Madame Sousatzka is a 1988 drama film directed by John Schlesinger, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. It is based upon the 1962 novel of the same name by Bernice Rubens. Plot Bengali immigrant Sushila Sen (Shabana Azmi) lives in London with her son Manek (Navin Chowdhry), who is musically gifted. She supports them both as a caterer of Indian food, while Manek studies the piano with Madame Sousatzka (Shirley MacLaine), who is a Russian-American immigrant. Madame Sousatzka, while highly talented, never succeeded as a pianist and thus lives through her students, particularly talented ones such as Manek. Manek is soon forced to choose between Madame Sousatzka and his mother, who both compete for his attention. Cast Shirley MacLaine as Madame Sousatzka Navin Chowdhry as Manek Shabana Azmi as Sushila Peggy Ashcroft as Lady Emily Robert Rietty as Leo Milev Twiggy as Jenny Leigh Lawson as Ronnie Lee Montague as Vincent Pick Accolades Availability The film was released in U.S. theaters on 14 October 1988. Some time after its theatrical run, the movie was released on videocassette by MCA Home Video in 1989. The movie was released on DVD in the U.S. by Universal Studios Home Entertainment under their Vault Series banner on 28 August 2014. A region 2 DVD was released by Network in 2007 (catalogue nr. 7952723). The extras are a trailer and some production stills. Notes References External links 1988 films 1988 drama films British drama films British Indian films Films shot at EMI-Elstree Studios Films directed by John Schlesinger Films featuring a Best Drama Actress Golden Globe-winning performance Films with screenplays by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala Universal Pictures films Films based on British novels Films set in London Alliance Atlantis films Canadian drama films 1980s English-language films 1980s Canadian films 1980s British films