BRITISH SRI LANKAN director Chloe Abraham’s debut feature, The Taste of Mango, journeys from personal anger and bitterness to empathy and love.
With a patient ear and unending curiosity, she captures the pain and resentment locked over years in family secrets.
Despite the difficult terrain and shattering revelations, what emerges is a transformative portrait of love and hope.
Filmed sporadically over five years, and during several trips to Sri Lanka, Abrahams delves into her family history to understand the gulf of silence between her mother and grandmother.
Armed with a camcorder and probing curiosity, Abrahams unravels this personal story buried for decades, sifting through photographs, albums, memorabilia and exploring the two houses – of her mother in England and her grandmother in Sri Lanka.
The treatment has a hypnotic cinematic quality as the images alternate between probing proximity and free spaces.
Her mother Rozana, cheerful and fun loving, is captured in intimate close-up sequences brushing and drying her hair or relaxing on the sofa with her albums.
There are scenes of intimacy as the physical proximity opens up to reveal the house and the space in which Rozana lives.
Abrahams combines the documentary style of the confessional with dreamy poetic images of the garden or the ocean and beachside in Sri Lanka. Her grandmother Jean exudes immense love for her when she visits the London home. Yet, there is a palpable wall of silence between Rozana and her mother.
What emerges is a delicate family portrait, the need of the filmmaker to be loved and to bring love to the two estranged women in her life. Rozana finds it difficult to forgive her mother for staying on in a marriage with an abusive man, who had at sometime abused her too.
Her mother says she stayed on with the man because of social pressures in the Sri Lankan village where she lived.
The director’s several journeys to Sri Lanka is to understand the context in which such decisions were taken and to see her grandmother in her own space.
The tropical light, the green landscape, the wide oceans bring the sense of an external and internal journey. The story of the mango that both women craved when they were pregnant offers a sense of smell and taste through the visuals. It is the link between the two women which then becomes the central leitmotif in the film.
Abraham deals with the difficult subject of family abuse, which in south Asian families, have almost always been buried under issues of family honour, shame and silence. The director’s own journey and transformation makes the film a document of courage and love, rather than one of anger and rejection. She makes a bold and honest story which is hypnotic and compelling in its telling, enduring in its belief in love and hope. The transformation in the filmmaker from blame to acceptance, from anger to hope, is the biggest take way.
Given the paucity of documentary funding in the UK, this is a rare gem by a woman director of Sri Lankan origin. The film and its story appeal to intergeneration audiences and taps on experiences of patriarchy and abuse which will resonate both from within and without the social context. Getting personal stories from the south Asian diaspora are rare in cinema and this outstanding film must be seen.
The feature debut won the Best Documentary Audience Award at the 2023 BFI London Film Festival. It also won the best debut director at the BIFA awards.
Taste of Mango, backed by the BFI DOC Society, is in cinemas.
Rahul’s casual dismissal of that controversy has added fuel to the fire
Rahul Bhatt sparks controversy over 'insensitive' remarks about sisters Alia and Pooja Bhatt
Rahul Bhatt, fitness trainer and son of veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, has found himself at the centre of a social media storm following controversial remarks about his half-sister, Alia Bhatt. In a recent interview, Rahul drew comparisons between Alia and their older sister Pooja Bhatt, calling the latter more talented, attractive, and principled.
The comments, which many have labelled inappropriate and insensitive, have sparked widespread criticism online. During the interview, Rahul stated, “In my opinion, she (Alia) is not even half of what my real sister Pooja is. Not in talent, not in looks, not in terms of being sexy. In front of my sister, she is ‘paani kam chai’ (watery tea). Amongst the siblings, the most talented and the most moralistic is Pooja.”
Social media users reacted strongly, questioning why Rahul would compare his sisters in such personal terms. Several users were particularly disturbed by his reference to their appearance and sex appeal, pointing out that such comparisons within a family cross boundaries of propriety. One comment read, “This is disturbing. Why talk about your sisters like that? It’s not just weird, it’s wrong.” Another post said, “There’s nothing respectful about comparing your siblings’ attractiveness in public.”
The backlash also reignited conversation around a decades-old controversy involving Mahesh Bhatt and Pooja Bhatt. Rahul was asked about the infamous 1990s magazine cover where the father-daughter duo shared a kiss, which had stirred public outrage at the time. Dismissing the criticism, Rahul said, “It doesn’t make any difference. It’s like water off a duck’s back. We know the truth, and we’ve seen everything since childhood.”
Rahul’s casual dismissal of that controversy has added fuel to the fire, with critics saying it reflects a broader issue of the Bhatt family being insensitive to public perception and boundaries. Many users questioned the need for bringing up old incidents in a bid to defend new and equally questionable statements.
As of now, neither Alia Bhatt nor Pooja Bhatt has issued any public response to Rahul’s remarks. Both actors, known for their significant contributions to Indian cinema, have typically kept family matters private despite living in the public eye.
This episode has also sparked debate over the role of public figures in maintaining respect when discussing family matters in the media. Observers say such comments, especially when involving women’s appearance and personal qualities, reinforce problematic attitudes and fuel unnecessary controversies.
While Rahul Bhatt is not as prominent in the entertainment industry as his father or sisters, his comments have made headlines and placed the Bhatt family in the spotlight for reasons beyond their creative work. For many, this serves as a reminder that public platforms come with responsibility, and that family ties should not be trivialised or dissected for attention or comparison.
The backlash is unlikely to subside soon, especially as fans and followers of Alia and Pooja continue to express disappointment over the way the situation has unfolded. Whether or not Rahul chooses to clarify or apologise remains to be seen.