re:mote voices

Title:Mistress of Spices
Cast: Aishwarya Rai, Dylan McDermott, Ayesha Dharker, Nitin Chandra Ganatra, Anupam Kher, Padma Lakshmi, Cosima Shaw
Director: Paul Mayeda Berges

As a second daughter in India, Tilo's parents are disappointed, until they realise she has a certain psychic ability. Unfortunately bandits hear about her, and determined that she will make them a fortune they kill her family and kidnap her. She escapes their boats and is washed ashore on an island, where she is met by a woman in white and her disciples - the mistress of spices. Here it is Tilo's destiny to become a mistress of spice herself.

After her training Tilo is sent to San Francisco, carrying a little bit of India with her in the process. At the start of the film text asks the question - what happens to gods when they are taken to other countries, other continents. An idea that was part of why I was interested in seeing Mistress Of Spices, though one that is never really explored. Rather, Tilo is set 3 rules as a spice mistress - she must not touch anyone's flesh, she must never leave her store, and she must never love anyone other than the spice. Of course when you are given rules like that you know that they are going to broken. One by One. And they are. Tilo falling instantly in love with a local man, despite the repeated warning of the spice, which start to turn her power against her, undoing her good, spice enhanced works.

The film Mistress of Spices is based on the novel of the same name by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. As a film its a fairly straight forward romantic drama, with undertones that suggest that there might be more to the plot in the book. The film has a Bollywood edge, provided by the presence of Aishwarya Rai, and the narrative progression. Though it is not the kind of film where the cast burst into song, and as such is probably the most subdued film I have seen Aishwarya in. As a whole Mistress of Spices is a safe film, not particularly challenging, though it is actually a reasonably pleasant watch.