The Mistress of Spices
credits:
Director: Paul Mayeda BergesProducers: Deepak Nayar, Gurinder Chadha
Writers: Gurinder Chadha, Paul Mayeda Berges
Cast: Aishwarya Rai, Dylan McDermott, Nitin Ganatra, Anupam Kher
United Kingdom/USA 2005 | 92 mins | 35mm | English
From the creative team of BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM (Opening NIght, SFIAAFF ‘03) comes this magical and heart-warming adaptation of Chitra Divakaruni’s celebrated novel, THE MISTRESS OF SPICES. Bollywood superstar Aishwarya Rai is Tilo, a beautiful but lonely “Spice Mistress,” one of a secret group of women trained in the healing powers of herbs and roots. From her fragrant spice shop in Oakland, California, broken hearts, strained relations and runs of bad luck can all be contained within the remedying powers of fenugreek, chilies and cinnamon. Tilo is bound, however, by the rules of her craft: she may only use her powers for others, can never leave the spice shop, and must never touch another’s skin.
A steady stream of customers populate the shop: the taxi driver Haroun, who has a dark cloud over his future; Geeta, a woman in love with a forbidden man; and the adolescent Jagjit, drifting from his family into a thug life. Tilo selflessly looks after all those who enter her doors, until one day, fate—and romance—intervenes, in the form of a handsome stranger (Dylan McDermott) who forces her to choose between her long-held vows and her own desires.
The enchanting first film from former SFIAAFF director Paul Mayeda Berges, co-written with partner Gurinder Chadha, MISTRESS spins a timeless and light-hearted tale that turns the Bay Area into a magical realm. With sumptuous cinematography contrasting the fiery reds and sensual oranges of Tilo’s shop with the brilliant green of Aishwarya Rai’s sparkling eyes, Berges’ winning debut brims with charm and hope, and offers a true feast for the senses.
—Chi-hui Yang
