Mississippi Masala (1991)

Director:

Mira Nair

Writer:

Sooni Taraporevala

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 | Love | Mississippi | Motel | Africa

Awards:

5 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

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 (as Anjan Srivastava)
Dipti Suthar	...	Chanda (Anil's wife)
Varsha Thaker	...	Kusumben
Ashok Lath	...	Harry Patel
Natalie Oliver	...	Alicia LeShay
Karen Pinkston	...	Mrs. Morgan
Willy Cobbs	...	Skillet
Mira Nair	...	Gossip 1
Rajika Puri	...	Gossip 2
Sharon Williams	...	Tadice
Cyreio Hughes	...	D.J.
Stacy Swinford	...	Bubba
Rick Senn	...	Piggly Wiggly Checker
Jim Haffey	...	White Truck Driver
Dillon Rozell Gross	...	Police Officer
Larry Haggard	...	Joe
E.W. Colvin	...	Grandcraw
Joyce Murrah	...	Lady at Lusco's
Kevin McNeil	...	Clarence
Fred Matthews	...	Grandaddy (as Reverend Fred Matthews)
Mahlon Bouldin	...	Student
Buddy St. Amant	...	Biloxi Cop
Ben Burford	...	Bank Manager
Sam Sherrill	...	Phinias T. Turnbull
Alix Henry Sanders	...	Barber
Jerone Wiggins	...	James
Sadie Carr	...	Mildred
Richard Crick	...	White Customer
Alix W. Sanders	...	Postman
Shung Moo Joe	...	Chinese Customer
Jaimini Thaker	...	Kanti Bhai
Hollis Pippin	...	Sylvester Artiste III
Dewey Buffington	...	Evangelist
Tony McGhee	...	Rapper 1
J.D. Barrett	...	Rapper 2
Tre'Demond Spearman	...	Rapper 3
Argentina Moore	...	Rapper 4
Nora Boland	...	Shop-at-Home Anchor Person 1
Patsy Garrett	...	Shop-at-Home Anchor Person 2
Konga Mbandu	...	Okelo
Sahira Nair	...	Young Mina
Michael Wawuyo	...	Soldier on Bus
Phavin Parbario	...	Young Jay
Emanuel Mudara	...	Young Okelo
Immaculate Byakatonda	...	Okelo's Mother
Amrit Panesar	...	Mrs. Bedi
Jimmy Din	...	Bharat
Bonnie M. Lubega	...	Teacher
Sammy E.D. Senkumba	...	Taxi Driver
Mayambala Ssekasi	...	Prison Captain
Joseph Olita	...	Idi Amin
Muteta Wilberforce	...	Soldier at Roadblock

Directed by
Mira Nair

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Sooni Taraporevala

Produced by
Lydia Dean Pilcher	....	associate producer
Mitch Epstein	....	co-producer
Mira Nair	....	producer
Michael Nozik	....	producer
Cherie Rodgers	....	executive producer

Original Music by
L. Subramaniam

Cinematography by
Edward Lachman

Film Editing by
Roberto Silvi

Production Design by
Mitch Epstein

Art Direction by
Jefferson Sage

Set Decoration by
Jeanette Scott

Makeup Department
Mustaque M. Ashrafi	....	makeup artist
Maxi Michael	....	additional hair stylist
Edna Sheen	....	makeup artist
Kenneth Walker	....	hair stylist
Gloria Belz	....	additional makeup artist (uncredited)
Kay Toney	....	additional hairstylist (uncredited)

Production Management
John Chavanga	....	unit manager: Uganda (as Johnny Chavanga)
Lydia Dean Pilcher	....	unit production manager
Susan Lazarus	....	post-production supervisor
Eve Silvester	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Noga Isackson	....	second assistant director
Anne Olivecrona	....	second assistant director: Uganda
Dinaz Stafford	....	second second assistant director
Linda Wilson	....	second second assistant director
Michael Zimbrich	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Jean-François Chavrier	....	property master: Uganda
David Crank	....	art director: Uganda
David Crank	....	charge scenic
Jennifer DeBell	....	second scenic artist
Maureen Farley	....	property master
Stan Fortner	....	construction assistant
Jeff Hartmann	....	lead man
Mary Hilsip	....	lead dresser: Uganda
Cedric Johnson	....	set dresser
Fabian Mpagi Kamulu	....	scenic artist: Uganda
Sam Kasirye	....	construction coordinator: Uganda
Richard Kazosi	....	set dresser: Uganda
John Lewis	....	painter
Geoffrey Mubiru	....	property assistant: Uganda
Samuel Musisi	....	set dresser: Uganda
Ameeta Nanji	....	set dresser
Ken Nelson	....	construction coordinator
Ayesha Patel	....	assistant set decorator
Hemant Patel	....	property production assistant
James Sebudde	....	set dresser: Uganda
Tracy Heather Strain	....	art department coordinator
David Weathers	....	set dresser
Greg Wilkinson	....	property assistant
Robert Williams	....	painter

