In ