Mississippi Masala (1991) on Netflix
R19911h 58m
Idi Amin's expulsion of Asians drives Jay, Kinnu and their daughter Meena from Kampala to Greenwood, Mississippi. Meena begins a romance with Demetrius Williams, and their families object.
- Netflix4.0/5
- IMDb6.8/107,656 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes92%
Trailer
Plot summary
Under Idi Amin, Uganda's Asians are ordered to leave, and Jay, Kinnu and their young daughter Meena give up their home in Kampala. The family spends a few years in England, then settles in Greenwood, Mississippi, near relatives who own a chain of motels. Jay runs a liquor store, pursues a claim to the property confiscated in Uganda, and has grown distrustful of Black people. Meena cleans motel rooms, has adapted to American life, and chafes against her parents' wish that the family keep to its own circle. She is seeing Demetrius Williams, a self-employed carpet cleaner, and their romance runs up against the prejudices of both families and of the Indian and African-American communities around them.
Cast
- Yvette Hawkinsas Aunt Rose
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Mississippi Masala (1991)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- While researching the film in Uganda in 1989, Nair met Indo-Ugandan political scientist Mahmood Mamdani. They married in 1991, and their son Zohran, later elected mayor of New York City, was born in Kampala that same year.
- Ben Kingsley was originally cast in the role of Mina's father, but he eventually withdrew from the project, prompting the original backers of the film to pull out. Nair was able to gain new funding after Denzel Washington was chosen for the role of Demetrius.
- Nair later said she had faced substantial pressure from potential backers to select white leads for the film rather than Indians or African Americans.
- During research in Mississippi, Nair met a carpet cleaner named Demetrius and decided to model the film's main character after him.
- Though the Monte Cristo motel was an existing business, chosen by Nair and production designer Mitch Epstein for shooting, the crew added a dark green trim to the exterior to echo the verdant landscape of Uganda.
