Night of Henna
Directed byHassan Zee
Produced byHassan Zee
StarringPooja Kumar
Reef Karim
CinematographyHiro Narita
Edited by
Suzun Hughes
  • Jeffery Severtson
  • Sharon Franklin
Music byChebbi Sabah
Release date
  • 25 March 2005 (2005-03-25)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Night of Henna is a 2005 romantic comedy film directed by Hassan Zee (Bicycle Bride), and is the first Pakistani-American 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 set up by her family and her true love.

Cast

  • Pooja Kumar as Hava
  • Girja Shankar as Abdul
  • Ponni Chesser as Rafia
  • Suhail Tayeb as Salman
  • Reef Karim as Baboo
  • Craig Marker as Justin
  • Giuseppe Distefano as Shani
  • Azhar Shah as Bashir
  • Noor Shic as Zakia
  • Nancy Carlin as Sue
  • Kevin Michael Walsh as Matt
  • Mary Farzaneh as Amy
  • Sanjay Lovji as Mike
  • Jeanette Penley as Molly

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".[1] 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".[2] 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".[3] 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".[4] Maitland McDonagh of TV Guide wrote that "Were it not for Kumar's luminous charisma, the film would be unwatchable".[5]

References

  1. ↑ "FILM CLIPS / Also opening today". SF Gate. 4 March 2005.
  2. ↑ A. O. Scott, "A Collision of Cultures", April 22, 2005 review of Night of Henna at New York Times
  3. ↑ Jami Bernard, "Night of Henna", April 22, 2005 review of Night of Henna at Daily News
  4. ↑ Laura Sinagra, "Tracking Shots", April 18, 2005 review of Night of Henna at The Village Voice
  5. ↑ Maitland McDonagh , "Wedding bell blues", 2005 review of Night of Henna at TV Guide


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