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ERA
Did you know
35 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
MoodPlayr · trivia#01
Mississippi Masala
"Passion. Tradition. Mix it up."
1991 1h 58m EN
😐
6.4
MID
★6.4TMDB · 105
DramaRomance
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
Years after her Indian family was forced to flee their Uganda home, twentysomething Mina finds herself co-operating a motel in the faraway land of Mississippi. Her passionate romance with charming Black carpet cleaner Demetrius challenges the prejudices of their conservative families and exposes the rifts between the region's Indian and African-American communities.
“Passion. Tradition. Mix it up.”
Where to watch · US
Cast
Denzel Washington
Demetrius Williams
Sarita Choudhury
Mina
Roshan Seth
Jay
Sharmila Tagore
Kinnu
Charles S. Dutton
Tyrone Williams
Joe Seneca
Williben Williams
Ranjit Chowdhry
Anil
Mohan Gokhale
Pontiac
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- Mira Nair
- Writers
- Sooni Taraporevala
- Languages
- English, Gujarati, Swahili
- Countries
- United Kingdom, United States of America
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts 🍿
2 / 8
WORLD
Did you know
Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, Gujarati, Swahili.
MoodPlayr · trivia#02
3 / 8
WORLD
Did you know
International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
MoodPlayr · trivia#03
4 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Directed by Mira Nair, shot by Edward Lachman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
MoodPlayr · trivia#04
5 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Original score by L. Subramaniam. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
MoodPlayr · trivia#05
6 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Editor Roberto Silvi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
MoodPlayr · trivia#06
7 / 8
CAST
Did you know
Denzel Washington and Sarita Choudhury and Roshan Seth carry the top of the cast.
MoodPlayr · trivia#07
8 / 8
FACT
Did you know
Marketing tagline: "Passion. Tradition. Mix it up.".
MoodPlayr · trivia#08
Cinephile deep dive
The take
Mira Nair directs. Edward Lachman behind the camera. L. Subramaniam scores. Roberto Silvi cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English, Gujarati, Swahili.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 135 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
- 2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, Gujarati, Swahili.
- 3International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
- 4Directed by Mira Nair, shot by Edward Lachman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
- 5Original score by L. Subramaniam. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
- 6Editor Roberto Silvi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
- 7Denzel Washington and Sarita Choudhury and Roshan Seth carry the top of the cast.
- 8Marketing tagline: "Passion. Tradition. Mix it up.".
- 9IMDB entry: tt0102456 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
- 10Classified under 13 themes, including "immigrant", "southern usa", "mississippi river", "uganda".
The technical file
- Cinematography
- Edward Lachman
- Original score
- L. Subramaniam
- Editing
- Roberto Silvi
- Production design
- Mitch Epstein
- Makeup / hair
- Kenneth Walker
- Sound
- Rick Dior
- Runtime
- 118 min · 1h 58m
- Aspect ratio (typical)
- 1.37:1 (Academy)
- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $5,000,000
- Box office
- $7,332,515
- Return
- 147% of budget
- Original language
- EN
- Certification (US)
- R
Also by
Mira Nair
Stills · wallpapers
Selected frames
Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.
Trailers & featurettes
Watch the pieces
Production companies
Who made it
Cinecom Pictures
US
Mirabai Films
US
Film Four International
GB
Key crew
- StuntsBob Minor
- CastingJudy Claman
- CastingDinaz Stafford
- CastingSusie Figgis
- Costume DesignerEllen Lutter
- Costume DesignerSusan Lyall
- Costume DesignerKinnari Panikar
- Unit Production ManagerLydia Dean Pilcher
- First Assistant DirectorMichael Zimbrich
- Second Assistant DirectorNoga Isackson
- Unit ManagerEve Silvester
- Second Second Assistant DirectorDinaz Stafford
- Second Second Assistant DirectorLinda Wilson
- Script SupervisorNilita Vachani
- Sound MixerAlex Griswold
- Boom OperatorTommy Louie
- Key GripTim Pershing
- GafferDaniel Ehrenbard
- Property MasterMaureen Farley
- Charge Scenic ArtistDavid Crank
- LeadmanJeff Hartmann
- Associate EditorTula Goenka
- First Assistant EditorMarissa Littlefield
- HairstylistKenneth Walker
Themes & keywords
What it's about, really
- immigrant
- southern usa
- mississippi river
- uganda
- interracial relationship
- interracial romance
- racism
- racial prejudice
- woman director
- idi amin
- forced migration
- mississippi
- romantic
Release history · US
When it landed
- Premiere2021-09-29· New York Film Festival, 4K Restoration
- Premiere2022-11-12· Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival
- Theatrical (limited)2022-04-15· 4K re-release; New York City, NY; Los Angeles, CA
- Theatrical1992-02-05R
Also known as
International titles
- Миссисипская масалаRU
- Mississipi MasalaPT
- Масала МіссісіпіUA
- मिसिसिपी मसालाIN
- ミシシッピー・マサラJP
