Love in the Time of Malaria

One of the strangest and most inspired films to come out of India in the ’90s, Love in the Time of Malaria unfolds in the fictional kingdom of Khojpuri, ruled by a monarch with intestinal issues and plagued by mosquitoes that are infecting the population with dissent and unrest. Cherub-faced chemist Hunshilal is enlisted by the crown’s Moral Science Institute to concoct a cure for the mosquito scourge from the local crop—red onions—but soon finds himself embroiled in a seditious conspiracy against the palace. Sanjiv Shah’s no-holds-barred debut feature is an exuberant and unclassifiable political satire, incorporating expertly written songs, intricate webs of references and gags, and stirring calls to revolution into a bitingly topical portrait of a nation in crisis. A bravura example of Navroze Contractor’s versatility as a cameraman, the film melds elaborate, fantasy-tinged setpieces with naturalistic scenes of city life, including documentary footage of street protests against the government. New restoration courtesy of the Film Heritage Foundation.