Let's be realistic.

It is a performances centric movie

Excellent adaptation.

Absolutely Brilliant!

I thought this was such a great little romantic movie. Omg he looked so young in this and when he was with Sarita Choudhury, I was so delighted that they were together because they are such a cute couple! I really really wish we found out where they went in the end, they were just wonderful together! ♡Anyways, let's not go over excited about that! I liked the fact there was so many cultures in this. It was interesting to know that this was about African Indians and African Americans. I thought it was a really good mix, you normally don't see much different culture groups in films and I think it should happen in films nowadays! I think this film was fantastic. I love the setting, the actors, the background,the story line,etc. I can't believe this didn't get an Oscar and that it's so underrated! I give this movie a 9/10!

By the order of Ugandan strongman Idi Amin all Asians were forced to leave Uganda in 1972, since it was felt that they were draining the wealth of the country. Jay (an Asian Indian), his wife Kinnu, and young daughter Mina were victims of this forced emigration. Jay was a lawyer and Ugandan native who had deep roots in the country and did not want to leave and held out to the very end of the 90 day deadline. The first act of "Mississippi Masala" takes place in Uganda and details the frightful details of the expulsion of Jay's family.Next we jump some twenty years where we find Jay's family in Greenwood, Mississippi where they are living in a community of Indians who are running a motel. Jay and Mina are doing odd jobs around the motel while Kinnu is running a small liquor store. The story only really gets underway after Mina runs her car into the back of Demetrius Williams' truck. After the accident they exchange cards, and in that exchange is also exchanged a spark of interest that quickly develops into an intimate relationship. Since Demetrius is a black man it is not long before the Indian community is dead-set opposed to the relationship and the black community follows suit after the Indians boycott Demetrius' carpet cleaning company. It is here that the movie has some deep things to say about racism. Apparently bias exists even within races-- among the Indians Mina is considered too dark to marry well. Even though Jay's family was victimized in Uganda because of their race, they cannot seem to rise to the acceptance of Mina and Demetrius' relationship. It is a bit of irony that Mina has lived in Africa while none of Demetrius' family has ever been there.Going beyond the racial undertones, we are treated to a look at how Indian immigrants to America find themselves as strangers in a strange land. It is interesting to see how an immigrant culture integrates itself into Amaerica. The older people understandably cling to the old ways while the younger people are more flexible. For the most part both cultures are ultimately enriched.This movie encourages further pursuit of its themes. Maybe studying a bit of Ugandan history or seeing movies like, "Général Idi Amin Dada: Autoportrait," or "The Last King of Scotland." For further insights into the Indian immigration experience see, "The Namesake," or "The Journey" (which also stars Rohshan Seth). For racism in America, among dozens there are, "In the Heat of the Night," and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner."

In the early 20th century, the English government moved several people from India to Uganda to build the railroad. Some of the Indians stayed and became lawyers, physicians, etc. When Idi Amin came to power in the early 1970s, he expelled all non-black Africans. Some of the Indians moved to Mississippi and began running motels."Mississippi Masala" focuses on this. Mina (Sarita Choudhury) is the daughter of an Indian family who fled Uganda for Mississippi. She develops a relationship with Demetrius (Denzel Washington), a local man. Her family does not approve of her dating a black man, and Demetrius' friends don't like him dating an Indian woman.The movie shows many things, in particular how both the blacks and the Indians were displaced from their ancestral lands. Also, it shows how the blacks are racist towards the Indians and vice versa. As Demetrius reminds Mina's father: "Your skin is just a couple of shades from mine." Regardless of whether or not these sorts of things happen a lot, the movie does a very good job with it all.

I first saw this movie in 1993 and was struck by its authenticity, particularly the scenes set in Uganda. The dialog captures the way we Uganda Asians speak and the theme of racism is also one we are familiar with. One line in the movie captures this better than any other "My dear, she can be dark and rich or she can be fair and poor but she can't be dark and poor and expect to marry someone like Hari Kumar". The theme of embedded racism in Indian society hadn't been tackled as well this in English-language movies before. ("East is East" and "Bend It Like Beckam" and countless others have since touched on this.) So for a good, entertaining script and a funny and accurate portrayal of Ugandans in exile, I give this movie 7 out of 10. Some of the acting was not up to the standard of the script and the central love story was not engaging enough. If you've enjoyed "East is East", etc, you'll enjoy this one.