Mississippi Masala (1991)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Mira Nair

Writer:

Sooni Taraporevala (writer)

Release Date:

5 February 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Romance | Drama | Comedy

Tagline:

Passion. Tradition. Mix It Up.

Plot:

An Indian family is expelled from Uganda when Idi Amin takes power. They move to Mississippi and time passes...

Plot Keywords:

Uganda | Africa | Love | Motel | Happy Birthday To You

Awards:

4 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Denzel Washington	...	Demetrius Williams
Sarita Choudhury	...	Meena
Roshan Seth	...	Jay (Meena's dad)
Sharmila Tagore	...	Kinnu (Jay's wife)
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 (as Anjan Srivastava)
Dipti Suthar	...	Chanda (Anil's wife)
Varsha Thaker	...	Kusumben
Ashok Lath	...	Harry Patel

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | UK:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Biloxi, Mississippi, USA

Company:

Black River Productions

Trivia:

Joseph Olita, who plays Idi Amin, also played him in Rise and Fall of Idi Amin (1981).

Goofs:

Factual errors: Related to the map problems, we find later in the film that the family first moved to England and then came to the United States. But the map traversal implies a flight from Uganda to Mississippi.

Quotes:

Meena: [after Jay and Kinnu discover her and Demetrius's relationship] What about me? What about me? I've never asked you for anything! Never expected anything! I'm 24 years old, and I'm still here! Stuck *here!* You think I'm happy? I love him. That's not a crime, is it?
Kinnu: You call this love? When all you have done is bring such shame upon our heads?
Meena: I didn't do anything! *They* barged in!
Jay: Don't answer back! At least have the decency to be sorry!
Meena: I am sorry about this mess, but I'm not sorry I'm in love with him.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Wanderlust (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Happy Birthday To You

One of the most interesting movies I've seen.

When Mississippi Masala opened it was a B movie or was treated as such. Denzil Washington was riding high with his Malcolm X role in the news. I wondered what made him decide on such a low key movie. I got hold of the cassette and saw it. Then I knew why. The plot is excellent and this must have been the reason why other notable actors (Charles Dutton comes to mind; and the actors who played Meena's Father (Rohan Seth, I think, who came in Gandhi), and the actor who played Denzil's father. The other actors were magnificent and were perfect for their parts. I particular enjoyed Sunil and friends and Denzil's brother.

What was most admirable in this movie is the writer/director's ability to merge three cultures (Uganda, India, & Southern USA) into an enchanting love story. Mira Nir has made her mark with this movie. Not surprising the critics loved it.

I New York the movie opened quietly then quickly became popular by word-of-mouth. Many women went to see Denzil but came away enjoying a unique and interesting love story with racism from another angle as it's strong undertone. Go see it if you haven't already.