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Mississippi Masala (1991) More at IMDbPro »

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14 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the most interesting movies I've seen., 14 October 2001

Author: Nathaniel Hinckson from New York, New York

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.

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11 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
one of those movies that you don't usually expect, 12 June 2005

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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10 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
A spicy, well-acted love story, 26 June 2005

Author: NewEnglandPat from Virginia

This film depicts a tender love story between a man and a woman of different races and cultures that is tested by the social and economic pressures from both American blacks and the South Asian community. Angry and bitter after being expelled from their homeland of Uganda in the early 1970s, Indians have settled in Mississippi coastal towns and flourish as motel owners with their own strict, rigid codes of courtship and marriage among their young men and women, with money and a light complexion being the most desirable qualities in a search for the perfect mate. Demetrius and Mina meet by chance and their mutual attraction transcends race and complexion but causes a great deal of trouble for them from both family and friends. Denzel Washington and Sarita Choudhury are quite appealing as the lovers from different backgrounds who struggle to stay together and to understand the controversy that swirls around them. Denzel exudes plenty of boyish charm and is sincere as he courts the pretty Sarita's sexy, voluptuous Mina who herself is equally smitten with Demetrius. A very good supporting cast and bouncy east Indian rhythms spice up the music soundtrack and add to the film's enjoyment.

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9 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Mississippi Masala is a very deep movie with deep actors, 4 January 2007

Author: dunlap27406 from United States

I love this movie. I first saw it as a preteen and did not understand the concept. I have recently got the DVD as a gift and watch it over and over again and learn something else from it each time. Sarita Choudhury is one of the best actresses of our time and I respect her decision to not want to go "Hollywood". She has appeared in movies with substance and a message unlike the movies that are coming out in mainstream Hollywood. Denzel Washington is a great actor in this movie as well. Playing Demitrius, you really see his versatility as an actor. Mississippi Masala touches a new kind of racism not shown in movies before. Dark skin vs. light skin seems to go across every ethnicity in the world and I respect Mira Nair for making this film. Although the movie or its actors didn't receive the attention or awards (i.e. an Oscar) for their extraordinary performance, this is a must see movie and it will change your mind about the caliber of movies you choose to see from now on.

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9 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Pretty good movie about overcoming prejudice., 23 December 2001
Author: TxMike from Houston, Tx, USA, Earth

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

"Mississippi Masala" stars Denzel Washington, before he became known with such films as "Malcolm X". But this is not about blacks in Mississippi. It is about Indians ("no, not that kind of Indian") being expelled from their East African homeland, and taking 15+ years to make peace with it. Along the way the father had become estranged from his best friend from childhood, a very black African, and found when he finally returned to Uganda that his friend had died.

When the family was forced to leave Uganda in the mid-70s, they went to England then ended up in Miss., living in and running a motel. Pretty typical. The daughter, Mina, was 24 and still treated like she was 16. In a small traffic accident, she met Demetrius (Denzel) who had a business cleaning carpets. They clicked, began to go places together, fell for each other, the spit hit the fan in Biloxi when they were in a motel room together. When mom and dad went back to Uganda, Mina stayed in Miss., with Demetrius.

The whole point of the film was how the Indians built up this hatred for people "of color" because of what had happened to them, and their healing was complete only after they returned to their homeland. Pretty good film, develops slowly, but interesting all the way.

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7 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
A true depiction of Indians in America., 18 February 2005

Author: corrupt200 from Rochester, NY

This movie showed one thing that is totally true about many Indians in America (I don't know about England). Many Indians who immigrate to this country start acting and behaving like they are white. Sometimes they forget that they are not even white (I am guilty of that sometimes too, probably even more because I grew up here). Denzel Washington points that out to Roshan Seth very well in this movie. "You are no more than a few shades from my complexion." And then Jammu point out to Anil how he has started to act American (probably means white American), and Anil says, "So what? I'm living in America! You don't like it? Go back to India!"

Overall, it's a really good movie. I like it even more than "Monsoon Wedding," and I feel this movie was very underrated. My seventh grade teacher recommended this movie a long time ago (actually a few mos. after I saw it myself.) I myself have been recommending it to some of my non-Indian college friends who have seen Monsoon Wedding.