Sound Department
Marko A. Costanzo	....	foley walker (as Marko Costanzo)
Margaret Crimmins	....	supervising sound editor (as Margie Crimmins)
Rick Dior	....	sound re-recording mixer
Alex Griswold	....	production sound mixer
Joshua Levin	....	assistant sound editor
Julie Lindner	....	apprentice sound editor
Marissa Littlefield	....	adr editor
Tommy Louie	....	boom operator
Sylvia Menno	....	assistant sound editor
Christopher O'Donnell	....	boom operator: Uganda (as Chris O'Donnell)
Mary Ellen Porto	....	sound editor
Paul J. Zydel	....	adr mixer (as Paul Zydel)

Stunts
Dawn Cadena	....	stunts
Bob Minor	....	stunt coordinator
Napoleon Moore	....	stunts
Phil Neilson	....	stunt coordinator
Janet Paparazzo	....	stunts
J. Suzanne Rampe	....	stunts (as Suzanne Rampe)

Camera and Electrical Department
Alan Barry	....	best boy electric: Uganda
Richard Broome	....	dolly grip: Uganda
Katherine M. Butler	....	second assistant camera (as Kate Butler)
Charles Byamugishi	....	grip: Uganda
David Byarugaba	....	electrician: Uganda
Ted Churchill	....	Steadicam operator
Ray Coates	....	generator operator: Uganda
Willie E. Dawkins	....	fourth electric
Daniel Ehrenbard	....	gaffer
Bob Frazier	....	electrician
Danny Graflund	....	grip
André Harris	....	camera loader
John Higgins	....	gaffer: Uganda unit
Birney Imes	....	still photographer
Charles Kahuha Munene	....	electrician: Uganda
Dan Karlok	....	best boy electric
Richard C. Kerekes	....	dolly grip
Chris Lombardi	....	first assistant camera
Michael A. McFadden	....	third grip
Lee McLemore	....	grip
Paul Merwin	....	electrician
Maingi Benson Ndonye	....	electrician: Uganda
John Panikar	....	still photographer
Daniel Pershing	....	best boy grip (as Dan Pershing)
Tim Pershing	....	key grip
Ahamed Sheik Omar	....	electrician: Uganda
Justus Vincent 'Jacky' Tela	....	grip: Uganda
Chris Thornton	....	third electrician
Eric Ward	....	dolly grip
Eric Wilson	....	grip
Tom Zafian	....	24 frame video engineer

Casting Department
Judy Claman	....	casting: Mississippi
Uma Da Cunha	....	additional casting: Indians
Susie Figgis	....	casting: London
David Kateete	....	casting assistant: Uganda
Rupesh Manek	....	casting assistant: Uganda
Elise Pittman	....	casting assistant
Ranjeet Singh	....	casting assistant: Uganda
Dinaz Stafford	....	casting: Uganda

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sharen Davis	....	wardrobe supervisor
Ellen Lutter	....	costume designer: Mississippi
Susan Lyall	....	costume designer: Uganda
Winsome G. McKoy	....	wardrobe shopper (as Winsome McKoy)
Rachel Namutebi	....	wardrobe assistant: Uganda
Kelly O'Gurian	....	costumer
Kinnari Panikar	....	Indian costumes
Carolyn Greco	....	assistant costume designer: Uganda (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Antje Botschen	....	apprentice film editor
Preeti Chawla	....	apprentice film editor
Tula Goenka	....	associate film editor
Marissa Littlefield	....	first assistant film editor
Tony Mottola	....	color timer
Noëlle Penraat	....	negative matcher
Paige M. Sibley	....	second assistant film editor
Gene Zippo	....	color timer
John Dowdell	....	colorist (uncredited)
John Dowdell	....	telecine colorist (uncredited)
Marypat Plottner	....	synching editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Glenn Aulepp	....	music engineer
Adam Bartos	....	music consultant: Mississippi
Christine Cholvin	....	assistant music editor
Gary Denton	....	music engineer
Ron Kalina	....	musician: harmonica
James Makubuya	....	musician: ugandan percussion
Andrea Marcelli	....	musician: drums
Freddie Ravel	....	musician: piano and synthesizers
Emil Richards	....	musician: percussion
Thom Rotella	....	musician: acoustic and electric guitar
Nyle Steiner	....	musician: ewi
L. Subramaniam	....	musicians: violin, violin synthesizers and percussions
Viji Subramaniam	....	musician: vocals and tambura
Andy Summers	....	musician: electric guitar
Sattar Tari	....	musician: tabla
Vinod R. Venkataraman	....	musician: mridangam and ghatam
Jerry Watts Jr.	....	musician: bass

