From Ethnic to Transnational

In the transnational world, travel and migratory movements result in new and highly complex human interactions between cultures. This study focuses on the personal relationships that emerge as Indian American families make their home in the United States and attempt to cope with challenging cultural differences. The analyses of Mira Nair's Mississippi Masala (1991) and The Namesake (2006), as well as Nisha Ganatra's Chutney Popcorn (1999) illustrate how transnational films reinforce but also effectively subvert established cultural practices and the conventions of Hollywood cinema to mediate the influences of the ethnic.