Film Review: A Sweet and Spicy Treat
Well-crafted and authentic, India Sweets and Spices debunks—in the best possible way—the model minority myth of the Indian diaspora.
In her new film, Geeta Malik, an award-winning writer and director, has shared a thought-provoking perspective about the Indian diaspora’s love for sweets and spices. Filmed right here in Georgia (Marietta in Cobb County), India Sweets and Spices is about a middle-class family in a small suburban town.
Going beyond the focus on food and culture, the movie is also about our relationships. Relationships between old school friends. Husband and wife. Mother and daughter. Budding romances. This probing, beautifully crafted low-budget film peels layers off our trendy desi parties. Of course, there is always more to these social affairs, where we hang our hair down or pile it up into fancy joodas, wear the latest designer clothes, and put on happy faces. Our weekend get-togethers are not really about strong community relationships. There is veiled competition, rivalry in every shape or form, superficial bonding, and there is the fear of missing out (FOMO)! At the heart of it, though, the parties are about escaping loneliness on foreign soil.
India Sweets and Spices rings true from a desi viewpoint, reminding me of movies like Monsoon Wedding and Bend It Like Beckham. The characters are not tropes used to pander to the Western gaze. Every bit of the movie is enjoyable. From the bratty exchange between the Kapur brother and sister, to Alia Kapur’s crush and later romantic relationship, and to her shock when a stranger reveals a family secret.
It got me thinking. How many of us have wondered about our parents’ lives before we came into this world? We know about their lives from when they became our parents, but we don’t quite comprehend their fears, challenges, hopes, aspirations. What did they stand for? How have their lives changed after marriage?
I hope the movie challenges the preconceived notions of viewers. It is toxic to accept misogyny to save an apparently “perfect” marriage, to tolerate everything just to keep a semblance of normalcy. Humorously, the film also references the immense peer pressure Indian parents feel to send their kids to Ivy League colleges. Come on! As second- and third-generation kids integrate into mainstream America, it’s time for the community to back off from the model minority myth.
Manisha Koirala shines in the movie, and I applaud her character’s spirited calling out of not only her entitled, philandering husband but other ladies who are complicit in the clandestine affairs. It’s yet another unforgettable performance from the versatile actor of films such as 1942: A Love Story, Dil Se, Bombay and Mann.
We don’t have to pretend. Life is hard. Relationships are flawed. We have to accept that and move on. India Sweets and Spices shows how. It’s a good story with strong acting and a great take-home message. I am not surprised that the film got rave reviews at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Monita Soni, the author of two books, is a pathologist in Huntsville, Alabama. You can hear her commentaries on Sundial Writers Corner (WLRH 89.3 FM/HD).
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