Chutney Popcorn
1999, NR, 92 min.
Directed by Nisha Ganatra, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Nisha Ganatra, Jill Hennessy, Sakina Jaffrey, Madhur Jaffrey, Nick Chinlund, Cara Buono.

This intriguing and unpredictable film (which premiered at last year’s Austin Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival) examines the lives of an Indian-American family torn apart by an elder daughter’s inability to conceive with her American-born husband. Ganatra stars as the younger (and gay) sister Reena, a motorcycle-riding, free-spirited photographer who volunteers to become a surrogate mother for her sister. Complicating matters is Reena’s mother, a traditional (and very witty) first-generation immigrant who hasn’t accepted her daughter’s relationship with her girlfriend or her unconventional decision to become a surrogate parent. While covering the many tangles and snags of a modern family, Ganatra also examines how immigration affects them. “Questioning Normal,” a 15-minute short by the Gay Youth Media Project, will screen first. ­ Barry Johnson (excerpted from “Chutney Popcorn: Light, Crunchy, Salty,” 8-25-00)

This article appears in Lost Austin I.

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Marjorie Baumgarten is a film critic and contributing writer at The Austin Chronicle, where she has worked in many capacities since the paper's founding in 1981. She served as the Chronicle's Film Reviews editor for 25 years.