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IMDb > Mississippi Masala (1991)
Mississippi Masala
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Mississippi Masala (1991) More at IMDbPro »

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Mississippi Masala (1991) -- US Home Video Trailer from Columbia
Mississippi Masala (1991) -- Open-ended Trailer from Columbia

Overview

User Rating:
6.5/10   2,186 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 2% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Mira Nair
Writer:
Sooni Taraporevala (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Mississippi Masala on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
5 February 1992 (USA) more
Genre:
Romance | Drama | Comedy more
Tagline:
Passion. Tradition. Mix It Up. more
Plot:
An Indian family is expelled from Uganda when Idi Amin takes power. They move to Mississippi and time passes... more | add synopsis
Awards:
4 wins & 2 nominations more
User Comments:
one of those movies that you don't usually expect more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

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
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Additional Details

Runtime:
118 min
Country:
UK | USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby
Filming Locations:
Biloxi, Mississippi, USA more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Joseph Olita, who plays Idi Amin, also played him in Rise and Fall of Idi Amin (1981). more
Goofs:
Continuity: When the family is leaving on the bus to the airport, there is a parrot on Okelo's shoulder. In the close-up of Okelo, the parrot is missing. more
Quotes:
Jammubhai: I'm ashamed of you! I am so ashamed of you!
Anil: [referring to Meena's family] Why do you always take their side? I worked hard for this motel and I am *not* running a charity!
Jammubhai: Anil, you have become American.
Anil: So what? I'm living in America! You don't like it? Then go back to India!
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Wanderlust (2006) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
New China Awakening more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
11 out of 11 people found the following comment useful:-
one of those movies that you don't usually expect, 12 June 2005
10/10
Author: Lee Eisenberg (eisenberg.lee@gmail.com) from Portland, Oregon, USA

In the early 20th century, the English government moved several people from India to Uganda to build the railroad. Some of the Indians stayed and became lawyers, physicians, etc. When Idi Amin came to power in the early 1970s, he expelled all non-black Africans. Some of the Indians moved to Mississippi and began running motels.

"Mississippi Masala" focuses on this. Mina (Sarita Choudhury) is the daughter of an Indian family who fled Uganda for Mississippi. She develops a relationship with Demetrius (Denzel Washington), a local man. Her family does not approve of her dating a black man, and Demetrius' friends don't like him dating an Indian woman.

The movie shows many things, in particular how both the blacks and the Indians were displaced from their ancestral lands. Also, it shows how the blacks are racist towards the Indians and vice versa. As Demetrius reminds Mina's father: "Your skin is just a couple of shades from mine." Regardless of whether or not these sorts of things happen a lot, the movie does a very good job with it all.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Mississippi Masala (1991)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
I'm pissed off... vlm3-1
screenplay cinenoir
Why didn't Mina go to college? k_luv7
Ending? ShutupNdance323
Somebody explain Anil's 'problem'? rc21kp34
OT: Indian gets life term for killing of son's black wife in US Torian717
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