Chutney Popcorn (1999)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Nisha Ganatra

Writers:

Susan Carnival (writer)
Nisha Ganatra (writer)

Release Date:

11 January 2001 (Netherlands)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

A woman. Her girlfriend. A sister. Her husband. Their baby.

Plot:

Reena is a young Indian American lesbian who lives and works in New York. Her sister Sarita, who is happily married...

Plot Keywords:

Lesbian | Baby | Indian American | Surrogate Mother | Biphobia

Awards:

5 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Nisha Ganatra	...	Reena
Jill Hennessy	...	Lisa
Sakina Jaffrey	...	Sarita
Madhur Jaffrey	...	Meenu
Nick Chinlund	...	Mitch
Cara Buono	...	Janis
Ajay Naidu	...	Raju
Daniella Rich	...	Tiffany
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Saylor Creswell	...	Doctor
Eliza Foss	...	Dr. Brendel
Greg Kachejian	...	Nurse
Priscilla Lopez	...	Loretta
Alisa Mast	...	Becca
Sunita Mukhi	...	Bhangra Auntie
Analisa Robertson	...	Deb's Girlfriend
Shazia	...	Henna Model
Amy Veltman	...	Jet

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

First Look International

Trivia:

Director and co-writer Nisha Ganatra stepped into the lead role of Reena after the actress originally cast in the role quit the production shortly before filming began.

Quotes:

Mitch: Sarita, the probabilty of you getting on a motorcycle is the same probability of Shiva having a penis.
Sarita: Shiva does have a penis. Shiva's a man.
Mitch: No he's not. Everyone knows all Hindu Gods are genderless.
Sarita (calling up her mother): Hi Mom. Shiva's a man, right?...And that would imply that He has a penis, right?...(To Mitch) Yes!

Movie Connections:

Features The Mischievous Ravi (1998)

Soundtrack:

Pretty Song

Fun and dramatic at the same time

What really stands out about Chutney Popcorn is the sense of humor that persists through an emotional plot, and this gives it a good degree of realism. Even as the family is falling apart, one can still laugh at their quirks. Life, and the funny moments that define it, goes on for these people. The humor transforms this film from the overdone melodrama it could have been into a sweet and convincing story.

The realistic quality of this film is what makes it so wonderful, in my opinion. The characters are really genuine human beings who talk like real people instead of actors with a script. There aren't any gaping plot holes or implausible events. There's plenty of lesbian humor that you don't have to be part of the gay culture to understand, and the family's Indian heritage has its parallels in any family's cultural background. The camerawork, acting, everything pretty much makes the film down to earth and real. The movie was a bit slow at times (the plot isn't really conducive to a lot of action) but it held my attention.

If you're a fan of movies about people and family, go see this! Expect more character-based humor than slapstick - it's not so much a comedy as a story that happens to have funny moments. Check this movie out, it's a lot of fun.