This true-crime documentary from BBC Studios India Production is directed by Tanuja Chandra and showcases the stories of five women who are cheated on their quest to find love and get married. With only 5 episodes, each with a runtime of around 30 minutes, this is a chilling tale of vulnerable women with big hopes falling into the traps of conmen hunting for prey on popular online platforms.
A Sham Marriage
If getting married wasn’t already less stressful for women in the horrors of today’s society, then Wedding.con is here to scare us straight. The most interesting part of the docuseries is that, along with showcasing the horrors of arranged marriages and trusting an unknown person, it shows very thoroughly the pressures that women still face in today’s society when women are presumably more independent and career-oriented.
I think the show does a fantastic job breaking down why people do what they do and how people fall into scams. Professor of Psychology Dr Chitra Raghavan’s points are extremely spot-on, and those who wander around in the various scam subs of Reddit will get to know how scary things like these are rampant, and the scammers almost follow a very well-rehearsed script that is almost common for everyone. The series works as a very interesting watch because you get to learn the warning signs and the red flags to look out for when you trust someone unknown with your future and money.
The most interesting part of the series is that these are all educated, working women who have seen some parts of the world and aren’t naive. But the most shocking and sad part about all of this is that sometimes, even the smartest people fall into these traps. As the psychologist rightly points out, scammers do their homework and know which vulnerabilities to target in order to gain access to their victims and make them trust them. The boundary stomping process is slow and graduate, and they constantly try to push in order to find out where they will get leeway. The series follows up these facts with real-life incidents, and it’s really scary to see it happening.
Scream at Screen
Viewers might sometimes scream at the screen, wondering how one can ignore such blatant red flags. It is frustrating sometimes but one has to understand that societal pressure to marry someone and one’s own need to find someone to love and stay happy plays a very big part in such matters. It’s definitely not the victim’s fault, and when people point their fingers at the victim, it points to the general apathy and inability to understand the organised way in which such scams take place. The sexism that is rampant in our country also plays a major role here.
Interestingly enough, romance scams aren’t just unique to India; if you’ve watched The Tinder Swindler, you’ll know the lengths people to go with their lies and the devastation that they leave behind. Wedding.con also showcases that devastation, more so, in fact, because families get involved in Indian arranged marriages, and everyone is so invested. You’ll feel heartbroken and some sort of anger when you see these moments since these women get very vulnerable. It’s very sad to see trusting, good people breaking down.
But Still…
The series uses the help of recreations to give us a visual of the scams and their large scope so that we can immerse ourselves in the horror of the situation. However, I must say that constantly being shown this random actor’s face gets a bit weird after a bit. I think not showing the faces would’ve been better. The talking heads are great, though and some keep their identities hidden for privacy. That’s well and good because it’s the stories that are the spine-chilling part and keep you hooked throughout.
There’s also some very interesting discussion surrounding the failure of the Indian law to regulate these situations or apprehend the criminals that will resonate with you and make you feel somewhat unsafe. The ease with which the perpetrators of such crimes get out and jump back into the same crimes is almost shocking and highly abhorrent but alas, these are highly unsafe and unstable times. It makes you question whether there truly is anyone out there looking out for us.
I further think that we could’ve focused a little bit more on the inability of law enforcement and societal expectations and sexism to drive the point across. Sometimes, the series feels just a little forced, and before you can really wrap your head around things, we move on to the next topic. The series would have benefited from a few minutes more added to the runtime to discuss these issues and would’ve been able to drive the point home as a result.
Final Thoughts
Wedding.con is a heartbreaking and fear-inducing series that does a fantastic job of breaking down why romance scams are so prevalent and the reason why educated, smart people fall into them. It’s also quite educational and will leave you with deep thoughts. It’s a very short series that creates a lasting impression and will educate you on what to look out for when you venture into the deep, dark world of Indian weddings.
The series is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.