Morning, not midnight
Muhurtham is a time, sometimes early. The hall or the temple is brighter than a London ballroom at night, and the ceremony is denser. Nadaswaram is the sound, and it is loud. A lav on the priest, agreed beforehand, is worth more than a shotgun at the back of the room.
The beats
The oonjal, the swing, is a portrait: both of them, the women around, a little motion and then still. Kashi yatra is played, and short. The tying of the thali is the marriage for many families. Be on a long lens, already focused, before the hands rise. No flash. Jasmine in the hair is a detail, not a insert you restage.
Do not import a baraat
Some British Tamil weddings add a reception that looks like any other evening. The rite will not. If you only know pheras and a horse, say so, and read the order with the family. A South Indian morning cannot be covered from a shot list written for a Punjabi night.
Where to stand
- Mandap
The fire may be there. The thali is the question to ask.
- Reception
Often later, and a different picture.
Questions worth asking
- What is the shot you cannot miss?
- The tying of the thali, at the muhurtham. It is brief. If you are changing batteries, you have missed the marriage.
- Are Tamil and Sri Lankan Tamil weddings the same?
- They share a great deal and they are not copies. Ask the family which rituals are theirs. Film that list, not a generic South Indian montage.