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9 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
Many stories braided together, 17 July 2002

Author: Neel V Kumar from Silicon Valley, CA, USA

Some may think that all it is about is the race relations between Asian Indians and Blacks in Southern USA. I saw it as collection of stories, each running along its own thread while impacting others at the same time. There is a love story between a Black guy and an Asian Indian (by way of Africa) girl, there is a man trying to regain his lost homeland (which some may consider artificial), there are others who are trying to fit into the new-new-South, a younger brother who is a bother and a motel owner who doesn't understand the people around him. All in all, a well knit story.

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11 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :-
Gets even better with age, 28 February 1999

Author: Dana A. Luke (danaluke@iname.com) from Westbrook, ME

In a very dignified and low-key kind of way, this movie speaks to the issues of racism and clashing cultures far better than any of the Spike Lee movies I have seen does. I think it's because it looks at racism not from the traditional perspective of white/black, but a slightly different perspective of colored/black. Also, what makes this movie really fly is that you really like the lead characters... you care about them and want them to be happy in the end. I haven't had that reaction to any Spike Lee movie characters yet.

In short, this movie doesn't come at you as "I'm a preachy race relations movie" but rather as a sweet love story that gets waylaid by issues of race and color in a believable way.

I saw this movie for the first time when it came out in 1991, and thought it was good. I saw it again last night (1998) and like a fine wine or cheese it's getting even better with age.

If only Spike Lee would watch this and try to learn something from it... this movie has a lot to say and says it well.

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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
A fine, perceptive, very human film, 6 March 2005

Author: (cndiver@bluefrognet.net) from Rochester, N.Y. USA

that explores, opens up, reveals the unconscious, socially conditioned ways we limit ourselves. Because the film deals primarily with the Black and African-Indian communities, I found myself wishing that I could have seen it in a Black/Indian audience to see what the film stirred up!

This is a good film for those of you who like explosions, cool mafia hit men, and high tech because it is about real human difficulty and real courage -- not the Die Hard and Terminator fantasy versions of those virtues.

It also happens to be a very sweet, often tellingly funny love story about two believable people you will end up really liking.

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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Interracial romance in the south, 19 April 2004

Author: rosscinema (rosscinema@cox.net) from Oceanside,Ca.

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This is an intimate look at Indians from Africa in America that are just trying to do the best they can and still maintain their values and it was made into a film when the director discovered that many of the motels in the south are owned by Indians. Story is about an Indian family that was ousted from Uganda in the early 70's when Idi Amin started to kick out all Asians. Jay (Roshan Seth) was a lawyer in Africa but had to take his wife Kinnu (Sharmila Tagore) and his young daughter Mina out of the country and would end up in Greenwood, Mississippi. Years later Mina (Sarita Choudhury) who is 24 still lives with her parents who run a motel and they expect her to marry an Indian gentleman. One day Mina is involved in a traffic accident and meets a young black man named Demetrius (Denzel Washington) and after exchanging address's he asks her out on a date. They start to date but keep it secret from her parents until they are caught by fellow Indians.

*****SPOILER ALERT*****

Demetrius owns a carpet cleaning business and many of his clients are the Indian motel owners and when word spreads of their relationship his business starts to go downhill which puts him in trouble with the bank. Mina loves Demetrius but he is seriously hurt by the reaction of not only the Indians in the community but of her parents.

This film was directed by Mira Nair who has added so much to films with her poignant views of Indian culture trying to survive in America and she had made a big impact with her first feature "Salaam Bombay!" and would later make the splendid "Monsoon Wedding". One of the interesting things about this story is that we get to see why this family had to come to America instead of just having the film start with them already in Mississippi. While this is an interesting and provocative script what lies at the core of this film is a simple love story that is relevant to this day. Washington was just emerging as an important actor and he's solid as usual but the film's star is really by newcomer Choudhury. This was her first role and even though at times she appears nervous she turns in a very good performance. It cannot be easy to be in your first film and have nude scenes but she evidently came through alright and shows enough freshness and charm to practically steal the film. Film goes on a tad long and the last 20 minutes seem obvious but this is an intriguing story and Nair is an important director who has again shown her observances of transplanted Indians in America.

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