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One of the things that you talked about in the essay is that Meena's father, whose name is Jay - and he's played by Roshan Seth - is in great pain because he was born in Uganda. And Mira Nair is also one of my favorite directors who has made so many great films even since - 'Monsoon Wedding,' 'The Namesake.' And I think this feels like still one of her, like, great masterpieces, even though, as I said, it was such a long time ago now. And so I found that that sort of balance is really unique, and there really isn't anything else I can think of like it sense. And I think the fact the film is shot between Africa and between the South, you're made to know what people left behind, like I said. And I felt like what really struck me was how much it also managed to bring to the table the things that people leave behind and the lives that they had. But I also think with a lot of immigrant stories in American cinema, they tend to be about what happens once you arrive in the new country and what you make of your life here.

And I think what I was struck by watching it now is how still sexy it remains, how still kind of unique it feels as a kind of adult romantic drama. I mean, as you said, it was made 30-plus years ago, and it was very hard to see. Bilal, I want to talk to you a little bit about - when you look back at this movie, what stands out about it for you? We should say Bilal wrote the essay about the film that accompanies the Criterion release, so you know we are going directly to the right person.

It also spends some time exploring the pain that Meena's father in particular feels over being expelled from the country where he lived his whole life and how that pain has changed him.įor many years, 'Mississippi Masala' was very tough to find through legitimate means, but happily, there is a new Criterion Collection release of a 4K restoration of the movie, and you can find it on the Criterion Channel. Their story is very romantic and sexy, but it also runs into hostility from some of the people in their lives, her parents in particular. But one day she has a car accident and - it must be said - a meet-cute with young Demetrius, who owns a carpet cleaning business and is played by Denzel Washington. They live in a few places, but they end up in Mississippi, where Meena's parents are eager for her to get married and are in the process of trying to find an appropriate Indian husband for her. The two had collaborated in 1988 on the Oscar-nominated film 'Salaam Bombay!' In 'Mississippi Masala,' we meet Meena, a woman played by Sarita Choudhury, whose Indian family lived in Uganda until the Indian population of the country was mostly expelled during the dictatorship of Idi Amin. It was written by Sooni Taraporevala and directed by Mira Nair. HOLMES: So 'Mississippi Masala' first came out in 1991.

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HOLMES: And also with us is Vulture TV critic Roxana Hadadi. HOLMES: Joining me today is frequent NPR contributor and culture writer Bilal Qureshi. I'm Linda Holmes, and today we're talking about 'Mississippi Masala' on POP CULTURE HAPPY HOUR from NPR.

And after being hard to track down for many years, the 1991 film is newly available again. It's also about family and displacement, knowing your history and making your own way in the world. 'Mississippi Masala' is a romance starring Sarita Choudhury and Denzel Washington as two very beautiful people who meet and unexpectedly find they're just right for each other.

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