[.ca] Mississippi Masala

From Amazon.com:
Mira Nair, the Indian director, scored an international art-house hit with her feature debut, Salaam Bombay!, a tale of life in the streets of seething urban India. Her next film was a surprising turnabout: Mississippi Masala is a cultural study and a love story set in the rural American south. The love story comes courtesy of Denzel Washington, as a rug cleaner, and Sarita Choudhury (from Nair's Kama Sutra), as the daughter of Indian immigrants running a small-time motel; both give fresh, charming performances. But Nair is equally interested in capturing the feelings of an exile's life, and Roshan Seth, the fine actor who played Nehru in Gandhi, superbly catches the hope and sorrow of dislocation. Although the issues are serious, Nair maintains a breezy, naturalistic approach, and the various ingredients of this masala blend into a rich, flavorful stew. --Robert Horton

magnificent film!:
If you aren't familiar with Mira Nair, the brilliant Indian filmmaker who has brought us magnificent (and more recent films) like Monsoon Wedding, this is a great introduction to her genius. I happen to be a Denzel Washington fan, and wanted to see his earlier work, which led me to rent this film. It is set in the South, and is centered on Meena (Sarita Chudhury), an young, ethnically-Indian, Ugandan national who immigrated to the Southern United States with her parents after the uprising of Idi Amin (Ugandan president) who decided that the way to rid the nation of the "Asian problem" was to expel them from the country to begin with. She settles in the States, cleaning hotel bathrooms with her Mum, and living with her parents as a 24 year old woman. Demetrius (Denzel Washington) is a young African-American man who cleans carpets and helps support his family and stays out of trouble. What initially starts out as a "rebound" relationship turns into something more--which upsets both sets of families. Though, Meena and Demetrius are outcast in a White culture, there are still divisions between their races that are reinforced by their parents and relatives. It also is an interesting juxtaposition of Meena's family and their experiences with Black Ugandans (ethnic Indians as the ultimate "untouchables" in the African nation), and how Indians in the U.S. South are viewed in comparison with African-Americans who endured White racism, and, before that, slavery and great oppression for many years. The acting is beautiful in this film, and the love story of the interracial couple is engaging, funny, and touching. For Mira Nair buffs---she makes an appearance in the wedding scene, early on, as one of the gossipy guests! Hint: She has short black hair....... Don't miss this beautiful, heartfelt and thoughtful film.

Something for everyone:
I'm a big fan of Denzel, and all reviewers are right about the quality and sensuality of the love story that is central to this movie. And where else will most of us get to see Denzel do "The Electric Slide?" But...having said that, I found that the love story was the least interesting thing about this movie! I was fascinated to learn about the Indian culture in the South (and I have seen the "American owned" signs on motels in the South, an obvious attempt to attract patrons who don't want to stay at an Indian owned motel). The deep pain of exile felt by the father was the most moving element to me. I felt moved to tears at several points, and at the end. As a Jew, I identified very strongly with the father's and family's distress at being forcibly and violently evicted from home based on racial and ethnic hatred. A wonderful film.

Love this film:
I love this film. I saw this film when I was a young. My aunt had free tickets to the first showing at the Ritz, in Philly (The Ritz only shows movies that are not well known, such as independent films, documentaries, etc.) This movie stayed in my mind and now I own it on DVD. It is excellent. I loved Denzel in it and Charles S. Dutton is funny also. If you are a Denzel fan, you must have this one in your collection.

Entertaining and thoughtful:
This film is a wonderfully acted, directed and scripted parable on the power of love to overcome racial and ethnic divisions, filled with humor, insight, pathos and inspiration, and which completely avoids the trap of becoming preachy. One of its particularly interesting insights for me was its take on the polarizing nature of black-white racial divisions in this country. This is shown not only by the negative reaction of the local Indian community in this small Mississippi town to the romance of one of its women by a black man, but, even more revealingly, by the response of the local whites, which results in the bank calling in its loan on Denzel Washington's carpet cleaning business, along with the loss of his white clientele. Even though the relationship in question is between two dark skinned people, the whites react to this as though the Indian woman is white. In otherwords, for the whites, if you are not black you are white, or, at least, the equivalent of white. I strongly recommend this movie.

A Singular, Lasting, and Still Necessary Achievement:
What a wonderful film. Kudos to Mira Nair, all of the actors and crewpeople, the producers, and the extras. This little gem of a film has not only stood the test of time, but is quietly growing in stature. Certainly one of the better efforts in Denzel Washington's body of work. Other commentators have noted how good of job Nair does in making this film a "Masala" at many levels. Everything from the story, to the actors, the sets, the lighting and much else besides communicates and celebrates the vibrancy of life and of culture. Another sometimes overlooked aspect of the film's appeal is that this story is emblematic; we all KNOW and can relate to these characters, because we sense that they are based on real people. This is a dignified story, told with passion and humor and spice. In short, this film is exactly what the title says it is. In short it's a wonderful slice of life. Job well done.