I had read the book The Mistress of Spices by Chitra Divakaruni about 2years back,but dint really enjoy it that much and so when the movie came out in 2005, i was hesitant to watch it.. How different can the movie be, esp when it is based on the book.
But i did manage to get the vcd and watch the movie about 3weeks back and i must say i quite enjoyed it.. I guess at times visuals are better than just mere words, as they bring to life the story and characters.. Same applies to the other movie i saw which is also based on a book- Shop Girl.
Ok,anyways, to cut the chase this movie is all about Indian Spices and how they are more than just flavors and ingredients used in cooking. It is a lot similar to CHOCOLAT that was adapted from the book of same name by Joann Harris . Tilo(Aishwarya Rai) is a Mistress of Spice,who is blessed with the power to foresee things right from when she was small and who is sent to San Fransico to run the shop of spices,and there are certain rules she must follow or else the power of the spices will leave her.She must never leave the store,she must never touch another Human being,and must be absolutely faithful to the spices. She has the ability to foresee into her customer’s lives and based on that she gives them spices.
Havoc comes in the form of Doug(Dylan McDermott),an architect who catches her eye and distracts her,stirring up feelings she had never felt before, making her break some rules.. Will she break the rules and go with her heart or will she bottle her feelings and not pay attention to them ??
The movie is all about how she connects with her regular customers -Haroun,the taxi driver, Geeta’s Grandfather- played by Anupam Kher and how she hopes to bring about change in their life and how the spices turn against her when she probes into the feelings that Doug brings out in her.
The Movie is not much to talk about but the cinematography is beautiful and needless to say Ash and Dylan look good in the movie.. But the best actor are the Red chillies who catch your eye by taking center stage everytime there is danger lurking about.. The scenes where she talks to the spices and how she tucks in a cinammon stick in the boy’d turban are sweet.
One thought that came to my mind after watching this movie was How real is it? Do the spices really mean something? Are they more than jus flavor? is it true that there is a spice for every emotion and action in our lives?
This was a wonderful tale and the illusions of the powers of spices, and finally, the ubiquitous power…of love..
Watch and enjoy….
