Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love
Encyclopedia
Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love is a 1996
American
drama film
directed by Mira Nair
. The film takes its title from the ancient India
n text, the Kama Sutra
, but this only serves as a common link between the characters.
During filming in India, the name of the project was not revealed to government officials who would have denied the petition to film in India
had it been called "Kama Sutra." Instead, it was called "Maya & Tara." Since government officials made many periodic visits to the set to ensure proper Indian film etiquette, the cast had to improvise fake scenes which avoided the nudity and sexuality central to the story. Upon completion, authorities screened the film and it was subsequently banned in India because of the erotic scenes that contained heterosexual as well as homosexual elements (the lesbianism was depicted in an explicit scene, whereas the male homosexuality was more implied).
India
, this movie depicts the story
of two girls, Maya and Tara
, who were raised together even though they come from different social
classes. Tara (Sarita Choudhury
) is an upper-caste princess
while Maya (Indira Varma
) is her beautiful
servant. The two girls are best friends and have lived the same life, until they get old enough to start preparing for marriage. At this point, Tara is treated as a future
princess
being readied to marry Prince Raj Singh (Naveen Andrews
) but Maya is forced into the role of her servant and inferior. This culminates in an argument where Tara reminds Maya of her lowly position in life. Resentful Maya saw an opportunity to take revenge when she chanced on Raj Singh alone in his chambers, the latter happy to have her there because he is attracted to her, and she slept with him. Yet unknown to Raj and Maya, Tara's brother Prince Bikram or Biki, hides and watches the two of them engage in intercourse
, and becomes crushed that his childhood infatuation has given herself to his brother-in-law.
The next morning
, as Tara is leaving her home to be with her husband, Maya tells Tara that just as Maya wore the princess's used clothes all her life, now Tara will have something Maya used for the rest of her life. Tara's brother Biki, having seen Maya sleep with Raj and in order to save her honor, sends a proposal of marriage for Maya. When she refuses him, he brands her as a whore, and she is forced to leave her home.
Maya wanders on her own, making a stop to pray and bathe. There, she meets a young stone sculptor named Jai Kumar (Ramon Tikaram
), who had spotted her at Tara's wedding. Jai, realizing she has no where to stay, takes her to the property of an older woman named Rasa Devi (Rekha) who is a teacher of the Kama Sutra, the ancient art of seduction that takes into account dancing, singing, and costumes, as well as the art of making love. While staying with Rasa, Maya begins a romantic relationship with Jai Kumar that is abruptly halted when he realizes he might not be able to work properly with Maya consuming his thoughts. Jai rejects Maya, and she seeks comfort with Rasa Devi, making the decision to learn the courtesan's art. In the meantime, Raj, now the king, recognizes the visage
in one of Jai Kumar's sculptures as Maya's. He dispatches his attendants to find her and succeeds. Maya is then delivered to the King as his new concubine. Soon after, Raj and Jai Kumar have a friendly wrestling competition, in which Jai wins but apologizes for throwing Raj, and thereby wins the king's favor. The King insists that Jai have an audience with his new infatuation, and thus, Jai Kumar learns of Maya's status as favored concubine.
In the meantime, the threat of an invading Shah is inches ever closer. As King Raj descends deeper into debauchery and opium delirium, he becomes irresponsible with his kingdom and official duties. The King is advised by his prime minister that the Shah has created an alliance with Queen Tara's brother Biki. Unfortunately the king digs his hole deeper by insulting Biki while visiting King Raj's palace (by ridiculing him sexually and for his hunchback). In retaliation, Biki writes a letter to the Shah, sealing his allegiance and to rid the kingdom of Raj, who has insulted his own wife and taxes the poor to feed his addiction to pleasure.
Jai Kumar and Maya resuscitate their love and "marry" each other by exchanging simple vows ("You marry me, i marry you") and the two eventually begin meeting in secret, as tensions between Jai Kumar and King Raj grow. After Maya grows cold towards Raj, the two men have another wrestling match, with the addition of blades. Kumar wounds the King, and has to be carried away by a guard. Afterwards, Raj catches the two lovers together, and sentences Kumar to imprisonment and death.
