Themes: Servants and Employers, Colonialism, Race Relations
Main Cast: Madhur Jaffrey, Greta Scacchi, James Wilby, Sakina Jaffrey, Laura Lumley
Release Year: 1999
Country: UK
Run Time: 125 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Ismail Merchant, best known as a producer for his work with director James Ivory (including Howards End and A Room With a View), takes possession of the director's chair in this drama. In 1954, seven years after India has gained independence from Great Britain, many Indians still feel like second-class citizens in their own country, as the nation's sovereignty has not immediately erased the perception that the British are superior to the Indian-born natives. Such a woman is Cotton Mary (Madhur Jaffrey), who works as a nurse for Lily Macintosh (Greta Scacchi), the wife of a BBC correspondent. Mary claims she's the daughter of a British regiment officer (although she has no firm evidence), and she sees herself as more British than Indian. While she takes offense at racist comments, she often states her belief that most of her people are unclean and dishonest, and her personal philosophy is informed by Christianity as much as the Hindu teachings with which she was raised. When Lily gives birth prematurely, Mary has to find a wet nurse for the child, and she uses this to win greater trust and confidence from Lily; in time, Mary persuades Lily to fire Abraham (Prayag Raaj), the household's loyal but proudly Indian cook, while she hides the fact that her sister Blossom (Neena Gupta) is nursing Lily's child. When not acting, Madhur Jaffrey is an acclaimed Indian chef and author, who has written a series of books on Indian cuisine; her daughter, Sakina Jaffrey, also appears in the film. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Prayag Raaj - Abraham; Neena Gupta - Blossom; Surekha Sikri - Gwen; Gemma Jones - Mrs. Davis; Sarah Badel - Mrs. Evans; Joanna David - Mrs. Smythe
Credit
Charmian Adams - Art Director, Celestia Fox - Casting, Sheena Napier - Costume Designer, Simon V. Kurian - First Assistant Director, Ismail Merchant - Director, John David Allen - Editor, Paul Bradley - Executive Producer, Richard Robbins - Composer (Music Score), Alison Riva - Production Designer, Pierre Lhomme - Cinematographer, Richard Hawley - Producer, Nayeem Hafizka - Producer, Giovanni Di Simone - Sound/Sound Designer, Alexandra Viets - Screenwriter
This film follows the story of a British woman living in India (Scacchi). She struggles during her birth and is in desperate need of a nanny. An Indian nurse known as Cotton Mary jumps to the opportunity. She seems kind at first, but her true nature gradually reveals itself as she manipulates everyone around her to get what she wants.
