Masala

Feature Film (35mm Color) 1991
Synopsis:

In this hilarious, furious, genre-bending classic, a young rebel defies family, culture and tradition, only to discover the bittersweet taste of going home.

Krishna, a recovering drug addict who lost his entire family in a plane crash, is released from rehab and heads for his uncle Lalu Bhai’s home. Immediately Krishna finds himself in a strange world where old values clash with new, and where the Hindu god, Lord Krishna, carries on a sarcastic communication with mortals via the VCR. But even more explosive situations exist: a group of bigots are after Krishna, radical Sikh terrorists rent the basement of Lallu Bhai’s sari shop, and the government is out to reclaim possession of a rare stamp that has fallen into the hands of Bhai’s cousin. It’s a surefire recipe for pandemonium and disaster…

Masala is a rich and heady mixture of genres and moods, sliding easily from serious explorations of racism and youthful anomie to witty parodies of such Indian cultural staples as Hinduism and the fantastic Bombay musical.  Made when Srinivas Krishna was only twenty-six, Masala is now widely regarded as the film that launched a generation of South Asian films in the West.

Written and Directed by Srinivas Krishna
Producers: Camelia Frieberg and Srinivas Krishna
DoP Paul Sarossy  Production Design: Tamara Deverell  Costume Design: Beth Pasternak
Editor Michael Munn Music The West India Company and Leslie Winston
Choreographer: Johanika Roth Casting:  Linda Continenza
Starring: Saeed Jaffrey, Sakina Jaffrey, Zohra Segal, Srinivas Krishna

A Divani Films Production
Produced with the participation of Telefilm Canada, the Ontario Film Development Corporation and the Ontario Arts Council
© Divani Films Inc.

Festivals, Awards and Special Screenings:

Distributed in Canada by Alliance Atlantis Communications Ltd.
Distributed in the U.S. by Wellspring

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