Maya realizes that she must make difficult choices as she finds herself in the position to either accept her role as concubine to King Raj or to help the people she loves who are all headed down towards their own paths of destruction, all because of her presence in their lives. After finding Tara in the midst of a suicide attempt, Maya tells her that she loves Jai Kumar and the two reconcile. Maya then teaches Tara how to seduce the King, while Tara promises to help Maya escape to visit Jai. However, when Tara does go to her husband (at this point virtually bedridden) she at first uses what Maya taught her to arouse him, then tells him that he is common to many other women and she doesn't love him enough to hate him, before leaving.
As the execution approaches, Maya leaves the castle and visits Jai one last time. She cuts her hair, symbolizing the end of their marriage and the start of her widowhood. Maya then tries her best to make the King free Jai by promising him everything. At first he is inclined to agree, but with the knowledge that he can't have her heart, he rejects her plea. Just before the execution, a box arrives from the Shah with the severed head of the grand vizier
in it, and we see the King and his kingdom both about to fall apart. Jai Kumar is killed while Maya watches from the crowd, and the King and Queen from above. She wipes the Kunkumam off her forehead and leaves, just as the Shah's army arrives. Biki, riding with the army, sees Maya walking out and calls to her, but either she doesn't hear or doesn't look up. Maya walks away on her own, Jai's widow, with wisdom and strength gained from pain, and a heart 'as open as the sky'.
won the 1998 Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography
for his work in the film. The film was also nominated for the Golden Seashell award at the 1996 San Sebastián International Film Festival
.
1996 in film
Major releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Twister, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a version of Evita starring Madonna.-Events:...
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Mira Nair
Mira Nair
Mira Nair is an Indian film director and producer based in New York. Her production company is Mirabai Films.She was educated at Delhi University and Harvard University. Her debut feature film, Salaam Bombay! , won the Golden Camera award at the Cannes Film Festival and also earned the nomination...
. The film takes its title from the ancient India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n text, the Kama Sutra
Kama Sutra
The Kama Sutra is an ancient Indian Hindu text widely considered to be the standard work on human sexual behavior in Sanskrit literature written by Vātsyāyana. A portion of the work consists of practical advice on sexual intercourse. It is largely in prose, with many inserted anustubh poetry verses...
, but this only serves as a common link between the characters.
During filming in India, the name of the project was not revealed to government officials who would have denied the petition to film in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
had it been called "Kama Sutra." Instead, it was called "Maya & Tara." Since government officials made many periodic visits to the set to ensure proper Indian film etiquette, the cast had to improvise fake scenes which avoided the nudity and sexuality central to the story. Upon completion, authorities screened the film and it was subsequently banned in India because of the erotic scenes that contained heterosexual as well as homosexual elements (the lesbianism was depicted in an explicit scene, whereas the male homosexuality was more implied).
Plot
Set in 16th centuryCentury
A century is one hundred consecutive years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages .-Start and end in the Gregorian Calendar:...
India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, this movie depicts the story
Story
Story or Stories may refer to:*Story, a recounting of a sequence of events* Narrative* Bedtime story, a traditional form of storytelling, told to children to prepare them for sleep* Organization story, a narrative used in organization studies...
of two girls, Maya and Tara
Tara
-Religions and deities:*Tara , is a tantric meditation deity in Tibetan Buddhism, actually the generic name for a set of similar bodhisattvas*In Hinduism:*Tara , a Mahavidya of Mahadevi, Kali or Parvati...
, who were raised together even though they come from different social
Social
The term social refers to a characteristic of living organisms...
classes. Tara (Sarita Choudhury
Sarita Choudhury
Sarita Catherine Louise Choudhury is an English actress.-Biography:Choudhury was born in Blackheath, London, England, of half Bengali-Indian and half English descent. Her parents, Prabhas Chandra Choudhury, a scientist, and Julia Patricia Spring, married in 1964 in Lucea, Jamaica...
