Mississippi Masala (1991)

Mississippi Masala (1991) (DVD) (*)

~~$20.99~~ $17.98

Screened, competed or awarded at:
Venice Film Festival
Other Film Festival Awards

Language Selections:
English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )
Spanish ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )
Spanish ( Subtitles )

Product Origin/Format:
Spain ( PAL/Region 2 )

Running Time:
112 min

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen (1.78:1)

Special Features:
Filmographies
Interactive Menu
Scene Access

Movie filmed in 1991 and produced in:
United Kingdom ( Great Britain, Ireland )
United States ( USA, Canada )

Directed By:
Mira Nair

Written By:
Sooni Taraporevala

Actors:
Denzel Washington ..... Demetrius Williams
Sarita Choudhury ..... Meena
Roshan Seth ..... Jay (Meena's dad)
Sharmila Tagore ..... Kinnu
Charles S. Dutton ..... Tyrone Williams
Joe Seneca ..... Williben Williams
Ranjit Chowdhry ..... Anil
Mohan Gokhale ..... Pontiac
Mohan Agashe ..... Kanti Napkin
Tico Wells ..... Dexter Williams
Yvette Hawkins ..... Aunt Rose
Anjan Srivastav ..... Jammubhai
Dipti Suthar ..... Chanda (Anil's wife)
Varsha Thaker ..... Kusumben
Ashok Lath ..... Harry Patel

Synopsis:

The story of an Indian family who after always having lived in Uganda, Africa, are forced to leave under the orders of dictator Idi Amin when he declares that Africa belongs only to 'black' Africans. The lawyer, his wife and little girl Mina, move to Mississippi where again, years later, racism presents problems. This time between the Indian and American/African community, coming to a head when the now 24-year-old Mina falls in love with a black carpet cleaner. 'Masala' in the film means a 'mixture of hot spices' which is how Mina sees herself through having come from such a rich mixture of cultural backgrounds.

During the British rule in India, many Indians were sent to Uganda to assist in the building of a railroad. When the railroad was complete, most of the Indians decided to make Uganda their new home. Soon they became rich property owners and enjoyed a far better standard of living than native Ugandans. Some conservative parents of second generation Ugandan-Indians refused to permit their children to marry native Ugandans. Using this as a pretext, in November of 1972 General Idi Amin made it mandatory for all Asians to leave Uganda, as he wanted Africa to be a 'black Africa'. In the movie one of the displaced families was Jay, Kinnu, and their young daughter, Meena, moving from Kampala to Greenwood, Mississippi, U.S.A. The family attempted to establish themselves in their new surroundings while reacquainting themselves with their relatives, Anil, Jammubhai, Kusum, Chanda, Kanti, and Pontiac. From 1972 to 1990, Jay and Kinnu ran a liquor shop, while Meena cleaned motel rooms and bathrooms. Since Meena had a dark complexion, she was often mistaken for a Mexican, and Kinnu was unable to find a suitable groom for her. Jay still keeps the hope that one day he will regain his estate in Kampala and return to live there for the rest of his life, and continues to nurse a grudge against the black Africans who had displaced him and taken over his property. Now to make matters worse, Jay gets a rude shock when Anil tells him that Meena is having an affair with a 'kaalu' (Black man) named Demetrius Williams, who runs a business cleaning carpets in motel rooms. Watch how tensions rise when salt is rubbed on old wounds, and racism, called 'tradition' by some folks in the U.S., raises its ugly head, perhaps to claim more victims - this time Meena and Demetrius - who may not be able to handle the chain of events started by their love for each other.

In 1972, an Indian lawyer and his family flee their home as Idi Amin seizes power. The lawyer will never forget the pain and indignity he suffered. Nearly 20 years later the family has settled in Mississippi and the lawyer's adult daughter, Mina (Sarita Choudhury) falls in love with a young black business entrepreneur, Demetrius IDenzel Washington). Their affair causes a rift in the community and forces the lovers' families to examine their ideas about racial and class differences while avoiding scandal.

This product was added to our catalog on Friday 11 March, 2022.