Mira Nair

MISSISSIPPI MASALA

Mira Nair

United States, United Kingdom

1991, 118'

Genre

DRAMA

Recommended Age

10 years

VO. English

ST. French, German

With

Sarita Choudhury, Denzel Washington

In collaboration with the Cinémathèque suisse

Presented on 35mm film

Originally from India, Mina and her family are deported from Uganda, even though her father grew up there. They try to make a fresh start in Mississippi, but their fragile balance is shattered when Mina falls in love with Demetrius, an African American.

After a painful departure from Uganda, Mina and her family settle in Mississippi. Once a cheerful little girl, Mina is now a fearless woman whose life is turned upside down after she meets Demetrius (Denzel Washington): she is Indian, he is Black, and in 1990s Mississippi, where communities nor cultures mix, this love is anything but straightforward. This is especially true for Mina’s father, who, having been forcibly uprooted from his homeland and struggling to return there, disapproves of his daughter’s new relationship. Mira Nair’s second feature film, Mississippi Masala revisits the theme of forbidden love at the dawn of globalization by portraying an unconventional, courageous, and passionate couple.

Justine Roh

Direction

Mira Nair

Screenplay

Sooni Taraporevala

Image

Edward Lachman

Editing

Roberto Silvi

Music

Lakshminarayana Subramaniam

Production

Mirabai Films, Black River Productions, Channel Four Films, Cinecom Pictures, Movie Works, Studio Canal Souss