) is an upper-caste princess
Princess
Princess is the feminine form of prince . Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or his daughters....
while Maya (Indira Varma
Indira Varma
Indira Varma is an English actress. Her first major role was in Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love. She has gone on to appear in the television series Rome and Human Target.-Early life and background:...
) is her beautiful
Beautiful
Beautiful is an adjective used to describe things as possessing beauty.Beautiful may also refer to:-Albums:* Beautiful * Beautiful * Beautiful * Beautiful...
servant. The two girls are best friends and have lived the same life, until they get old enough to start preparing for marriage. At this point, Tara is treated as a future
Future
The future is the indefinite time period after the present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the nature of the reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently exists and will exist is temporary and will come...
princess
Princess
Princess is the feminine form of prince . Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or his daughters....
being readied to marry Prince Raj Singh (Naveen Andrews
Naveen Andrews
Naveen William Sidney Andrews is a British American actor. He is best known for portraying Kip in the movie The English Patient and Sayid Jarrah on the American television series Lost.-Early life:...
) but Maya is forced into the role of her servant and inferior. This culminates in an argument where Tara reminds Maya of her lowly position in life. Resentful Maya saw an opportunity to take revenge when she chanced on Raj Singh alone in his chambers, the latter happy to have her there because he is attracted to her, and she slept with him. Yet unknown to Raj and Maya, Tara's brother Prince Bikram or Biki, hides and watches the two of them engage in intercourse
Intercourse
Intercourse may refer to:*Sexual intercourse*Interpersonal communication, any kind of human communication and/or interactionPlaces:*Intercourse, Alabama, USA*Intercourse, Pennsylvania, USABooks:*Intercourse , a 1987 book by Andrea Dworkin...
, and becomes crushed that his childhood infatuation has given herself to his brother-in-law.
The next morning
Morning
The word morning originally referred to the sunrise. Morning precedes midday, afternoon, and night in the sequence of a day.Morning is the part of the day usually reckoned from dawn to noon...
, as Tara is leaving her home to be with her husband, Maya tells Tara that just as Maya wore the princess's used clothes all her life, now Tara will have something Maya used for the rest of her life. Tara's brother Biki, having seen Maya sleep with Raj and in order to save her honor, sends a proposal of marriage for Maya. When she refuses him, he brands her as a whore, and she is forced to leave her home.
Maya wanders on her own, making a stop to pray and bathe. There, she meets a young stone sculptor named Jai Kumar (Ramon Tikaram
Ramon Tikaram
Ramon Pramod Junior Tikaram is a British stage and screen actor of Indo-Fijian and Malaysian descent.-Early and personal life:...
), who had spotted her at Tara's wedding. Jai, realizing she has no where to stay, takes her to the property of an older woman named Rasa Devi (Rekha) who is a teacher of the Kama Sutra, the ancient art of seduction that takes into account dancing, singing, and costumes, as well as the art of making love. While staying with Rasa, Maya begins a romantic relationship with Jai Kumar that is abruptly halted when he realizes he might not be able to work properly with Maya consuming his thoughts. Jai rejects Maya, and she seeks comfort with Rasa Devi, making the decision to learn the courtesan's art. In the meantime, Raj, now the king, recognizes the visage
Visage
Visage are a British New Wave rock band. Formed in 1978, the band became closely linked to the burgeoning New Romantic fashion movement of the early 1980s, and are best known for their 1980 hit "Fade to Grey".-New Wave years :...
in one of Jai Kumar's sculptures as Maya's. He dispatches his attendants to find her and succeeds. Maya is then delivered to the King as his new concubine. Soon after, Raj and Jai Kumar have a friendly wrestling competition, in which Jai wins but apologizes for throwing Raj, and thereby wins the king's favor. The King insists that Jai have an audience with his new infatuation, and thus, Jai Kumar learns of Maya's status as favored concubine.
