Mirch Masala (1987)

In colonial India, subedars (tax collectors) went from village to village, with soldiers, often demanding more than taxes. A subedar commands Sonbai, a beautiful and confidant women whose ... See full summary »

Director:

Ketan Mehta

Writers:

Shafi Hakim, Hriday Lani,

Stars:

Ram Gopal Bajaj, Benjamin Gilani, Mohan Gokhale

4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Ram Gopal Bajaj	...	Owner of the Pepper factory
Benjamin Gilani	...	Masterji
Mohan Gokhale	...	Villager
Nina Kulkarni	...	Pepper factory worker
Deepti Naval	...	Saraswati, Mukhiya's wife
Suresh Oberoi	...	Mukhiya
Harish Patel	...	Pandit
Dina Pathak	...	Maanki, factory worker
Ratna Pathak	...	Pepper Factory Worker
Supriya Pathak	...	Pepper factory worker
Smita Patil	...	Sonbai
Om Puri	...	Chowkidar Abu Miya
Paresh Rawal	...	Villager
Naseeruddin Shah	...	Subedar

Storyline

In colonial India, subedars (tax collectors) went from village to village, with soldiers, often demanding more than taxes. A subedar commands Sonbai, a beautiful and confidant women whose husband is away in the city, to sleep with him. She slaps him and flees for safety to a spice factory where women grind chillies into fine powder. The aged factory guard, Abu Mian, locks the door behind her, refusing to open it to the soldiers, to the cowardly village men led by the mayor, and to the subedar himself. The town's teacher, who follows Gandhi, and a few women, led by the mayor's wife, protest ineffectually against this village-approved rape. The stage is set for a final confrontation.

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Plot Keywords:

soldier | village | india | spice factory | tax collector | 

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Details

Country:

UK India

Language:

Hindi

Release Date:

6 September 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Spices

Company Credits

Production Co:

Channel Four Films, National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Homestarrunner.com: Everything Else, Volume 3 (2007)

User Reviews

A superb vindication of the resistance of women

Absolutely excellent. The hubris of petty officers, the crisis and tension coming from lust and gratuitous violence, the horrifying banality of colonialism, the abuse and victimization of women: all these elements combine to create a tragedy which the Greeks would not have disavowed. We are the transfixed witnesses of a horrendous, and at the same time, magnificent process: the price of a woman's virtue depends on how much it costs for the community. Even feminine solidarity crumbles when submitted to enough masculine pressure… And yet, does it? The fantastic last scene of the film, when everything seemed lost, shows that women have stupendous resources that make one realize the strength of a resistance in which women take part, and I am reminded of the British resistance to Germany during World War 2, when the wives and mothers of soldiers took part in the war effort, and replaced them in the factories and mills of the besieged island. Hurray for women's valor!