# Mirch masala (1985)

### reviewed by
Thomas E. Billings

                                        SPICES
                           A film review by Thomas E. Billings
                            Copyright 1989 Thomas E. Billings

Synopsis: In a rural village in colonial India, the tax collector, an evil, petty tyrant, lusts after the town beauty. She hides in the local spice factory, which becomes a besieged fortress. The men of the town are willing to give her to the tax collector; only the women dare to resist! An interesting story of sexual and political oppression.

India (English subtitles), color, 1986, approx. 100 minutes. Director: Ketan Mehta

The time is 1940 (approximately); India is still under British colonial rule and Gandhi is alive and active in politics. To collect taxes, the British use a system of "subedars" or tax collectors. The subedars visit villages, meet with the village chiefs, and negotiate the taxes to be paid. The village chiefs then assess each family in the village a portion of the taxes.

The system of subedars was ripe for abuse. The subedar was generally accompanied by groups of soldiers, and had the power to collect taxes by force. Sometimes the soldiers would engage in looting and other hostile acts. The split of the taxes collected was: 50% for the British colonial government, 45% for the local feudal lord (usually a Maharajah), and 5% for the subedar. Thus the subedar had direct financial incentive to extract as much tax as possible from the villages.

This film depicts the events in a small rural village that occur when the subedar visits and demands more than the usual tax payments. Here the subedar is a young man with a handlebar mustache and a fancy phonograph which he uses to amaze the villagers. The village throws a "party" of sorts, at which all the women of the village dance. Here the subedar decides which women he wants to sleep with.

Later that night one of the women is brought to his tent. He is upset; he wanted a different woman, Sonbai, who happens to be married (her husband is away, working for the railroads). The next day he sees her, and approaches her and makes advances. She refuses his advances and even slaps him. This is an insult to his honor, for he is a man, powerful, and of high caste; she is a woman, low caste, with "no husband" and "barren" (no children). He orders his soldiers to capture her; she flees and hides in a spice factory.

At the spice factory, she finds an ally, the guard, an old man with a shotgun and a strong sense of morals. He is the only person willing to defend Sonbai! The factory becomes a kind of fortress, surrounded by soldiers outside, and Sonbai and the factory workers (all female) inside. This causes a crisis in the village, for the subedar is demanding that Sonbai be turned over to him. It is an affront to the sexual honor of the village.

Eventually the men of the village give in, and agree to turn her over. However, Sonbai refuses. This leaves Sonbai and the women of the village to resist the subedar alone, and the story continues from there.

This film is very well made, and, though slow moving at times, will hold your interest well. Like many Indian films, it does have singing and dancing in it, but it all takes place within the context of the story and is not "grafted in" or "gratuitous" as it is in so many Indian films.

The biggest criticism that I would make of the film is that the handling of the social message (sexual and political oppression) is self-conscious at times and reduces the entertainment level of the film. For example, there is a subplot about the village chief neglecting and beating his wife. This subplot adds little to the main story. However, despite this, it is a very good film and is worth seeing.

Distribution. Currently showing at a limited number of theaters in the U.S.; first U.S. theatrical release is in progress.

Reviewer: Thomas E. Billings, Department of Statistics University of California, Berkeley Reviewer contact: teb@stat.Berkeley.EDU

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