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The Mystic Masseur (2001) -- In 1950s Trinidad, a frustrated writer supports himself as a masseur--and soon becomes a revered mystic and politico.
The Mystic Masseur (2001) -- In 1950s Trinidad, a frustrated writer supports himself as a masseur--and soon becomes a revered mystic and politico.

Overview

User Rating:
5.5/10   310 votes
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Director:
Writers:
V.S. Naipaul (novel)
Caryl Phillips (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Mystic Masseur on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
29 March 2002 (UK) more
Genre:
Plot:
In 1950s Trinidad, a frustrated writer supports himself as a masseur--and soon becomes a revered mystic and politico. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
1 win more
User Comments:
Curiously introverted and obscure. more (16 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Om Puri ... Ramlogan

Aasif Mandvi ... Ganesh Ramseyor

Ayesha Dharker ... Leela G. Ramseyor

Jimi Mistry ... Pratap Cooper
Sanjeev Bhaskar ... Beharry
Zohra Sehgal ... Auntie (as Zohra Segal)

Sakina Jaffrey ... Suruj Mooma

Rez Kempton ... Basdeo
Pip Torrens ... Governor
Albert Laveau ... Headmaster
Grace Maharaj ... Mrs. Cooper
James Fox ... Mr. Stewart
Michael Cherrie ... Man in yellow suit
Maureen Thompson ... Woman in rainbow dress
Dinesh Maharaj ... Taxi driver
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated PG for mild language.
Runtime:
117 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Canada:F (Ontario) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | UK:PG | USA:PG

Fun Stuff

Soundtrack:
Jean and Dinah more

FAQ

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0 out of 1 people found the following comment useful.
Curiously introverted and obscure., 12 March 2003
Author: Cipher-J from USA

The look and feel of this film is of a "real" story, based at least somewhat on facts, although it seems rather too preposterous to be real. We are presented with a semi-literate, backwater Hindu cracker, in love with "books" the way people of limited literacy tend to be, desiring nothing so much as to write some himself, but with barely enough talent to produce more than grandiose pamphlets. Similarly, with no actual training or experience to draw from, he imagines himself to be a gifted masseur. Evidently in the more rustic districts of Trinidad, where superstitions run high, people were greatly impressed by such pretensions, and he does rather well for himself. Soon he is holding "court" on his potato patch, with lines of rural boobs waiting their turn to be blessed or have their marital quarrels adjudicated. The film has a Hindu flavor of the American Evangelical movement of the 1920s, somewhat squalid and shabby intellectually. It is presented in retrospect form the point of view of a young fellow who experienced a "spiritual healing" from the pundit in his childhood. The lettered rube is therefore treated with the greatest respect, as though nearly a Gandhi or Nehru! It is exceedingly well done technically and artistically, if only the story was less peculiar and doltish.

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