Mississippi Masala (1991)

80% of critics liked it
(20 reviews)
64% of users liked it
(6,834 ratings)

Mississippi Masala is a tale of how prejudice makes victims and instigators of us all. In 1972, Indian Jay (Roshan Seth), a resident of Uganda, is forced by the bigoted Amin regime to take his family and flee the country. He vows to hate and distrust all blacks--at least until he is able to reclaim… More Mississippi Masala is a tale of how prejudice makes victims and instigators of us all. In 1972, Indian Jay (Roshan Seth), a resident of Uganda, is forced by the bigoted Amin regime to take his family and flee the country. He vows to hate and distrust all blacks--at least until he is able to reclaim the real estate stolen from him by the Ugandan government. Flash-forward to 1990: Jay and his family have settled in Mississippi. Seth's daughter Mina (Sarit Choudhury) makes the acquaintance of African-American Demetrius (Denzel Washington), the prosperous manager of a carpet-cleaning business. At first attracted to Mina because he is fascinated by her African background, Demetrius slowly falls in love with her. The situation causes Jay to exercise the same racial prejudice by which he was himself victimized. Ironically, Demetrius behaves just as foolishly, blaming Jay's ethnic chauvinism for a drop in his business. Both Jay and Demetrius must learn to bury their pasts and their prejudices to go on with their lives. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 58 min.
Directed By: Mira Nair
Genres: Drama, Romance, Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1991 Wide
On DVD: May 27, 2003
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Desson Thomson, Washington Post
It may be longwinded here and there, but Mississippi Masala jumps with life.
Rita Kempley, Washington Post
An utterly infectious romance between an African American and an Indian African emigre, this seductively funny film measures the pull of roots against the tug of heartstrings.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Surprisingly funny and cheerful at times.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Unlike Lee's Jungle Fever, which also deals with interracial romance, Nair's film is non-judgmental, taking neither moral ground nor faulting any group. Released when national boundaries were crumbling it was a poignant work about the meaning of home.
Frank Ochieng, TheWorldJournal.com
Washington and Choudhury definitely make for an attractive ethnic couple in Nair's cross-cultural love story. However, this staid romancer doesn't escape the distinction of its conventional makeup.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
Challenges us to add more respect and tolerance to America's cultural stew of many colors.
Michael Szymanski, Zap2it.com
Zesty, spicy, sexy!
Stephen Farber, Movieline
Nair and her screenwriter, Sooni Taraporevala, sometimes lose their focus trying to juggle half a dozen subplots. But it's nice to see a movie with a broad reach.

Read all 8 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Keysha H

Very Romeo and Juilet like love story seeped in cultural differences and misconceptions. Great film. Mira Nair is fantastic.
Deb S

The merging of cultures makes for an enchanting love story that gets waylaid by issues of race and color in a believable way. Mina (Sarita Choudhury) is the daughter of an Indian family who fled Uganda for Mississippi. She develops a relationship with Demetrius (Denzel Washington), a… More
The merging of cultures makes for an enchanting love story that gets waylaid by issues of race and color in a believable way. Mina (Sarita Choudhury) is the daughter of an Indian family who fled Uganda for Mississippi. She develops a relationship with Demetrius (Denzel Washington), a local man. Her family does not approve of her dating a black man, and Demetrius' friends don't like him dating an Indian woman. Lighter-skinned than the blacks, the Indians abhor the notion of interracial romance. The love affair between these two draws out the anger of their two communities and the whites in town. Nobody, it seems, approves of this unusual mix or as the film title implies, this Mississippi Masala. Denzel Washington is an actor of immense and natural charm, and he makes a good match with Sarita Choudhury.
Juli R

There is too much going on in this movie. It is really a masala of three movies. A story about leaving Uganda, a love story, and a story about living in the south. Any one of these stories would have been enough for a movie. But it is still heartwarming and funny. Beautiful shots of… More
There is too much going on in this movie. It is really a masala of three movies. A story about leaving Uganda, a love story, and a story about living in the south. Any one of these stories would have been enough for a movie. But it is still heartwarming and funny. Beautiful shots of Mississippi.
Leo L

Good movie!

Cast

            Denzel Washington as Demetrius

            Sarita Choudhury as Mina

            Roshan Seth as Jay

            Sharmila Tagore as Kinnu

            Charles S. Dutton as Tyrone

            Joe Seneca as Williben

            Ranjit Chowdhry as Anil

            Mohan Gokhale as Pontiac

            Mohan Agashe as Kanti Napkin

            Tico Wells as Dexter

            Yvette Hawkins as Aunt Rose

            Anjan Srivastava as Jammubhai

            Dipti Suthar as Chanda

            J.D. Barrett as 2nd Rapper

            Nora Boland as 1st Shop-at-Home Anchor Person

            Mahlon Bouldin as Student

            Dewey Buffington as Evangelist

            Ben Burford as Bank Manager

            Immaculate Byakatonda as Okelo's Mother

            Sadie Carr as Mildre

            Willy Cobbs as Skillet

            E.W. Colvin as Grandcraw

            Richard Crick as White Customer

            Jimmy Din as Bharat

            Patsy Garrett as 2nd Shop-at-Home Anchor Person

            Dillon Rozell Gross as Police Officer

            Jim Haffey as White Truck Driver

            Larry Haggard as Joe

            Cyreio Hughes as D.J.

            Ashok Lath as Harry Patel

            Bonnie M. Lubega as Teacher

            Reverend Fred Matthews as Grandaddy

            Konga Mbandu as Okelo

            Tony McGhee as 1st Rapper

            Kevin McNeil as Clarence

            Shung Moo-joo as Chinese Customer

            Argentina Moore as 4th Rapper

            Emanuel Mudara as Young Okelo

            Joyce Murrah as Lady at Lusco's

            Sahira Nair as Young Mina

            Joseph Olita as Idi Amin

            Natalie Oliver as Alicia LeShay

            Amrit Panesar as Mrs. Bedi

            Phavin Parbario as Young Jay

            Karen Pinkston as Mrs. Morgan

            Hollis Pippin as Sylvester Artiste III

            Rajika Puri as 2nd Gossip

            Alix Henry Sanders as Barber

            Alix W. Sanders as Postman

            Sammy E.D. Senkumba as Taxi Driver

            Rick Senn as Piggly Wiggly Checker

            Sam Sherrill as Phinias T. Turnbull

            Tre'demont Spearman as 3rd Rapper

            Mayambala Ssekasi as Prison Captain

            Buddy St Amant as Biloxi Cop

            Stacy Swinford as Bubba

            Jaimini Thaker as Kanti Bhai

            Varsha Thaker as Kusumben

            Michael Wawuyo as Soldier on Bus

            Jerone Wiggins as James

            Muteta Wilberforce as Soldier at Roadblock

            Sharon Williams as Tadice

            Mira Nair as 1st Gossip

            James Dale as Businessman

            Anjan Srivastav
            
See full cast