Kim Samples’s review published on Letterboxd:
Racism at Every Turn
“Mississippi Masala” is a romantic film that is filled with youthful desire and enriched by its juxtaposition of cultures. The stereotypes are seen, not individuals and it follows the destruction that racism brings and how you can run but never escape. The vividness of colorism and culture clash reinforces the chemistry between two people in love and how love can prevail in a difficult world.
The credits roll surrounded by culture paintings and leads to an introduction that is not so cheery. In Kampala, Uganda in November 1972 is where it starts with a conflict between Jay and a friend that he called brother. Jay is distraught after learning that he has to leave Uganda, the land he loves, his home, where he was born and all because of the dictatorship of Idi Amin. His so-called brother betrayed him after 34 years, saying, “Africa is for Africans, Black Africans”, it all came down to the color of his skin. Grieving the loss of his home land and all of his possessions, he flees to Mississippi, United States to start a life.
The Indians were brought to Africa to build the railroads and then kicked out of Africa, as racism comes full circle. They are banished to a new country where racism is not in short supply. Flash forward to Greenwood, Mississippi, August 1990, Jay, his wife, Kinnu and his daughter, Mina are living at the Motel Monte Cristo. Jay, played by Roshan Seth, is a lawyer that struggles with his pride, his regret and he is consumed by his goal of suing Uganda to regain his possessions and his home. His daughter Mina, played by Sarita Choudhury in her debut role, shines as a strong, rebellious woman with her wide-eyed innocence and unquenchable yearning.
The love story collides as Mina rear-ends an independent carpet cleaning business owner, Demetrious, with a beautiful pink ride. Demetrious, played by Denzel Washington, is handsome, a gentleman and is determined to make a name for himself. They are souls that are now intertwined with the struggle of Demetrious trying to make his ex jealous and Mina getting groomed to take a nice Indian man as her husband. The flirting, their first kiss on the bayou, their sexy phone talk and their trip to Buloxi sealed their fate, they are in love. My favorite part of the movie is when they are walking on the beach and Demetrious says, “Racism or as they say nowadays, tradition is passed down like recipes, the trick is you have to know what to eat and what to leave on your plate. Otherwise you’ll be mad forever.” and Mina responds with, “and you’ll never eat” This shows their indifference to racism when it comes to their love and their feelings for one another.
The tight close-ups and diverse bright costumes made this film visually pleasing and the music is culturally fitting and is well played to adjust to the many scenes of cultural mingling, such as Indian music played at the wedding, hip hop played at the club and Asian played at the Asian restaurant. The characters intertwined with their culture and racism, came to a head when the Indian motel workers found Mina and Demetrious together and fought with Demetrious and the cops without asking for an explanation and arrested Demetrious and Mina. This shows the racism that is still an issue in today’s world. Demetrious lost his job, his loan and they both lost their reputation. They were attacked by people of their own culture and other cultures. They had brought shame to both of their families and cultures. The films hi-lights struggles by the pressures of different cultures, social aspects and family and how to overcome.
Despite all of that, Mina and Demetrious fought for their love and showed love can prevail over everything including racism and hate. Jay also found love because when he returned to Uganda he found it was not what he once remembered and told his wife, “Home is where the heart is and my heart is with you”. This tugged at my heart strings. I do believe that love can conquer all and even though life and the world presents us with challenges, it is worth fighting for. I really loved this movie, my heart smiles and I recommend you watch this, as it may just make your heart smile too.