Plot summary for
Mississippi Masala (1991) More at IMDb Pro »

An Indian family is expelled from Uganda when Idi Amin takes power. They move to Mississippi and time passes. The Indian daughter falls in love with a black man, and the respective families have to come to terms with it. Written by Ed Sutton {esutton@mindspring.com}

During the British rule in India, many Indians, men and women, were sent to Uganda, Africa, to assist in the making of a railroad. When the railroad was complete, most of the Indians decided to make Uganda their home. Soon they became rich, owned properties and enjoyed a far better standard of living than their Native counterparts. Parents of Indian girls even refused to get them marry Native Africans, and using this as a pretext, General Idi Amin, in November of 1972 made it mandatory for all Asians to leave Uganda, as he wanted Africa to be a "black Africa". One of the displaced family was of Jay, Kinnu and their young daughter, Meena. From Kampala to Greenwood, Mississippi, U.S.A., this family attempted to establish themselves with their relatives, Anil, Jammubhai, Kusum, Chanda, Kanti, and Pontiac. From 1972 to 1990, the three ran a liquor shop, while Meena cleaned Motel rooms and bathrooms. Since Meena has a dark complexion, was often mistaken for a Mexican, Kinnu is unable to find a suitable groom for her. Jay still keeps the hope that one day he will regain his estate in Kampala and return to live there for the rest of his life, and continues to nurse a grudge against the black Africans who had displaced him and taken over his property. Now to make matters worse, Jay gets a rude shock when Anil tells him that Meena is having an affair with a "Kaalu" (Black man) named Demetrius Williams, who runs a business cleaning carpets in Motel rooms. Watch how tensions rise, when salt is rubbed on old wounds, and racism, called "tradition" by some folks in the U.S., raises it's ugly head, perhaps to claim more victims - this time Meena and Demetrius - who may not be able to handle the chain of events started by their love for each other. Written by rAjOo (gunwanti@hotmail.com)

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