Nina's Heavenly Delights (2006)

A feisty young woman returns to Glasgow to run her deceased father's curry house.

Director:

Pratibha Parmar

Writer:

Andrea Gibb (screenplay by)

Stars:

Laura Fraser, Shelley Conn, Art Malik

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Laura Fraser	...	Lisa MacKinlay
Shelley Conn	...	Nina Shah
Art Malik	...	Raj Khanna
Ronny Jhutti	...	Bobbi
Veena Sood	...	Suman Shah
Atta Yaqub	...	Kary Shah
Zoe Henretty	...	Priya Shah
Raji James	...	Sanjay Khanna
Elaine C. Smith	...	Auntie Mamie
Rita Wolf	...	Auntie Tumi
Kathleen McDermott	...	Janice
Kulvinder Ghir	...	TV Presenter
Hritika Thaker	...	Young Nina
Kavita Dass	...	Bollywood Bowl Child
Tariq Mullan	...	Ravi

Storyline

Shelley Conn plays Nina, a young woman who ran away to London to avoid an arranged marriage. She returns to Glasgow three years later (after her father dies unexpectedly of a heart-attack) to find his gambling problem means the family restaurant has to be sold. To save it Nina decides to compete in a TV curry competition.

---

Plot Keywords:

f rated | lesbian kiss | lesbian | taj mahal | lesbian love | 

---

Taglines:

A romantic feast rich with the tastes of life, love and spices

---

Genres:

Comedy

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [United States]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 November 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Receita do Amor

Filming Locations:

Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$267, 24 November 2007, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$9,647, 24 February 2008

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kali Films, Priority Pictures

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Art Malik's character Raj Khanna owns a restaurant in the movie called "The Jewel in the Crown." In 1984, Malik appeared in the mini-series The Jewel in the Crown (1984).

---

Goofs

In the dance studio, as Fish and the other two dancers are about to leave Nina and her friend alone, crew and equipment are reflected in the full-length mirror.

---

Quotes

Nina: [about her marriage with Sanyay] I mean, they had it all mapped out for me. Marry Sanjay, have lots of little Sanjay's, we'd have the 'Taj' and the 'Jewel'... huh. They saw us as this power cooking couple.

User Reviews

I liked the film, three cheers

If you ask me, the crux of the matter in _Nina's Heavenly Delights_ is revealed when Ms. Lady G's comments that the small battery-operated plastic Taj Mahal was a giant testament of grief. Parmar's film revolves around mourning and the comforts of beauty, love, aesthetics, family. And at the core of the film: is grief. Grief for her her father, yes, and also for the all that needs to be rewound: communication, home, deep friendship, solidarity, respect. If you've watched her documentaries over the years, you've found activist poetic diasporic politics running through, for her work is dutiful. But the films are always full of the other side of activism -- yearning -- and the other side of community -- grief. This film articulates those complicated emotions beautifully.

I find in this move to the feature film (which I applaud Kali films for with both hands clapping) a perfect topic: the loss of the father, the fall of queer idealism (we can't be gone for ever), and a return to the intricate and difficult subject of integrity and community integration. Less I sound too sophomoric to you, think again: Parmar and her crew are smart filmmakers: they've seen "Bend it Like Beckham" and "Fire" and many other important lesbian-type films ... and then delved into what drives us to love. No, Mia Hamm isn't in the limelight these days anyway, but more importantly didn't attempt the epic architectural overhaul of resovling the question of privacy and respect. Or, more poignantly, she and her writers did attempt the overhaul, but they did so in such subtle and lovely ways -- wouldn't you love for your future lover to discover something written behind the wallpaper? -- that the past becomes a sweet companion to the grief of the present. How is it possible to live without our memories? It is not. Patience is a virtue in this film, and I would love to hear your comments about mom and brother in light of such a topic as patience. I refuse to believe that honor is dead.

Shed Lacan -- _Nina's Heavenly Delights_ is not a typical, vacuous tale of lesbian and/ or progressive family who show their feathers when the big guy goes out. There seems, actually, to be a more important story going on about what shifts, and how we shift, through death, love and respect. To consider this a flat tale about "the law of the father" would be to belittle death and the dense process of mourning.

Quick last note: Three cheers for the best friend. Pratibha has finally given a body and character to her love of dance. Finally we can celebrate this with her.