This was a layered, intricate movie dealing with race, culture, and love--three very nebulous and delicate issues.
In 1972 Idi Amin expelled all Asians from Uganda. Those Asians were primarily Indian. This sent Jay (Seth Roshan) and his family packing and on a journey that eventually landed them in Greenwood, Mississippi. It was there that his daughter, Mina (Sarita Choudhury) met and fell in love with Demetrius (Denzel Washington).
Even though this love was not between black and white it was still between people of different races and even more different cultures. The disapproval of their relationship was just as severe as if they had been a black man and a white woman in Mississippi.
Their relationship was under intense strain. Mississippi Masala stressed that Indians are fiercely protective of their culture and very homogenous. Demetrius just saw another group of people hating him for his skin color. The matter was so delicate because their relationship resulted in tangible consequences. So the question becomes: is it worth it?
I'm sure many people from many disparate cultures in many lands have had to ask and answer the same question: is it worth it? It is a very difficult question to answer and it sucks that it has to even be asked, but it does. Love is strong but how much suffering is a person willing to endure for the sake of love? And I don't mean taking a bullet, or braving some insults, or putting up with some annoying quirks. I'm talking ostracism and isolation from those you've known and loved your whole life. I'm talking poverty and itinerancy due to your forbidden partner. Maybe some can bear it but certainly there are others who cannot. In their own creative way writer, Sooni Taraporevala, and director, Mira Nair, make you think about it.
In 1972 Idi Amin expelled all Asians from Uganda. Those Asians were primarily Indian. This sent Jay (Seth Roshan) and his family packing and on a journey that eventually landed them in Greenwood, Mississippi. It was there that his daughter, Mina (Sarita Choudhury) met and fell in love with Demetrius (Denzel Washington).
Even though this love was not between black and white it was still between people of different races and even more different cultures. The disapproval of their relationship was just as severe as if they had been a black man and a white woman in Mississippi.
Their relationship was under intense strain. Mississippi Masala stressed that Indians are fiercely protective of their culture and very homogenous. Demetrius just saw another group of people hating him for his skin color. The matter was so delicate because their relationship resulted in tangible consequences. So the question becomes: is it worth it?
I'm sure many people from many disparate cultures in many lands have had to ask and answer the same question: is it worth it? It is a very difficult question to answer and it sucks that it has to even be asked, but it does. Love is strong but how much suffering is a person willing to endure for the sake of love? And I don't mean taking a bullet, or braving some insults, or putting up with some annoying quirks. I'm talking ostracism and isolation from those you've known and loved your whole life. I'm talking poverty and itinerancy due to your forbidden partner. Maybe some can bear it but certainly there are others who cannot. In their own creative way writer, Sooni Taraporevala, and director, Mira Nair, make you think about it.