The Mistress of Spices

This is an Amazing Film in that it is about something, almost lost in this Twenty first century. In this throwaway society to be taken back to the World of Craft: In This Case This Beautiful Maiden's Love and almost Worship of Spices the way she empathises with them allows her to act as The Foodie Eqivalence of The Now regarded Noble Profession of Aromatherapist. The True Calling of The Crafts men or Craftswomen whoso immerse themselves in the nuances and resonances of their craft or calling is alas something we so rarely see today. So until We can have A Mistress of Spices in every City Town Village or Neighbourhood. This Film is the closest we can get to The Magical Shangrila of The Mistress of Spices.

My friend gave me the vcd of mistress of spice because i was bored.

I would rather be bored. I closed the movie in about 20mins. I was that annoyed.

This is miscast, mis-shot, mis-edit, a miss-miss and probably was a mistake.

The acting is mediocre. Ash's performance, like any of her Hindi movies, was pathetic. I am surprise she gets all this attention. Seriously, beauty can take places.

The story is strange and the way to present it is even stranger.

Not recommended to watch it. Unless you really want to drool over Ash.

It's difficult for any one who has a good appreciation for culinary art not to be attracted to this spicy shop, spacious, tastefully appointed, with thousands of colourful spices displayed in so many different interesting fashions. A sheer joy for the eyes.

So is Aishwaryi Rai, Miss World of 1994, who graces the screen with wide-eyed innocence through most of the movie and appears in the last scene radiating with alluring glamour in a bright red evening gown, with her hair finally let down, falling like graceful ripples to her shoulder.

Even accepting the premise of a fairy tale, it's hard to believe how Tilo (Rai) can run her spice shop all by herself without EVER leaving it, the first of three conditions for having her power bestowed by "the spices". The second is easier to abide by if one is careful, not to touch the skin of any human being. The third is not to use the power to benefit herself. This "power" is a vague ability to see other people's past and sometimes future and to use spices to help them.

The romance with dashing architect Doug (Dylan McDermott) is appropriately low-key, and hence believable. Subplots include Tilo's various customers, with their assortment of problems, many caused by cultural clashes in southern California.

All told, this is a delightful little fairy tale which is particularly pleasant visually. I can't help but think that it should also come with these new gimmicks, as a movie with smells. This is the perfect movie for it.

THE MISTRESS OF SPICES has some of the most beautiful use of color and texture in the form a magical Spice Bazaar that has graced a DVD. It also has as its protagonist the very beautiful Aishwarya Rai and the love interest of the always-reliable Dylan McDermott. The story was created and directed by Paul Mayeda Berges (with help from Gurinder Chada) who has given us such fine films as "Paris, je t'aime', 'Bride & Prejudice' and 'Bend It Like Beckham'. So the question arises as to why this film just doesn't quite make it: the reason may be the tough marriage of fantasy with reality, assigning more importance to dialog between the Mistress and the spices than to the development of storyline.

Tilo (the ravishingly beautiful Aishwarya Rai) was taken in as a child by a spiritually inclined First Mother (Zohra Sehgal) who trains young girls the mysteries of spices - their magic, their meaning and their rigid life style imposed on the developing Mistresses. Those who gain the secrets of the spices are sent into the world, warned never to use the magic for them selves, never to touch human skin, and never to leave the shops where their spices are shared to help mankind. Tilo moves to the Bay Area and does good deeds for her customers until she meets Doug (Dylan McDermott) who needs her care after a motorcycle accident. They touch, their eyes speak of mutual desire and Tilo is thrown into conflict of being a mistress of spices or of having a love life. How situations and destiny work through the story is the meager line of the tale, the majority of the script is Tilo communicating with her spices!

The cast contains some fine character actors such as Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Caroline Chikezie, Anupam Kher, and of course Zohra Sehgal. And there is enough statement about immigrant status in America to keep the story topical. THE MISTRESS OF SPICES entertains and that is a pleasure. Just don't expect a film on the level of director Paul Mayeda Berges' other works. Grady Harp

In India, Tilo (Aishwarya Rai) has the ability of foreseeing the future. When their parents are killed by bandits, she is kidnapped but escapes and is raised by the First Mother (Zohra Segal) in a sort of traditional cult of spices. She becomes the Mistress of Spices and is sent to the Spice Bazaar in San Francisco, with the mission of following three basic rules: help her clients to accomplish their desires with the spices, but never hers; never leave the store; and never be touched in the skin. When she meets the handsome American architect Doug (Dylan McDermott), she feels a great attraction and desire for him, breaking the first rule and being punished by the spices.

"The Mistress of Spices" is a predictable but pleasant film that uses the idea of movies like "Chocolate", "Woman on Top", "Como Agua Para Chocolate" blending romance with food or spice or chocolate or cookies. Therefore, the flawed story has no originality and is quite boring and messy in many moments. However, the cinematography is wonderful, with magnificent colors highlighted on DVD. Further, the gorgeous Miss World 1994 and Queen of Bollywood Aishwarya Rai makes this little film worth with her beauty and participating in most of the scenes. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "O Sabor da Magia" ("The Flavor of Magic")