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

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

Jupiter Light
Written by Andrew Chalfen
Performed by The Trolleyvox
Courtesy of Fireproof Recording

User Reviews

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.