Transportation Department
Betty Sue Bell	....	driver
Mike Chitbai	....	transportation captain: Uganda
Glenn Evans	....	driver
Ron M. Field	....	driver (as Ron Field)
Reggie Gwin	....	driver
David Ivie	....	picture car coordinator (as David Ivy)
Moses Kajubi	....	driver: Uganda
Lawrence Kalule	....	driver: Uganda
Philip Kamau	....	transportation coordinator: Uganda
Joseph Katongole	....	driver: Uganda
Jim Lunden	....	driver
Peter Mavromates	....	transportation coordinator
Sammie Pulley	....	driver
Larry Robinson	....	driver
Tad Russell	....	driver
Tom Sabavuma	....	driver: Uganda
David Scharnberg	....	driver
Mahmood Sentenza	....	driver: Uganda
Cliff Spivey	....	driver
John Bosco Tumumwesigye	....	driver: Uganda
Virgil L. Ware	....	driver

Other crew
Celeste Bartos	....	invaluable support
Gloria Bremer	....	coordinator: Mirabai Films
Margot Bridger	....	assistant: Michael Nozik
Joseph Carasco	....	location manager: Uganda
Kayla Chaillot	....	craft service
Patricia Freebery	....	new york city coordinator: Uganda
Rosemary Karamagi	....	production secretary: Uganda
George Katamba	....	production assistant: Uganda
Kenneth M. Kroll	....	assistant auditor: Uganda (as Kenneth Kroll)
Hajira Majid	....	production assistant
Anis Mamdani	....	production executive: Uganda
Clement Mawenu	....	production assistant: Uganda
Joseph Mbaziira	....	production assistant: Uganda
Michael McCormick	....	production auditor
Patrick McDill	....	production assistant
Jennifer Meyer	....	assistant: Michael Nozik
Keith Mitchell	....	production assistant
Eva Monley	....	production consultant: Uganda
Maida N. Morgan	....	assistant location manager (as Maida Morgan)
Margo Myers	....	assistant auditor (as Margo A. Myers)
Ameeta Nanji	....	title illustrator
Nelson Ochieng	....	production assistant: Uganda
Jimmy Odongo	....	production assistant: Uganda
Patricia Rodrigue	....	production assistant
Doreen Shalita	....	assistant production coordinator: Uganda
Sherrill Smith	....	location assistant
Madhulika Somasekhar	....	assistant: Mira Nair
Buteraba Elom Tibanagwa	....	nurse: Uganda
Nilita Vachani	....	script supervisor
Robert Wayne Vaupel	....	assistant production coordinator
Thomas Vranesich	....	production coordinator
Theo Wamala	....	production secretary: Uganda

Production Companies

• Black River Productions
• Channel Four Films
• Cinecom Pictures
• Mirabai Films
• Movie Works
• Studio Canal Souss

Distributors

• Acteurs Auteurs Associés (AAA) (1991) (France) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (1993) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Cannon/VMP (1992) (Germany) (VHS)
• Laurenfilm (Spain)
• Samuel Goldwyn Company, The (1992) (USA)
• Universum Film (UFA) (2005) (Germany) (DVD) (Special Edition)

Other Companies

• Balsmeyer and Everett  title design: end titles
• Balsmeyer and Everett  titles
• Centre for Basic Research, Kampala  uganda research
• Clein & White  unit publicity
• Effects House, The  opticals (as The Effects House)
• Simon/Kumin Casting  casting: New York
• Stagg Street Studios  Music recorded at
• Todd-AO Studios (West)  post-production facilities (as Todd-AO Studios East)

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for sensuality and language

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | USA:R | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | UK:15 | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade)

Filming Locations:

Biloxi, Mississippi, USA

Company:

Black River Productions

Trivia:

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

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.

Quotes:

Williben Williams:What's wrong with you, boy? Don't you know the rules?
Demetrius Williams:Daddy, I didn't do nothing wrong.
Williben Williams:Mr. Morgan helped you get that loan to start up this business. Now, how am I going to be able to show my face around them after this?
Aunt Rose:That Mr. Morgan, he didn't give his own money. All he did was recommend Demetrius to the bank! See, all you and the rest of them want is for him to know his place and stay in it! But the days of slavery, they're over, Williben!
Dexter Williams:Yeah, boy!
Aunt Rose:*Hush!*
Dexter Williams:[falls silent]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "At the Movies: Venice Film Festival 2012 (#9.32)" (2012)

Soundtrack:

Crosscut Saw

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.