes. They will help him find an Indian wife. But they still will serve as active matchmakers, seeking promising young women for their son to check out. So where to start? India, of course, where both parents were born before they emigrated to America. Where in India? The regions where the Patel name literally reigned, where there were villages in which everyone was named Patel, and everyone was some kind of relative, near or distant.
Ravi travels with his family to tiny rural spots, where cows walk freely in the streets. Where every Patel has someone special, a Patel, to bring him connubial bliss. But Ravi comes to a realization, which he shares with his parents. The Indian woman whom he could marry needs to be an Indian-American. Like himself. More, she needs to be someone with friends from other cultures, like himself.
No problem for his parents. If Ravi wants to fly to Chicago or Toronto for a date, they will foot the bill. When a Patel family takes a road trip, they will often end at a frugal Motel Six, often run by a Patel! Well, dear Geeta is forgiven by me because there are important upsides.
