Synopsis
Circa 1940 in Trinidad, still a British Colony, lives Ganesh Ramseyor, of East Indian origin, along with his wife, Leela. He longs to reach out to people, especially to Hindus, in order to promote the Hindu Faith, and be known as a writer. He does get considerable success, so much so that he becomes famous as a miracle worker, having cured a man of sharing intimacy with his bicycle; prevented a man from believing that he can fly; and convincing a young woman to end her fast. His fame spreads all over the island and thousands throng to seek his blessings, which he does dole out quite benevolently, without charging any fees from the poor and the needy. He then decides to spread his wings by challenging the local politician Pandit Narayan Chandrashekhar alias Cyrus T., and takes over The Hindu Organization, thence opening his way to a seat in the prestigious Member of the Legislative Assembly
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Cast
- Aasif MandviGanesh
- Albert LaveauHeadmaster
- Jimi MistryPratap Cooper
- Sanjeev BhaskarBeharry
- Om PuriRamlogan
- Ayesha DharkerLeela
- Sakina JaffreySuruj Mooma
- Zohra SehgalAuntie
- James FoxMr. Stewart
- Rez KemptonBasdeo
Recommendations
- 90
Rolling Stone
Thanks to the clever, caring touch of director Ismail Merchant, working from a script by Caryl Phillips, this steadily engrossing film captures the book's bracing humor and humanity. - 80
Los Angeles Times
The result is an eccentric, amusing fable that moves at an unhurried island pace, a picturesque tale that Merchant seems to have invested with an almost personal sense of spirit. - 63
New York Daily News
There is a very sharp, funny critique of ambition and self-made gurus in The Mystic Masseur, but it is obscured by a softening bloat. - 63
Baltimore Sun
At its best, The Mystic Masseur is like a tall tale that grows more beguiling and credible the taller it gets. - 63
New York Post
It's only because the performances are so vividly entertaining -- Mandvi and Puri are particularly good -- and the painstakingly reconstructed locations so lovely that the saggier sequences are tolerable. - 50
Philadelphia Inquirer
A haunting allegory about the rise and fall of a figure who possesses powerful charisma, if weak karma. - 50
Boston Globe
Offers no tangible sense of Ganesh's genuine convictions (beyond a thirst for fame), nor of the essence of his character. By the time Ganesh's political downfall comes, in the same spiritless fashion in which his fortunes rose, it would take a mystic miracle to care. - 50
Film Threat
Occasionally funny, sometimes inspiring, often boring, the magic is minimal in The Mystic Masseur.