Mirch Masala (1987)

In colonial India, subedars (tax collectors) went from village to village with soldiers, often demanding more than taxes. A subedar commands Sonbai, a beautiful and confident woman whose ... See full summary »

Director:

Ketan Mehta

Writers:

Shafi Hakim, Hriday Lani

Stars:

Smita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri

4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Smita Patil	...	Sonbai
Naseeruddin Shah	...	Subedar
Om Puri	...	Chowkidar Abu Miya
Ratna Pathak Shah	...	Pepper Factory Worker (as Ratna Pathak)
Supriya Pathak	...	Pepper factory worker
Suresh Oberoi	...	Mukhiya
Nina Kulkarni	...	Pepper factory worker
Ram Gopal Bajaj	...	Owner of the Pepper factory
Benjamin Gilani	...	Masterji
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mohan Gokhale	...	Villager
Deepti Naval	...	Saraswati, Mukhiya's wife
Harish Patel	...	Pandit
Dina Pathak	...	Maanki, factory worker
Paresh Rawal	...	Villager

Storyline

In colonial India, subedars (tax collectors) went from village to village with soldiers, often demanding more than taxes. A subedar commands Sonbai, a beautiful and confident woman whose husband is away in the city, to sleep with him. She slaps him and flees for safety to a spice factory where women grind chillies into fine powder. The aged factory guard, Abu Mian, locks the door behind her, refusing to open it to the soldiers, to the cowardly village men led by the mayor, and to the subedar himself. The town's teacher, who follows Gandhi, and a few women, led by the mayor's wife, protest ineffectually against this village-approved rape. The stage is set for a final confrontation.

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Plot Keywords:

soldier | village | tax collector | spice factory | guard | 

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

UK India

Language:

Hindi

Release Date:

6 September 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Spices

Company Credits

Production Co:

Channel Four Films, National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mirch Masala is the only movie which features the mother-daughter trio, Dina Pathak, Supriya Pathak and Ratna Pathak. The film also features Naseeruddin Shah and Raj Babbar (in a guest appearance), husbands of Ratna Pathak and Smita Patil respectively.

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Connections

Referenced in Homestarrunner.com: Everything Else, Volume 3 (2007)

User Reviews

Perhaps, the finest Indian movie ever made

Year 2003. Quentin Tarantino directed Kill Bill Vol.1 which had a climax scene of sword action between Uma Thurman & Lucy Liu. There is a beautiful sequence of shots wherein the two duelist are photographed in close-ups & simultaneously, a long shot where, the two actors are placed on the right corner of the screen while, a pivoted water tap moving up and down is placed on the left part of the screen. Year 1985. Ketan Mehta, India's acclaimed director and in his best cinematic achievement, had directed a similar shot wherein one of cinema's most memorable & immortal villain character played by Naseeruddin Shah counts-down from 10 to 1 alarming the lead actress to come out of her hideout simultaneously photographed with a Water Tap on the Extreme Left of the 70 mm screen, creating a magnificent scene.

And since then, there has been no such cinematography ever induced in any other Indian Movies. For those foreign audience, be noted, that this Movie is not a conventional Hindi movie loaded with songs. This Movie is a serious cinema of high degree of art.

Only 4 words can make a review of this movie: "Watch it on Priority" !