The good part is that unlike their earlier films that were Indianized as Football Shootball Hai Rabba (Bend it like Beckhem) and Balle Balle Amritsar to LA (Bride and Prejudice), Gurinder and Paul have not renamed Mistress of Spices as Masalo ki Mallika or something likewise. That’s because thankfully this time they didn’t attempt to dub the film in Hindi thereby maintaining the essence of the spices.

This film introduces spice-o-logy whereby our spice girl Tilo (Aishwarya Rai) who runs a spice bazaar in San Francisco can foresee fortunes of her customers with the help of the spices she sells in her store. The art of spicology also says that there is a particular spice for every personality and every problem. Through these spices, Tilo solves the problems of her customers. But then, like any secret art, this one also has some rules. Tilo cannot use the spice for her own benefit. She cannot allow anybody to touch her. And finally she cannot leave the spice store. But then obviously rules are meant to be broken. And when she breaks all the rules for Doug (Dylan McDermott), who she falls for, the spices get angry on her and break havoc. As a punishment to Tilo the spices make her customers suffer. Now Tilo has to either go back to the spices or leave them for love. And in the climax she has to give an agni-pariksha.

This fairy-tale fable fits the format of the cross-culture foreign film. Thankfully it...

doesn’t get preachy or blatant on Indian cultures or values but rather used the spices as the connection to India.

From flower-petals to scenic locations, Mistress of Spices redefines the concept of beauty in films through the rich use of spices. Cinematographer Santosh Sivan simply creates magic onscreen by capturing the true spirit of the spices imparting each frame a gorgeous texture. How one just wishes if we could smell the aroma of Spice Bazaar to get a feel of the hundreds of spices on display. And despite the fact that the major part of the film is shot inside the store, it still looks visually appealing.

But the problem with MOS is that after a point the film drags. The scenes and setting tend to get repetitive. Even the characterizations are one-dimensional. Apart from Aishwarya, none of the characters who come as customers to the store are developed properly. Nitin Ganatra who had put in a fabulous comic act in Bride and Prejudice is wasted in the role of a Kashmiri cabbie! Even other actors like Anupam Kher, Ayesha Dharker or Padmalakshmi don’t get much scope. The flashback story of Dylan ends mysteriously. The entire focus is on the main spice - Aishwarya and she succeeds in adding flavour to the film.

On the upside, the flute instrumental theme piece of the yesteryear song ‘Aap ki nazro ne samjha’ that plays is the background during the romantic moments is simply mesmerizing.

Mistress of Spices cannot...

be tagged as the perfect entertainment recipe. But then this spice-fest isn’t your regular masala flick either.