Mira Nair’s Kama Sutra, A Tale of Love: A Critical Perspective

Abstract

Cinema is a form of expression which attracts a good amount of masses as a punter. It is a medium that
educates, enlighten, entertain and sometimes act as a watch dog to the society. ‘Film is not only a piece of
art but also a tool of social reform as it expresses the feelings of humans and their ideas of contemporary
society. Films are the mirror that reflects the society’ says AatishPalekar in his article “Films: The Reflection
of Society”. Filmmakers like Mira Nair who has worked upon issues like communal clashes, slum children,
interracial marriage, and many other socio political based issues. And in Kama Sutra: The Tale of love (2000)
she has interrogated a wide range of issues dealing with human relationship, complicated workings of malefemale sexual dynamics and along with it the importance of female bonding in a country like India, where sex
is considered to be a taboo to be openly discussed. Mira Nair, an internationally acclaimed film maker who
is much known for her serious thematic content, has always tried to portray reality through the subject matter
she selects. Born in Orissa, studied in Delhi University has got her ground work of filmmaking learned and
practiced after she went to Harvard. This paper will focus on her movie Kama Sutra: The Tale of Love and
proposes a critical analysis of it in terms of its screenplay, casting and plot narrative.