''Night of Henna'' is a 2005
romantic comedy film directed by Hassan Zee (''
Bicycle Bride
''Bicycle Bride'' is a comedy film directed by Hassan Zee and starring Andreas Wilson, Melanie Kannokada, Shruti Tewari, Jessica Kitchens, Rajiv Nema, Veronica Valencia, and Jonathan Bock. The film opened in San Francisco at the Viz Cinema on Ju ...
''), and is the first
Pakistani-
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
feature film. The film stars
Pooja Kumar,
Reef Karim, Nancy Carlin, Suhail Tayyeb, Ponni Swaminathan Chesser, and Craig Marker.
Plot
A young Pakistani woman is forced to choose between an
arranged marriage
Arranged marriage is a type of marital union where the bride and groom are primarily selected by individuals other than the couple themselves, particularly by family members such as the parents. In some cultures a professional matchmaker may be us ...
set up by her family and her true love.
Cast
Reception
G. Allen Johnson from ''
SF Gate'' wrote that "Unfortunately, the plot is much too thin to sustain its 93-minute running time, and the underwritten script and sometimes painfully awkward staging and acting make "Night of Henna" rough going at times". A. O. Scott of ''
The New York Times'' wrote that "''Night of Henna'' was obviously made for very little money, and its earnest do-it-yourself feeling gives it a degree of charm, which is augmented by Ms. Kumar's unassuming loveliness". Jami Bernard of ''
Daily News'' wrote that "First time writer-director-producer Hassan Zee follows a well-worn theme — the clash between generations of new immigrants — in this mildly pleasant movie". Laura Sinagra of ''
The Village Voice'' wrote that "San Francisco indie striver Hassan Zee's Pakistani American spin on Monsoon Wedding hobbles a likable cast with dialogue flatter than Bollywood's cheesiest". Maitland McDonagh of ''
TV Guide'' wrote that "Were it not for Kumar's luminous charisma, the film would be unwatchable".
Maitland McDonagh , "Wedding bell blues", 2005 review of ''Night of Henna'' at ''TV Guide''
/ref>
References
External links
*
*
*
*
''Night of Henna''
at Metacritic
*
2005 films
American comedy films
Pakistani comedy films
Films about Pakistani Americans
2005 comedy films
2000s American films
{{2000s-US-film-stub