Tanuja Chandra: The women think, how stupid are we?

Tanuja Chandra

Think weddings, and you think of happy couples embarking on a new chapter in their lives. But with Wedding.con, director Tanuja Chandra sheds light on an unseen aspect - online matrimonial fraud. The documentary series delves into the harrowing experiences of five women who, in their pursuit of ideal life partners, turned to online matrimonial sites and were deceived. Chandra begins by saying that when BBC Studios approached her to helm the docu-series, the subject was an eye-opener for her. "The studio researched for years. The first thing we noticed was that the ones defrauded felt immense shame and guilt. The common thing about them was that they were all accomplished women. Marriage is so important, and [given] the pressure of marriage, it's easy to see how one can fall prey," she tells us.

With the upcoming Amazon Prime Video offering, Chandra of Dushman (1998) fame wants to put the word out. At the same time, she also wants the cops and matrimonial sites to take notice of such crimes, where men pose as suitors, earn the women's trust and swindle them of their money. "The perpetrators go after rich, progressive women who have great lifestyles and are looking for love. They pose as forward-thinking men and don't ask for dowry. The authorities and policing system need to step up."

It's heartbreaking to see that despite their honest intentions, the women are left grappling with shame. What makes it worse is the apathy meted out by the cops. The director says, "The women think, ‘Oh, how could this happen to us? How stupid are we?' The police usually start by asking, ‘How could you believe this man?' There are some caring cops, but largely the policing system lacks the infrastructure, the ability to track criminals and empathy to handle these cases. The authorities need to work on how they can go after these criminals. Matrimonial websites and online dating sites are recent, so the understanding of [such crimes] is minimal."

As Chandra zeroed in on the five women for the docu-series, she was certain that the project needed a female crew and an empathetic gaze. "We had 35 per cent women crew. Amazon has a 30 per cent policy, and we stepped it up by 5 per cent. It was a set where we wanted to tell these stories."