The lavish ‘shaadis’ that mark the winter months in India have now become just as visible within the diaspora in Canada, particularly in the metro Vancouver area of British Columbia province, and the phenomenon is the subject of a new documentary Little India, Big Business. The documentary’s director, first-time filmmaker and Vancouver native Bal Brach, has a very personal connect to the trend. As she was engaged to Shiv Deol in 2013, she started researching the subject of weddings. At that time, she thought she would have a “big, fat Indian wedding” because “there was no option”. And in that area, that seemed true enough.In recent years, the base price for a ‘desi’ wedding, she discovered, is Canadian $100,000, as against a ceiling of about $40,000 for a mainstream marriage. Some parents take out second mortgages or cash in their retirement funds. Life savings are being spent. She found weddings featuring 10 varieties of appetisers and 25 types of desserts. Gifts to the young couple include the ubiquitous gold jewellery, homes and luxury cars such as a Lamborghini.The industry around wedding planning for this niche segment has exploded.