Mistress of Spices

On our weekly date - C and I usually pic up 5-6 dvds - split between what each of us wants to watch. Usually a sprinkling of sci-fi, bollywood, asian, documentary and action. I wanted to pick up Mistress of Spices last time but the book wasn't that good and C gave me one of his "r u serious!?" looks that I retracted from it. I was just curious what the movie was like with Aishwarya Rai and Dylann McDermott. Lo' and behold - the very next day on Star Movies - what do i see when i flip through - aha! "Mistress of Spices"!

The movie is terrible in my opinion. It was just poorly written script. There were elements in the book that made it a fantasy but those elements were removed in the movie. First and foremost - the main character, Tilo comes to us in guise of an old woman, wrinkly and all. But, inside she is a young woman. As mistress of spices, that is the mask she must wear and give up all personal lust/needs. In the film - Ash is her regular Ash self - albeit they kept her in fashionable cotton saris with a single plait an a supposed look of indian conservatism.

There is a point in the book that she uses the spices power for herself to turn her into a young woman - and the love of Doug (McDermott) is supposed to recognize (and love her) despite her physical change. In the film - she has a friend help her transform into a bollywood Ash - with halter top red blouse and sheer red sari, fancy make-up and hair open. Ugh! The whole mystical, magical and fantasy of the book is completely lost!!

Don't bother to see it - unless you are just curious to see a bad film. Another attempt by Ash to do a Hollywood-y flick!