Kama sutra: a tale of love

Centred on the text The Kama Sutra this is a film about class and politics in sixteenth century India - a lush melodrama, featuring explicit sexual posturing. Initially it is the story of two women: Maya, a rebellious servant girl and Tara her mistress and future queen, childhood friends who become adult rivals. Publicly humiliated during Tara’s nuptial celebrations, a vengeful Maya seduces the king prior to his wedding night. Consequently Maya is spurned and turned out into the street, despite the king’s burgeoning obsession for her. Maya has an affair with a sculptor of erotic deities, before training as a courtesan, returning to the palace as a professional seductress. Meanwhile the king has fallen into an opium addled, hedonistic stupor that threatens the future of the kingdom. Mira Nair’s (Mississippi Masala, Salaam Bombay!, Monsoon Wedding) 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 and predictable character developments. Nair may have been reaching for a feminist interpretation of the classic erotic text, as well as a narrative about spiritual awakening, but the key joys here are the rich colourful palette and exotic setting.