Arguably one of the more overlooked performances in the oeuvre of Denzel Washington, 1991s “Mississippi Masala,” also starring Sarita Choudhury, marks the second feature film of director Mira Nair. Setting a tender interracial love story against the backdrop of fragile race relations in rural Mississippi, the film, based on a screenplay by Sooni Taraporevala, caresses ideas of heritage, identity, and racial politics into its fold, pondering them with the gentle humanity with which the film is imbued.
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31 years after its initial release, “Mississippi Masala” is once again set for national release following a 4K digital restoration undertaken by The Criterion Collection, allowing the rich hues of Kampala to be seen in unprecedented, vibrant clarity. Nair, last connected with the development of a “National Treasure” TV series, and cinematographer Ed Lachman, notable in recent years for his collaborations with Todd Haynes, supervised the restoration. Here’s the official synopsis:
The vibrant cultures of India, Uganda, and the American South are blended and simmered into a rich and fragrant fusion feast in Mira Nair’s luminous look at the complexities of love in the modern melting pot. Years after her Indian family was forced to flee their home in Uganda by the dictatorship of Idi Amin, twentysomething Mina (Sarita Choudhury) finds herself helping to run a motel in the faraway land of Mississippi. It’s there that a passionate romance with the charming Black carpet cleaner Demetrius (Denzel Washington) challenges the prejudices of their conservative families and exposes the rifts between the region’s Indian and African American communities. Tackling thorny issues of racism, colorism, culture clash, and displacement with big-hearted humor and keen insight, Nair serves up a sweet, sexy, and radical celebration of love’s power to break down the barriers between us.
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The new 4k restoration of “Mississippi Masala” will open April 15 at the IFC Center in New York and April 22 at Los Angeles’ NuArt Theater, followed by a national rollout. Watch the exclusive new trailer below, which we are proud to present.