Mistress of Spice (2005)

Aishwarya Rai plays Tilo, who belongs to some cult group that worships spices. She is sent to San Francisco to open a shop there and to help people using the mysterious powers of the spices. To be successful and faithful to her role of helping people with spices...she must obey three rules, never leave her store, never touch another person, or use the spices for her own gain. But as it so happens...she meets a man who she later becomes attracted to, who may force her to break all the rules.

The similarities with Chocolat are pretty obvious...only difference...this deals with spices not chocolate...but I just found this one a tad more weird. Tilo belonging to some secret group...worshiping spices...sent to help people through the use of spices...ok...so the the intentions does seem noble...but the whole magical aspect of it is weird...at least in Chocolat...Juliette Binoche's character, who makes chocolates that seem to have magical effects, opens a shop to feed her family...not to serve some higher purpose. And I didn't like the subplot with Tilo helping her customers too...mainly...mostly cause most of the scenes were bad and not well acted.

The movie is sweet that I can say. A sweet magical fairytale...ends as you'd expect. The colours were pretty. And the shop...was pretty too...Never seen such a pretty spice shop before and Aishwarya Rai is as pretty as ever...Though as a romance flick...couldn't really see much attraction, chemistry between the two leads....no foolish passion ...lust...that would overcome Tilo to break all the rules. But anyway if you like romance flicks or Aishwarya Rai...then you'd probably enjoy this one.