- Ria Verma
Ria Verma is a fictional character, and one of the major characters in the
Mira Nair film Monsoon Wedding . She is portrayed byMumbai -born Indian actressShefali Shetty (also known by her married name, Shah).Physical Appearance
Ria is of
North Indian ethnicity, with black hair to her shoulders and a fair complexion. At the time that the film takes place, she is twenty-eight years old.She dresses in
Shalwar Kameez , a common garment worn inIndia and theMiddle East .Background
Ria was born and raised in
New Delhi ,India . Her father died when she was small, and her mother took her to live with her uncle Lalit and his family.Her
childhood is plagued with terrible memories - a friend of the Verma family, Tej Puri,sexually abused her soon after she came to live with her uncle's family. As a result, she never wanted to have any romantic relationships withmen .Occupation
Ria aspires to be a
writer , planning to apply forcreative writing programs in America. Her family is eager for her to pursue her dreams and write, but still express their concern that she is not yetmarried .Monsoon Wedding
In Monsoon Wedding, Ria is preparing for her younger cousin Aditi's
wedding . Her family, though proud that she wants to become a writer, wonders why she is still not married at 28 years of age.While assisting with the wedding preparations, Ria finds out that Tej Puri, the man who
raped her as a child, is now intent on doing the same to Aliya, another of Ria's younger cousins who is only 10 years old. On the night before the wedding, Ria saves Aliya from Tej Puri when he starts to drive away with Aliya in the car. She then reveals to her uncle about her childhood. When nobody believes Ria, she stays at her friends place in a student house on the other side of Delhi, no longer wanting to be part of the preparations. However, Lalit finds Ria and convinces her to come home.Resolutions
Ria attended her cousin's
wedding . This was a change in the life of Ria in many ways; Before the wedding begins, Tej Puri and his wife are expelled by Lalit after Ria's testimony. This frees Ria and reunites her back with her family.At the wedding, Ria also meets a friend of the family who arrived late at the wedding because of his job, and starts to fall for him; the first relationship she has allowed herself to have, because her childhood no longer taints her trust of men.
External links
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Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
