Stars: Nisha Ganatra, Jill Hennessy, Sakina Jaffrey, Madhur Jaffrey, Nick Chinlund, Cara Buono, Ajay Naidu

Director: Nisha Ganatra

Summary: When Sarita discovers that she can't have children her sister Reena realises that she can do something that Sarita can't - get pregnant. Reena decides to have her baby and give it to Sarita and Mitch but with Indian and New York City values getting mixed up in the process family values start to count.

To call CHUTNEY POPCORN a chick flick would be ironic, as the film treats a wide variety of topics with an openness that is careful not to exclude any group--specifically men. However, the film is, in essence, about women loving women--as sisters, as mother and daughter, as friends, as lovers--so to call it anything other than a chick flick would be a lie. Nisha Ganatra, the film's director and writer, stars as the excellent, introspective, accepting lead Reena. She peacefully glides past flowing grain fields on her motorcycle, paints henna designs on her beautiful blond girlfriend, Lisa (Jill Hennessy, whose lovely muscular arms will win over any viewer, regardless of sexual preference), snaps photos of other henna-painted "dykes," and participates in traditional ceremonies with her Indian-American family. However, when Reena offers to be a surrogate mother for her sister, Sarita (Sakina Jaffrey), and her white brother-in-law, Mitch (Nick Chinlund), all of the film's relationships--familial and romantic, begin to shift. The hilarious artificial insemination scenes are rife with complex tension. Each member of the family--especially Reena's mother, Meena (Madhur Jaffrey)--has weird feelings about the plan. With a fitting acoustic guitar soundtrack and a light-hearted approach to asking serious questions about difficult issues, Ganatra gets viewers thinking with CHUTNEY POPCORN.

WIN DVDs by rating this DVD

Average User Rating:

WIN DVDS by being amongst the first to review this DVD. Reviewing DVDs earns you bonus entries and lets you WIN DVDs!Please login before reviewing this DVD. If you're a new user, register for free and enter to WIN FREE DVDs!

Chutney Popcornis an amusing exploration of surrogate motherhood that never lets cross-cultural or lesbian issues overrun what is essentially a family drama. Nisha Ganatra directs, writes and takes the lead role as Reena, a New York artist and lesbian with Indian roots that include an over-indulgent mother and newlywed perfect sister, Sarita. On finding that Sarita is infertile, Reena proposes becoming a surrogate mother, not just to help out her sister but to prove to her mother that she is capable of living up to the traditional values of womanhood. The pregnancy puts obvious strain on Sarita's marriage and she begins to distance herself from Reena and the unborn baby. At the same time, Reena's live-in girlfriend Lisa (Jill Hennessy) has commitment issues; babies never being part of her life equation.

For her first feature film, Ganatra shows much promise with her ability to blend the various issues at the film's heart without becoming over-sentimental about them. Madhur Jaffrey offers a surprisingly sparky comic turn as the doting mother trying to hold on to the values of her homeland. The script is loaded towards the inevitable happy ending, which feels far too easy and upbeat, leaving the audience with unanswered questions about the future of the child. Despite such reservations, Chutney Popcornis a spicy look into the alternative family that's more substantial than just a simple side dish. --Nikki Disney

Aspect Ratio:	4:3
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Chapter Index, Other Millivres Multimedia Releases
Year:	1999
Release Date:	October 21, 2002
Runtime:	90 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	M M D 012
Keywords:	Comedy, General, Popcorn, Chutney
Genre:	Comedy