In the meantime, the threat of an invading Shah is inches ever closer. As King Raj descends deeper into debauchery and opium delirium, he becomes irresponsible with his kingdom and official duties. The King is advised by his prime minister that the Shah has created an alliance with Queen Tara's brother Biki. Unfortunately the king digs his hole deeper by insulting Biki while visiting King Raj's palace (by ridiculing him sexually and for his hunchback). In retaliation, Biki writes a letter to the Shah, sealing his allegiance and to rid the kingdom of Raj, who has insulted his own wife and taxes the poor to feed his addiction to pleasure.
Jai Kumar and Maya resuscitate their love and "marry" each other by exchanging simple vows ("You marry me, i marry you") and the two eventually begin meeting in secret, as tensions between Jai Kumar and King Raj grow. After Maya grows cold towards Raj, the two men have another wrestling match, with the addition of blades. Kumar wounds the King, and has to be carried away by a guard. Afterwards, Raj catches the two lovers together, and sentences Kumar to imprisonment and death.
Maya realizes that she must make difficult choices as she finds herself in the position to either accept her role as concubine to King Raj or to help the people she loves who are all headed down towards their own paths of destruction, all because of her presence in their lives. After finding Tara in the midst of a suicide attempt, Maya tells her that she loves Jai Kumar and the two reconcile. Maya then teaches Tara how to seduce the King, while Tara promises to help Maya escape to visit Jai. However, when Tara does go to her husband (at this point virtually bedridden) she at first uses what Maya taught her to arouse him, then tells him that he is common to many other women and she doesn't love him enough to hate him, before leaving.
As the execution approaches, Maya leaves the castle and visits Jai one last time. She cuts her hair, symbolizing the end of their marriage and the start of her widowhood. Maya then tries her best to make the King free Jai by promising him everything. At first he is inclined to agree, but with the knowledge that he can't have her heart, he rejects her plea. Just before the execution, a box arrives from the Shah with the severed head of the grand vizier
Vizier
A vizier or in Arabic script ; ; sometimes spelled vazir, vizir, vasir, wazir, vesir, or vezir) is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in a Muslim government....
in it, and we see the King and his kingdom both about to fall apart. Jai Kumar is killed while Maya watches from the crowd, and the King and Queen from above. She wipes the Kunkumam off her forehead and leaves, just as the Shah's army arrives. Biki, riding with the army, sees Maya walking out and calls to her, but either she doesn't hear or doesn't look up. Maya walks away on her own, Jai's widow, with wisdom and strength gained from pain, and a heart 'as open as the sky'.
Awards and nominations
Declan QuinnDeclan Quinn
Declan Quinn is an Irish-American cinematographer and a three-time winner of the Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography.Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Quinn is one of five children. His four siblings, the most famous of whom is Aidan, are actors...
won the 1998 Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography
Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography
The Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography is one of the annual awards given by Film Independent, a non-profit organization dedicated to independent film and independent filmmakers.- 1980s :* 1986: Toyomichi Kurita – Trouble in Mind...
for his work in the film. The film was also nominated for the Golden Seashell award at the 1996 San Sebastián International Film Festival
San Sebastián International Film Festival
The San Sebastián International Film Festival is an annual FIAPF A category film festival held in the Spanish city of San Sebastián .-History:The festival was founded in 1953...
.
See Also
- Tales of The Kama Sutra : The Perfumed GardenTales of The Kama Sutra : The Perfumed GardenTales of The Kama Sutra : The Perfumed Garden is a 2000 American drama film directed by Jag Mundhra, with original soundtrack by Tor Hyams. The film takes its title from the ancient Indian text, the Kama Sutra, but this only serves as a common link between the characters. The film is touted as a...
- Tales of The Kama Sutra 2 : MonsoonTales of The Kama Sutra 2 : MonsoonTales of The Kama Sutra 2 : Monsoon is a 2001 American drama film directed by Jag Mundhra, with original soundtrack by Alan DerMarderosian. The film takes its title from the ancient Indian text, the Kama Sutra, but this only serves as a common link between the characters...