Chutney Popcorn (1999)

Reena is a young, gay Indian-American woman who lives and works in New York. Her sister Sarita, who is married, discovers that she is infertile. Reena offers to be a surrogate mother for ... See full summary »

Director:

Nisha Ganatra

Writers:

Susan Carnival, Nisha Ganatra

Stars:

Nisha Ganatra, Jill Hennessy, Sakina Jaffrey

5 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited 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:
Monica Bhatia	...	Wedding Girl
Cristal Chindamo	...	Cristal
Saylor Creswell	...	Doctor
Destiny Donovan	...	Wedding Girl
Laura Dubrule	...	Bi-phobia Dyke
Eliza Foss	...	Dr. Brendel
Vinod Ganatra	...	Visiting Auntie

Storyline

Reena is a young, gay Indian-American woman who lives and works in New York. Her sister Sarita, who is married, discovers that she is infertile. Reena offers to be a surrogate mother for her sister's baby, hoping to improve her relationship with their mother, who disapproves of Reena's sexual orientation. Reena has second thoughts when her girlfriend Lisa feels left out.

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Plot Keywords:

female protagonist | conservative parent | lesbian daughter | lesbian protagonist | lesbian relationship | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Official Sites:

Nisha Ganatra / Mata Productions, Inc.

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 January 2001 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

Чатни попкорн

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$605,000, 22 September 2000, Limited Release

Company Credits

Production Co:

First Look International, Mata Productions Inc., Tribeca Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

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.

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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!

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Connections

Features The Mischievous Ravi (1998)

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Soundtracks

Teenage Angst At 27
Written by Tamala Poljak
Performed by Longstocking
Courtesy of Chainsaw Records

User Reviews

Loved it!!!

I disagree with the reviews talking about this movie being awful and having "psuedo-Indian" traditions. I'm from India and I think the mother is portrayed perfectly. Half of the comments out of the mom seem like my mom wrote them. Watch this movie! It's well done and sure it doesn't have a huge Hollywood budget, but it's a good movie, with heartfelt humor and affection. :) it makes me happy every time I see it. One of the things I like about this movie is it has a gay character but it's not a gay movie. They hit on real issues whether your family has someone gay or not. It's one of the few movies out there dealing with modern issues and modern Indian families and modern families in general.