Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love

Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love

Year: 1996

Runtime: 117 mins

Language: English

Director: Mira Nair

Budget: $3M

RomanceDramaHistoryMoving relationship storiesErotic relationships and desire

Tara and Maya share a close friendship in India, their tastes and habits mirroring each other. As adults, Tara marries Prince Raj Singh, who soon ascends the throne. Bored with his wife, Raj becomes attracted to Maya, making her one of his courtesans. When Tara discovers the affair, she fights fiercely to preserve her marriage.

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Timeline & Setting – Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love (1996)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love (1996). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

16th century

Set in the 16th century, a period of dynastic rule and courtly ritual. Arranged marriages and political alliances dictate personal destinies, while opulence and austerity coexist in the royal precincts. The era also foreshadows invasions and power grabs that destabilize the court.

Location

16th-century India

The story unfolds within a 16th-century Indian royal court, centered on a princess and her servant. The palace and its environs serve as a theatre for political maneuvering, jealousies, and shifting loyalties. Lavish ceremonies, strict etiquette, and the gaze of royalty shape every interaction.

🏰 Palace 👑 Royal court 🎭 Courtly intrigue

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:16

Main Characters – Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love (1996)

Meet the key characters of Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love (1996), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Tara (Sarita Choudhury)

A princess caught between royal expectation and personal longing. Her jealousy of Maya drives early conflict, and her arranged marriage becomes a site of emotional fragility and resilience. She ultimately grapples with love, betrayal, and the possibility of an autonomous path in a rigid court.

👑 Royalty 💔 Jealousy 🕊️ Freedom

Maya (Indira Varma)

Beautiful and strategic, Maya navigates the court by transforming from servant to courtesan. Her relationships with Raj and Jai drive the plot, and her pursuit of agency challenges strict social codes. Her journey blends desire, artistry, and survival as she seeks freedom.

💃 Beauty 💔 Affair 🎨 Artistry

Raj Singh (Naveen Andrews)

The prince-turned-king whose indulgence, opium use, and sexual appetite destabilize the realm. His vanity and cruelty precipitate conflict at court and with those he claims to govern. His reign becomes a volatile stage for Maya and Jai’s secrets and resistance.

👑 Authority 💔 Tyranny 💥 Power

Jai Kumar (Ramon Tikaram)

A gifted stone sculptor who loves Maya and embodies both artistry and political risk. His mastery earns royal favor but also makes him a target when his loyalties collide with the king’s whims. His bond with Maya culminates in desperate choices and a dramatic fate.

🗿 Artistry 💘 Love 🗡️ Risk

Biki (Khalid Tyabji)

The hunchback prince and Maya’s early skeptic, who wields influence through status and deflects disgrace onto others. His actions catalyze Maya’s expulsion and expose the precariousness of reputation in court life. He embodies the shifting loyalties that define palace politics.

👤 Royal faction 💬 Gossip 🗡️ Betrayal

Rasa Devi (Rekha)

A revered teacher of the Kama Sutra who becomes Maya’s mentor and guide to a transgressive form of love and power. She embodies knowledge, agency, and resilience, helping Maya navigate the courtesan tradition and find a space within the turmoil.

📚 Wisdom 🧭 Guidance 🧘 Enlightenment

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:16

Major Themes – Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love (1996)

Explore the central themes of Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love (1996), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

💔 Forbidden Love

Love crosses the boundaries of caste, rank, and marriage when Maya and Raj consummate their relationship. Tara’s jealousy and sense of betrayal catalyze a chain of choices that shape the fate of multiple characters. The romance exposes the fragility of affection within a rigid social system, where desire carries consequences.

⚖️ Power and Control

The king’s authority, the haughty court, and the scheming courtiers reveal how power is exercised through manipulation and fear. Women negotiate their agency through alliances, performances, and wit, while men wield dominance through ritual and violence. The plot relentlessly tests who can claim autonomy within a male-dominated world.

🎭 Performance and Identity

Maya’s move from servant to courtesan is inseparable from the art of seduction and public performance. The Kama Sutra lessons and courtly dance symbolize how identity is crafted and consumed by others. Behind the beauty, vulnerability and resolve drive her search for freedom. The film ties personal expression to political survival.

🔪 Violence and Betrayal

Rape, humiliation, and lethal political intrigue reveal how cruelty sustains the social order. Betrayal threads through friendships and loyalties, pushing characters toward tragic ends. The narrative uses violence to critique the cost of power and the resilience of those who resist it.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:16

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Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love Summary

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Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love Summary

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Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love Timeline

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