Mirch Masala

A Very good narrative on Pre-Independent India where Oppression of Tax Collectors on Villagers is depicted very well.

While I do not want to summarize the Story, I would like to highlight excellent Direction by Ketan Mehta & acting by Smita Patil, Suresh Oberoi & Om Puri. The vulnerability of the villagers is exposed & very few people stand up against the Naseeruddin Shah who is the Subedar.

The astonishment of the villagers on seeing the Gramophone for the first time is also very impressive

I managed to watch it online & was thoroughly impressed. It certainly deserves a 9/10

"Sach aur Sahas hai jis ke man mein, Ant mein jeet usi ki rahe...." The quote is from the movie 'Lagaan'. You must be wondering what this quote is doing in the review of a movie which was released about 20 years back(1985). The reason is that the basic theme in some ways is still the same. Mirch Masala is one of the most powerful film to have been made in India. A low budget movie, starring Nasseruddin, Smita and Om Puri in one of their best performances ever. The story is of a pre-independence Kutch village in India, the British deployed Tax collectors enjoy a total monopoly over the villagers and they have transformed into Bandits, looting and snatching from the villagers whatever they desire: money, cattle, land or women. The head collector (Naseer) is one such guy and on one of his trips to this village comes across a woman (Smita) and immediately develops a liking for her. He tries to woo her a couple of times but finally manages to get slapped by her in front of his goon army. Then starts the chase. The lady runs and finds refuge in a Spice factory guarded by an old Muslim (Om Puri). The factory has 20 odd women working and they are trapped inside too. Naseer tries to lure her out but fails. Om is pressured by many including the factory owner as well as the Village Head (Suresh Oberoi), but he comes across an honest old man willing to sacrifice his life. The movie tackles many social issues like women education, women empowerment etc. The ending scene is very motivating and captivating where a group of 20 odd women (and the old guard) are able to achieve what the 100+ plus villagers could not. That is, rise against the handful oppressors and teach them a lesson. How they manage to do it is something that should be watched rather than told. Excellent movie that can be watched any time and for any number of times.

Very well done movie. Good writing executed by top level actors. The film attempts to capture the spirit of Rajasthan and the society quite nicely. The cinematography does justice to the Desert state. Struggle of the females at various levels and the triumph of the brave makes up for this fabulous movie.

MIRCH MASALA is a film that I watched for my World Cinema class this semester and it certainly is a good one. It tells the story of a woman, Sonbai (Smita Patil), who is sought after by a subedar (tax collector). She continually resists his advances and ends up hiding in a spice factory as the subedar doesn't intend to take her rejection of him. Thematically, the film deals with resistance to (colonial) oppression, with the subedar serving as the symbol of British colonialism and Sonbai representing the ordinary Indian citizen. And since the story largely focuses on women, it could be thought of as a feminist film to a certain degree. What the film does well is develop its characters in terms of personality and motivation. The most attention is paid to the tax collector, but with the intention of having you hate him. There was a particularly well-done scene in which he overreacts to someone who accidentally breaks one of his phonograph records. In this one scene you get a sense of this man as someone who looks down on his fellow countrymen who aren't in service to the British, as well as someone who is quick to anger when something happens that he doesn't like. There is also his singular motive to sexually claim Sonbai, a married woman, and which provides the main narrative thrust (no pun intended). Generally speaking, I thought that the themes were handled well, if a little broadly and "on the nose" at times. What didn't always work for me was a lot of the acting, which seemed kind of stagey. I also didn't care for the sound mix on the DVD. I understand that a lot of films from the 1980's and before (especially foreign films) were post-synced, but there didn't seem to be a good balance between various sound elements. Also, for all of the build-up to the finale, I thought it went by a little too quickly. Overall, MIRCH MASALA has a good, socially conscious message, but it hasn't aged too well in my opinion.

Set somewhere in Rajputana / northern Madhya Pradesh in central India between the two World Wars, this movie depicts the sordid daily humiliation and exploitation heaped upon villagers by an over-mighty landlord (Zamindar). When his attention focusses on the women, they unite and fight back, to the shame of their feeble husbands. Starring Naseeruddin Shah - a leading dramatic actor - in one of his more devlish roles. An historical epic as well as a manifesto for the liberation of the oppressed in rural India.