Mississippi Masala (1990)

In between winning an Academy Award for Supporting Actor in Glory (1989) and another Oscar for Best Actor in Training Day (2001), Denzel Washington won over Mr. Man’s heart and hard-on for his revealing role in Mississippi Masala (1992). This romantic dramedy garnered the glorious guy an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture. In fact, the acclaimed pic also picked up a Critics Special Award at the São Paulo International Film Festival and a Golden Osella for Best Original Screenplay for Sooni Taraporevala from the Venice International Film Festival. Yet despite the prestigious accolades, this R rated flick was a box office miss. Nevertheless, it’s a hit when it comes to cultural appreciation. The story begins in 1972 when Idi Amin (Joseph Olita) forces Asians to exit Uganda. As such, an Indian family heads to the US via England. Eventually they settle in Mississippi where, years later, the daughter Mina (Sarita Choudhury) falls for a local African-American named Demetrius Williams (Washington). He’s a self-employed carpet cleaner who’d love to work on her rug. In other words, the two run off together despite the disapproval of her parents (Roshan Seth, Sharmila Tagore) and his kin (Charles S. Dutton, Joe Seneca, Tico Wells, Yvette Hawkins). But even if their families refuse to endorse the union, Mina and Demetrius cannot deny their own happy ending! Under the direction of Mira Nair (who has a cameo as a gossiper), the movie includes Anjan Srivastav, Mohan Gokhale, Ranjit Chowdhry, and Denzel’s naked mASSala!