Mississippi Masala (1991)
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A Ugandan-Indian family's relocation to Mississippi leads to a complex interracial romance and a clash of cultural identities.
The story
In 1972, following the forced expulsion of Asians from Uganda by dictator Idi Amin, a family of Ugandan Indians relocates to Greenwood, Mississippi. The family, including Jay, his wife Kinnu, and their daughter Mina, struggles to adapt to their new life while dealing with the trauma of their past. Mina, who has embraced American culture, falls in love with Demetrius, a local African-American man. As their clandestine relationship becomes public, the family faces internal and external pressures, forcing the characters to confront their prejudices and the complexities of their identities in a new land.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After being expelled from Uganda in 1972, Jay, Kinnu, and their daughter Mina move to Mississippi. Jay remains haunted by his past and becomes distrustful of Black people, while Mina integrates into American life and falls in love with Demetrius, a local African-American man. Their secret romance is exposed after a trip to Biloxi leads to a confrontation where Mina's brother is arrested. Demetrius confronts Jay, who eventually admits his own experiences with racism in Uganda, leading to a moment of mutual understanding. The two families ultimately cannot accept the interracial couple, and the pair flees the state together. Later, Jay travels to Kampala to settle a legal matter regarding his former home. Upon seeing how much the city has changed, he realizes he no longer identifies with his homeland. He returns to America, makes peace with the Black community, and lets go of his long-held dream of returning to Uganda.
- First release year
- 1991
- Runtime (minutes)
- 118
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Mira Nair
- Writers
- Sooni Taraporevala · writer
- Cast and characters
- Denzel Washington · Demetrius; Sarita Choudhury · Mina; Roshan Seth; Charles S. Dutton; Joe Seneca
- Genres
- romantic drama
- Themes
- interracial romance; cultural identity; racism; forced migration
- Tone and mood
- drama
- Premise and plot tags
- Indian-American; African-American; 1970s history; multiculturalism
- Source material / true-story basis
- screenplay
- Reception
- The film received generally favorable reviews, with critics noting it portrays real people living real lives despite some staging and script unevenness.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 78 · scale: 100 · review count: 31
- Awards and nominations
- NAACP Image Award · Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture · 1993 · win; São Paulo International Film Festival · Critics Special Award · 1991 · win; Venice International Film Festival · Golden Osella Best Original Screenplay · 1991 · win
- Production trivia
- The script was written in Brooklyn, New York.; The production crew added a dark green trim to the motel exterior to mimic the landscape of Uganda.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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