Review of Mango Soufflé (2002) by Lubaina K — 10 Sep 2005

I did like this movie. Of course, I do admit to being somewhat biased. Get a couple of good looking Indian men shirtless and I'd enjoy watching them read the phone book. The lead actor, Ankur Vikal, is particularly gorgeous and mesmerizing to look at, with a smile that lights up the room. But I digress...

Yes, some of the performances were a bit stiff and the script a bit choppy, but that's all been covered in other reviews. Overall, though, the movie is thoughtful, insightful, and gives us Americans a different view into modern middle-class Indian life, a life not so different from our own:

For the gay/homosexual viewer, Mango Souffle is reminiscent of some of the early gay films of the '80s and evokes what many of us [i]of a certain age[/i] went through and, in many parts of the country, still go through. The scene where Ed tells Kamlesh that their relationship doesn't have a future is particular harsh and totally realistic.

For the straight/heterosexual viewer, the movie, hopefully, will offer some insight into what it's like being homosexual in a world that rejects the existence of homosexuals. If all you know about gay people is from watching [i]Will & Grace[/i] or [i]Queer As Folk[/i], here's more realistic view of what most of us go through on a daily basis.

As an Indian film made in India, [i]Mango Souffle[/i] is revolutionary and needs to be given a certain amount of respect from that point alone.

Oddly enough, this movie reminded me a lot of the classic Mexican film, [i]Dona Herlinda And Her Son[/i], except that in that film there was a wonderful, though unrealistic, happy ending. That film is like a warm, wonderful dream. [i]Mango Souffle[/i] shows the world we wake up to. Still, though, there [b]is[/b] a happy ending, and who doesn't love a happy ending? :).