Mirch Masala (Spices)

In-person: Vinay Lal, Professor of History and Asian American Studies at UCLA

One of the most significant films of the Indian Parallel cinema movement, Maya Darpan focuses on Taran (Aditi), who lives with her father in a small town on the cusp of industrialization. Taran has a strained relationship with her father, who is increasingly bitter as he is unable to find a suitable match for his daughter. The young woman finds solace in her interactions with an engineer, and claims her freedom by becoming his lover. The film was considered a breakthrough in cinematic language, as director Kumar Shahani adopted a painterly approach that moved away from a linear narrative using color, movement, and sound to represent Taran’s isolation and the conflict between the individual and society.