Mississippi Masala poster & wallpaper

Anjan Srivastav, Anjan Srivastava, Ashok Lath

Mira Nair, the Indian director, scored an international art-house hit with her feature debut, Salaam Bombay!, a tale of life in the streets of seething urban India. Her next film was a surprisi...( read more  read more... )ng turnabout: Mississippi Masala is a cultural study and a love story set in the rural American south. The love story comes courtesy of Denzel Washington, as a rug cleaner, and Sarita Choudhury (from Nair's Kama Sutra), as the daughter of Indian immigrants running a small-time motel; both give fresh, charming performances. But Nair is equally interested in capturing the feelings of an exile's life, and Roshan Seth, the fine actor who played Nehru in Gandhi, superbly catches the hope and sorrow of dislocation. Although the issues are serious, Nair maintains a breezy, naturalistic approach, and the various ingredients of this masala blend into a rich, flavorful stew. --Robert Horton

Flixster Users

65% liked it

6,199 ratings

Critics

78% liked it

18 critics

R, 118 min.

Directed by: Mira Nair

Release Date: February 5, 1992

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DVD Release Date: May 27, 2003

Stats: 208 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (208)

  • hoganshero
    March 3, 2008
    hoganshero
    Very Romeo and Juilet like love story seeped in cultural differences and misconceptions. Great film. Mira Nair is fantastic.
  • ileo
    May 30, 2007
    ileo
    Good movie!
  • erikggrep
    July 29, 2009
    erikggrep
    Passion. Tradition. Prejudice. Put the three together, and they all get the recipe of a sexy, irreverent romance interracial romance called Mississippi Masala. Mina - the daughter of Indian immigrants who were expelled from Uganda under the reign of dictator Idi Amin and n...( read more)ow run a small-time motel - is a hot, spicy mix of Indian and American cultures. Demetrius is a Southern businessman and the motel's rug cleaner. But when they both fall in love, nothing in Mina's past prepares them for the family outrage they face.

    Directed by Mira Nair, Mississippi Masala features great acting performances from the following cast:
    1.) Denzel Washington (Demetrius)
    2.) Roshan Seth (Jay)
    3.) Sarita Choudhury (Mina)
    4.) Sharmila Tagore (Kinnu)
    5.) Charles S. Dutton (Tyrone)
    6.) Joe Seneca (Williben)

    I find Mississippi Masala as a great film example of a romantic drama focusing on interracial love while blurring out the racial, ethnic, and cultural barriers that keep our leading characters apart yet committed to each other. That fascinated me, and so did the past Uganda flashbacks and the feelings of Jay living in an exiled life while yearning to return to his homeland. It was interesting that the film's setting is in the Southern states, where the long history of racism kept the blacks and whites socially segregated until recent times. Here in Masala Mina and Demetrius fall in love, which proves that interracial relationships do work, and both Sarita and Denzel made this possible.
  • RKYOTOJ
    June 16, 2009
    RKYOTOJ
    AWWYEAH DW ALITTLE INDIAN DOTTED OR FEATHERED!
  • Soundsofmadness
    March 28, 2009
    Soundsofmadness
    No thankyou - Not interested
  • frankhumphrey007
    March 11, 2009
    frankhumphrey007
    My Favorite Love Story, This Movie Is So Real And Touching
  • Soulonsale
    December 16, 2008
    Soulonsale
    Another very beautiful movie by Mira Nair...not her best but still beautiful and very MMira Nairish.
    Sarita Choudhry as Mina was pretty good but when it came to crying she just wasn't as good as she was in Kama Sutra: A tale of Love.
    Denzel Washington was as good as ever!
    I thou...( read more)ght that the supporting cast especially the mother and father were both played very well by their respective actors.
    In all a delightful, and magnificent movie about interracial love.
  • swlari
    November 28, 2008
    swlari
    Liked this, but one cannot fail with Denzel.
  • eaglefaithministries
    October 8, 2008
    eaglefaithministries
    What a wonderful romance about interracial dating and love. People will see that even people of Color can be some bigots. Denzel and Sarita heat up the screen.
  • stacey3373
    September 27, 2008
    stacey3373
    I absolutely enjoyed this movie!

View All Mississippi Masala Reviews

Critic Reviews

January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Surprisingly funny and cheerful at times. full review

View more Mississippi Masala reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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