CHUTNEY POPCORN ---------------
Reena (Nisha Ganatra) arrives too late on her motorcycle with her lover Lisa (Jillian Hennessy, "I Shot Andy Warhol") perched behind her for her sister Sarita's (Sakina Jaffrey, "Cotton Mary") wedding reception. Reena's mother (Madhur Jaffrey, "Cotton Mary") is angry, not only at her lateness, but also because she can't accept Lisa as anything other than Reena's roommate. Sarita and her mother think Reena is irresponsible. Then Lisa lets slip that she thinks Reena's a bit selfish.
Troubled, Reena sees an opportunity to redeem herself in everyone's eyes when it becomes apparent that Sarita is unable to sustain a pregnancy and offers herself as a surrogate mother. Lisa's against the idea and Sarita dismisses it until her husband Mitch (Nick Chinlund, "Mr. Magoo") convinces her that it's not such a bad idea. But Reena's attempts to bear her sister's child put a severe strain in all these relationships in star/cowriter/director Nisha Ganatra's "Chutney Popcorn."
LAURA:
"Chutney Popcorn" is a 'gentle' comedy in that it offers few big laughs (although the turkey baster scene would qualify) yet evokes smiles with its observations of human nature.
Veteran actress Madhur Jaffrey provides most of the comedy, constanty calling upon her younger daughter to program her sprinklers ('Why doesn't she call the perfect one?' mutters Reena) and dissolving into good humored hysterics when Reena suggests that her mother's mother could have been a lesbian. She also performs traditional ceremonies for everything, beginning with fertility. Jillian Hennessy is a fresh-faced, down to earth Lisa, who understandably panics when a pregnancy is thrust into her comfy lifestyle. She reluctantly takes part in the project by wielding the aforementioned turkey baster ('That stuff really smells - I don't know how hets do it.'). Madhur's daughter Sakina is elegant and refined as Sarita, which just that touch of entitlement that would get under Reena's skin. Nick Chinlund's characterization of Mitch is a little odd. At first he seems like a nice, supportive husband, but he begins to get a little creepy when the mother of his child turns from being Sarita to being Reena.
Chubby-cheeked Nisha Ganatra displays a lot of talent juggling three major roles in her film. She's very convincing as the put upon rebel - the 'artistic' one whose lifestyle isn't understood by a demanding mother who obviously adores her older, more traditional daughter. Her screenplay (coauthored with Susan Carnival) displays an ear for natural dialogue in addition to its unique central concept. However, the film as a whole has a few rough spots, with sound that is sometimes muffled, supporting characters that are interchangeable and a couple of clumsily staged shots. The cinematography by Erin King is nicely done, with the colorful accoutrements of Indian culture providing some nice visual flair.
"Chutney Popcorn" is a sweet tale about familial and romantic love that comes together well for a satisfying conclusion.
B-
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