Mississippi Masala (Blu-ray)

THE CRITERION COLLECTION

The vibrant cultures of India, Uganda, and the American South come together in Mississippi Masala by Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding), a 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 (Homeland’s Sarita Choudhury) spends her days cleaning rooms in an Indian-run motel in Mississippi. When she falls for the charming Black carpet cleaner Demetrius (The Tragedy of Macbeth’s Denzel Washington), their passionate romance challenges the prejudices of both of their families and exposes the rifts between the region’s Indian and African American communities.

Tackling thorny issues of racism, colourism, culture clash, and displacement with bighearted humour and keen insight, Nair serves up a sweet, sexy, and deeply satisfying celebration of love’s power.