Night of Henna (2005)

A beautiful Pakistani woman has to make choice between her true love or an arranged marriage by her family.

Director:

Hassan Zee

Writer:

Hassan Zee

Stars:

Pooja Kumar, Craig Marker, Poni Chesser

Cast

Credited cast:
Pooja Kumar	...	Hava
Craig Marker	...	Justin
Poni Chesser	...	Rafia
Girja Shankar	...	Abdul
Nancy Carlin	...	Sue
Reef Karim	...	Baboo
Jeanette Penley	...	Molly
Noor Shic	...	Zakia
Kevin Michael Walsh	...	Matt
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joyce Carlin	...	Teacher
David Diamante	...	Bartender in club
Azhar Shah	...	Bashir
Suhail Tayeb	...	Salman

Storyline

After nine years spent learning "how to be a good Pakistani daughter" from the grandparents who raised her, Hava is excited to touch down at San Francisco International Airport and reunite with her mother, her cab-driving father, and, to a lesser extent, her surly, fully-Americanized younger brother. Thrilled by the new culture that surrounds her, Hava hopes to take advantage of opportunities less available to women in Pakistan, including enrolling in college classes and working part-time at a coffee shop. Though she manages to achieve both goals, behind her father's back of course, it seems Night of Henna is not headed toward the realization of Hava's humble dreams: the opening scene flashes forward to reveal preparations for her very traditional, very prearranged wedding day. This bit of information also casts a shadow over Hava's tentative romance with Justin, a preppy musician who encourages her to explore her individuality. - After nine years spent learning "how to be a good ...

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Plot Keywords:

pakistan | wedding | henna | arranged marriage | united states of america | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Nandita Das read the script and was very interested to play Hawa but because of clash of dates, could not do it. So Girja Shanker suggested Pooja Kumar.

User Reviews

A Message of Hope

Having just viewed this film 'Night of Henna', I was moved by a story showing people of vastly different backgrounds letting love overcome the adversity of clashing cultures and politics. This film showed how today's political and religious differences affect people on a one-to-one basis. But, despite conveying an important message of hope, "Night of Henna" was still quite fun and provided many good laughs for its audience. The music, pervasive throughout the film, provided a youthful pulse, well-matched to the film's vividly colorful and artful cinematography. The characters, especially the beautiful lead female Hava and her delightfully funny mother, were well developed. I very much enjoyed "Night of Henna" and recommend it!

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 March 2005 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Bay Area, San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,184, 6 March 2005

Gross USA:

$16,027

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$16,027

Company Credits

Production Co:

Zee Films

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color