After Gurinder Chaddha's BRIDE AND PREJUDICE, Aishwarya Rai is again set to capture the International front with the project titled THE MISTRESS OF SPICES. THE MISTRESS OF SPICES is a romantic film directed by Paul Mayeda Berges. The film will pair up Aishwarya against the noted American actor Dylan Mcdermott, who had starred alongside Clint Eastwood in director Wolfgang Petersen's IN THE LINE OF FIRE.
THE MISTRESS OF SPICES is an enchanting and sensual fable about the romantic and personal conflicts that face TILO, a beautiful young woman, trained in the ancient and magical art of spices. Ordained with special powers to help those that come to her, Tilo can sense people's problems with a startling ability to see into their past and future.
Tilo works in a small San Francisco store called the 'SPICE BAZAAR', where, with the guidance of her spices, she finds the perfect remedy for anyone who walks through her door. For her powers to work she must obey three simple but strict rules - she must only use the spices to help others, she must not touch another human's skin and she must never leave her store.
When DOUG, a handsome, enigmatic architect crashes his Harley Davison outside her San Francisco store, she has to tend to his wounds and her life is changed forever. For the first time Tilo's own desires are stirred - is there more to life than helping others? Tilo knows the rules and her spices warn her to stay away. But Doug doesn't have any spices telling him what to do and soon returns with flowers to ask her on a date.
No matter how hard she resists him, his persistence, honesty and friendship draws them closer and closer to each other. When they accidentally touch, another rule is broken and the spices are enraged. The spices are in no mood for either leniency or romance but Tilo is captivated by the force of love and agrees to go on a date leaving her spices behind. The spices begin to punish her - the more she falls in love and defies the rules, the more her customers suffer.
All Tilo wants to do is carry on her work helping others and fall in love as well, but she is forced into a painful dilemma. If she turns her back on her way of life, all the people that she has helped will suffer, but if she doesn't, she will lose Doug forever!
Tilo must now confront her past, her friends, her desires and ultimately the spices to decide if she can fight for a new life of her choosing or must return to the old one.
The film also stars Anupam Kher, Nitin Ganatra, Nina Young, Ayesha Dharker (of TERRORIST fame), Zohra Sehgal, Rebecca Bowden, Paul Bhattacharjee with others. The film is a Nayar / Chaddha production and is presented by Kintop Pictures and Balle Pictures, Capitol films, Ingenious Film partners in association with Isle of Man Film.