Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love (1996)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Mira Nair

Writers:

Helena Kriel (written by) &
Mira Nair (written by) ...

Release Date:

28 February 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | History | Romance

Tagline:

In a world ruled by pleasure, love is the ultimate seduction.

Plot:

Two girlhood friends become sexual rivals at maturity.

Plot Keywords:

Kama Sutra | India | Friend | Courtesan | Seduction

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Indira Varma	...	Maya
Sarita Choudhury	...	Tara, the Queen
Naveen Andrews	...	Raj Singh
Rekha	...	Rasa Devi, teacher of the Kama Sutra
Khalid Tyabji	...	Biki
Arundhati Rao	...	Annabi
Surabhi Bhansali	...	Young Maya
Garima Dhup	...	Young Tara
Pearl Padamsee	...	Maham Anga
Kusum Haidar	...	Dilki
Harish Patel	...	Doctor Mani
Ranjit Chowdhry	...	Babu
Achala Sachdev	...	Rupa
Arjun Sajnani	...	Bashir
Avijit Dutt	...	Vazir, the King's Prime Minister

Also Known As:

Tara and Maya (India: English title) (fake working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong erotic sequences, nudity and some violence.

Runtime:

117 min | Germany:114 min | UK:114 min | USA:114 min

Country:

India

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:MA (cable rating) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) | Chile:14 | France:U | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | India:(Banned) | Mexico:C | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:R(A) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | UK:18 | USA:R (cut) | USA:Unrated (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

Company:

Channel Four Films

Trivia:

The movie was banned in India and Pakistan because of the erotic scenes.

Goofs:

Continuity: The bandage on Tara's wrist is missing as she extends her arm to Maya, but it reappears in the close-up of their arms in next sequence.

Quotes:

King: You must hate me.
Tara: I don't love you enough to hate you.

Soundtrack:

Merging

a highly under rated film...

I first saw this movie about 4 years ago. And upon the first viewing I was dis-appointed about 15 mins into it. I'm sure most males are attracted to this film simply by the title... Kama Sutra. LOL. I was disappointed because on first glance I did not find Maya and Tara attractive. Yes I know, how lame of me to judge a film based on the looks of the actresses. In my defense, the title threw me off as I was expecting something highly erotic and very porn-ish. However, other than the title of the movie I've heard accolades from critics about this movie... so I manage to finish the movie. I remember thinking wow, not too shabby, the film wasn't what I expected. It really is a tale of love. I've just viewed the movie three times in the last couple of days and at last I'm really appreciating the film.

The acting are superb and I think Indira Varma was a newcomer at that time. I think she played Maya perfectly... Her performance reminds me of how impressive Natalie Portman was in Leon as a totally unknown. Although Natalie was much younger with her debut. It was a delight watching Indira portraying the deep emotions and the hard life of Maya being always in Tara's shadow. My favorite scene was when Maya and Jai reunited. The music/score was perfect and the acting was heart felt I think they have perfect chemistry.

The sets and costumes were colorful and rich. The cinematography was stunning. Character development was complete and the pace of the story was quite good never a wasted moment. This is one of my favorite films about love. It encompasses a lot more than merely the thought of "Kama Sutra" conjures up. It is also about girl going into woman hood. Please enjoy the film with a open mind and I think you will find its true beauty that is rarely matched.

One other film that's a personal favorite is Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon which is directed by Ang Lee. I grew up in Taiwan, but spent most of my life in California and I'm well versed in both the traditional Chinese culture as well as contemporary American. I understood perfectly what Ang wanted to do. There's a big similarity in the fact that both directors made the film for the _foreign_ audiences. I think these films should not be completely judged on its accuracy, but rather, from the director's vision and what they wanted to accomplish. In both cases I think the directors were perfect.