Mississippi Masala

keep in mind, it is an ( Interracial Sex and Marriage)  Below are several questions pertaining to this week’s film and reading materials—you may respond to whichever questions and related threads you choose. Within each sentence in which you borrow an idea, quote or paraphrase from another author, you must cite the text (Name, “ Article,” Page Number). Remember: you do not have to respond to all of the questions imbedded within each main question—the multidimensional nature of these questions is meant to help open up possibilities in each of your responses. Focus on what you find most meaningful within each inquiry.  QUESTIONS:

1) This film brims with visual and thematic nuances and poignant, powerful dialogue. Choose a short scene in Mississippi Masala and conduct a close textual and/or visual analysis of that scene. Structure your response as follows:

a) Provide a time marker (i.e. 33:14-35:46) AND a summary of no more than 2 lines so that we can identify which scene you’re talking about  b) Note the scene’s pertinent visual details (i.e. lighting, camera angle, props, wardrobe) OR transcribe a few sentences of relevant dialogue and then…< /span>  c) Select 1-2 of the visual details OR the dialogue you mention and then…  d) Explain how this component functions (as a symbol, cultural marker, or to create a certain dynamic) in relation to specific characters or as a commentary on key course themes (i.e. race/gender/sexual identity, miscegenation, assimilation, etc.)

2) How do you feel that Mira Nair (the film’s director) employs music in the film to address the following themes (PICK ONE):  a) home  b) miscegenation (cultural or racial)  c) hybrid identity  d) diaspora and exile

In your response, analyze ONE song in relation to one of these themes (please note the time marker so we can concretely identify which song you are discussing).

3) This week’s required reading is an article titled “At the Crossroads of Two Empires: Mira Nair’s Mississippi Masala and the Limits of Hybridity” (bold font here for emphasis). What are these “limits”? Please pick one key quote from Seshagari’s article (there are several) that you feel sums up the main point of her argument on the film’s “limits of hybridity.” In your own interpretation of Mississippi Masala, do you agree with the author–does the film present a future of hybrid limitations for the couple? Or do you read the film’s ending as proposing hybrid possibilities for Demetrius and Mina? Please explain your position by analyzing key details from the film’s concluding sequence.

4) Apart from the obvious similarity of an “interracial love story,” what similarities did you see between this film and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? Please substantiate your analytical comparison with key dialogue or details (always include time markers with your scene details/descriptions) from Mississippi Masala.FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS TOPIC CLICK HERE