Kama Sutra is the story of a young woman named Maya (the stunning Indira Varma) who has always been lower on the social scale than her well-born friend Tara (Sarita Choudhury), and has always lived in Tara's shadow, wearing her used clothes and being made to feel inferior. When Tara is betrothed to the handsome King Raj Singh (Naveen Andrews, from The English Patient), Tara sneaks into the king's tent on the eve of the wedding and seduces him. Later, after being trained to master the Kama Sutra's many "lessons of love," Maya will be the king's courtesan, and emotions will run high between the former best friends. But the plot is of secondary importance here (a fact that resulted in many mixed reviews), and so Kama Sutra works best as a colorful and irresistibly sexy story that is worth seeing just for the startling beauty of the film and its cast. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description
Maya is a king's courtesan who is forbidden to embrace her true love but she becomes defiant, rebelling against ancient tradition.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: UN
Release Date: 30-JUN-1998
Media Type: DVD

This story is about LOVE (of course), true love broken by the society and its "powerful ones". In this case, the powerful one is a Prince, evil yet very sexy Naveen Andrews (Kip in "The English Patient"). The object of his desire is Maya, who is forced to become courtesan, after some unfortunate events. But, Maya was brought up as a princess...

Indeed, Maya grew up with the evil Prince's future wife-to-be, Tara, so it gets very complicated: Prince has beautiful Tara, but he desires beautiful Maya (they are both so beautiful, why not have them both?...Prince manages to do that for quite some time).

There is another amazingly beautiful woman in this film, whom I enjoyed seeing on screen once again: famous Indian actress, Rasa Devi, playing Rekha-- older courtesan and Maya's mentor, and what a wonderful mentor she is!

In short, Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love, is one of the most beautiful and most sensuous films in years. It is entertaining and at the same time philosophical!

It was nice to see "making love"-scenes, as oppose to random and mostly meaningless sex-scenes that seem to dominate today's cinema.

I only regret that there wasn't more dancing in this film. I also regret over-using the word "beautiful" in my review:)....but, in this case, it is more than appropriate.


It's not what you think.......   July 17, 2002
ice_angel7 (USA)
14 out of 15 found this review helpful

Everyone sits down to watch this movie thinking it's going to be about sex and they're dissappointed when it isn't a kinky flick. There is some sex in the movie, however, it is about two young girls who are trying to find out who they are in a world where men control everything...even their bodies. As they become young women, they begin to take control of their own lives and take control of which man they choose to be with in life.

I loved it. I bought it. All of the characters are really beautiful and the few lovemaking scenes that were shown were very intimate and classy. The first time I watched this movie I watched it with my mom and I wasn't totally embarrassed...and we both liked the movie. I say see it for yourself. While you're at it...try and see everything ever made by the director, "Mira Nair"...you will not be dissappointed.


Fab erotic tale of love, sex and culture from an exotic land   December 20, 2001
Rudolf Spoerer (Weston, FL United States)
13 out of 16 found this review helpful

Our heroine, Maya, and her lifelong friend, Tara, were born into the Indian caste cuture meaning that little Maya usually got all of the hand me downs from her more upper class friend.

As a little girl we see Maya's frustration with her lot in life as a lower caste in a very male dominated world, and she declares that someday she will have something all to herself before Tara. Of course that something turns out to be Taras husband, the King, Raj, who seduces and then falls head over heels in love with Maya the night before his wedding.

A jealous troll of a suiter that was meant for Maya spilled the beans and Maya was found on the street, dishonoured for something she could never have stopped anyway. Our heroine, with the innocent and clear mind of a beutifull child, the body af a woman (you betcha) and smouldering desires and libido of a born courtesan is thrust into a love triangle with no probable good end in sight.

This is not, by any stetch of the imagination a porno movie since the nude and sex scenes are delicately placed into the movie with purpose and reason to further the plot. The acting is stupendous as is the scenery, costumes etc of the Indian sub continent.

The quality of the DVD and the sound track are also ezquisite and I would reccommend this movie highly as a treasure of adult entertainment ...


Historical settings, myths, and beauty   October 18, 1999
7 out of 8 found this review helpful

I think this movie should be watched not because the words "Kama Sutra" in its title, but because it portrays a certain mentality from a different part of the world. The movie does talk about sexuality, yes; but it also portrays a certain psyche that was prevelant in many eastern (and perhaps western) countries until very recently. Of course if your only desire is to see beautiful Indian people naked, this movie will fulfill that desire as well.