Boy meets girl. Girl meets boy. Girl's younger sisters go to the movies.

This is the crucial stage! First impressions last for a long, long time and word-of-mouth about lousy first impressions can ruin one's future prospects. So, it's time for the finest silk and polyester to come forth and drape the girl and guy, respectively. The guy arrives in the traditional white pants (flared), 2" thick black belt, white "dress" shoes with brown heels, and shoulder length hair combed back with lots of brylcream. The girl's parents take one look and gasp for breath. "Was this the guy Main-dhoondti-hoon behen recommended so highly!?" they wonder.
The younger brother blurts out, "Hello, so you are the new bakra!?" and is quickly silenced and sent to the other room never to be seen or heard from again.

After the usual ’Namastes jees’ and ’Beta idhar aake bethos’ the BIG moment arrives. The bride-to-be-or-not-to-be arrives all decked out in the finest silk sari that her mom could borrow from the neighbours. Tea set in hand (which, of course, belongs to Mrs. Mera-teaset-lelo down the street) she walks towards the groom-to-be-or-not-to-be a little hesitatingly. Her parents look at her adoringly forgetting for that instant all the hassles they had to go through to get her to agree to see this highly recommended catch. She peeks at the guy and almost faints! What are they all thinking about, you ask! Our extensive interviews indicate the following trains of thought and what they actually say when the girl enters:

Bride-to-be-or-not-to-be: Eeeks! I spend the rest of my life with this guy!? Hello to the guy ... Namastejee to the ma and pa

Groom-to-be-or-not-to-be: Drool... drool... drool! Hmmm... I wonder if my drool is very obvious! Maybe I should wipe it off...? Namaste to the girl.

Guy's Dad: Hmmm… I wonder if Mr. Ladki-ka-baap has any pull in the ministry.. Namaste beti

Guy's Mom: Did I just see her stoop to the left a little when she walked... ? Beti mere paas aake baitho

Gal's Dad: Hmmm.. I wonder if Mr. Drooler-ka-baap has any pull in the industry... Beti chai idhar rakh do

Gal's Mom: God, I hope she doesn't drop the tea pot all over him... Yeh chai Hotbabe beti ne banai hai

With this the small talk takes over as everyone drinks the tea (prepared, of course, by the cook!). The usual questions are asked pertaining to the girl's life history in general. The guy just stares at his cup of tea, wondering what to say or do. The girl's dad notices his daughter being grilled and decides to step in and save her :

Gal's Dad: Beta, tum bahut chup-chup ho...!

Guy: Flustered gulp Jee, Jee... Blush, a manly one though

Guy's Mom to the rescue: Ajee yeh to aisa he hai. Zyaada bolta-balta nahi.

Girl: Thinks - yeah, sure!

Guy's Dad: Bhai, aapki doosri ladkiyaan nahi dikhai deti!?

Gal's Mom: Woh… woh picture dekhne gayi hain...

Guy's Mom: Hmmm...I wonder why! Must ask Main-dhoondi-hoon behen about them..

While all this is transpiring, the guy's mom is doing some fast thinking for the future of her son. Her suspicion of the ‘stoop while the girl walked’ has blossomed into a ’I'm certain she stooped to the left while she was walking.’

She blurts out: Guy's Mom: Beti, zara chal ke dikhana... Girl: Kya!?

Guy: Mouth open, drools - a small puddle is now visible on the floor. A pregnant pause ensues. Things are definitely not going well. Besides, the samosas are too salty.

Gal's Mom: Haan, haan Hotbabe beti. Joe aunty kehti hain, woh karke dikha do.

Girl: A more disbelieving Kya!?

So, very reluctantly, she gets up to do ’the walk’ that could well determine her fate and future. After the tantalizing-to-the-guy–and-agonizing-to-the-girl 2 minutes, the guy's mom looks visibly satisfied, realizing that the girl's stoop was an optical illusion created by the high refractive index of the Kanjivaram silk sari she is wearing.

Meanwhile, the girl's looking at the guy, as if asking, "Now, let's see you pull that off!" Seeing the obvious stare, the guy gets a little flustered wondering, "May be she is 'forward'… the way she's looking at me..." The meaning of the stare is completely lost on him.