Stars:
Aishwarya Rai,
Dylan McDermott,
Anupam Kher,
Ayesha Dharker,
Nitin Chandra Ganatra,
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Director:
Paul Mayeda Berges
Summary: An Indian woman called Tilo runs a spice store in San Francisco and has a magical gift of seeing into customers' lives and desires. She abides by a strict set of rules in order for the spices to be effective in helping her customers. When handsome American Doug enters her store, she begins to fall for him and defies the rules. Will Tilo choose devotion to the spices or Doug?
Indian woman, Tilo runs a spice store in San Francisco and has the ability to see into customers' lives and desires. As a mistress of spices, there are certain rules that she has to obey in order for the spices to work their magic on her customers. She must never leave the store, never touch another human, and love only the spices. When handsome American Doug - an enigmatic man with a secret past - enters her store, Tilo's own desires for love and affection are awoken. She begins to fall for Doug and as she becomes closer to him, the spices her other customers have purchased become defective. The more Tilo falls for Doug and defies the rules, the worse the lives of her customers become. Tilo has to decide whether she will choose Doug over devotion to her spices and Indian traditions. Adapted from Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's acclaimed novel, THE MISTRESS OF SPICES is a story about immigration and assimilation told in the style of magic realism, a device used in such films as CHOCOLAT and LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE. Written by Gurinda Chadha and directed by Paul Mayeda Berges, who collaborated on BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM and BRIDE & PREJUDICE, the film focuses on how much immigrants should try to assimilate into a new country and how much of their traditions they should keep. THE MISTRESS OF SPICES is a charming romantic drama that carries a complex underlying message.