Kama Sutra

Centred on the text ‘The Kama Sutra’, this is in part a feminist film about class and politics in sixteenth century India but it is mostly a lush melodrama, featuring an exotic palette and explicit sexual posturing. Initially it is the story of two women: Maya, a rebellious servant girl and Tara her mistress and future queen who are childhood friends. After being publicly humiliated during Tara’s nuptial celebrations, a vengeful Maya seduces the king prior to his wedding night. When this indiscretion is revealed Maya is spurned and turned out into the street, despite the king’s burgeoning obsession for her. After falling for a sculptor of erotic deities, Maya trains to be a courtesan, eventually returning to the palace. Nair’s film operates as a critique of the class system and is a tract about self-determination and sexual politics, but it is overwhelmed by a simplistic script that supports predictable plot and character developments. Nair may have been reaching for a feminist interpretation of the erotic text as well as a narrative about spiritual awakening, but the pretension of the four main protagonists who embody stock Eastern archetypes, distracts from this agenda.

Producers, Mira Nair, Lydia Dean Pilcher ; director, Mira Nair ; writers, Helena Kriel, Mira Nair ; photography, Declan Quinn ; music, Mychael Danna ; editing, Kristina Boden.
Cast: Indira Varma, Sarita Choudhury, Ramon Tikaram, Naveen Andrews, Rekha, Arundhati Rao.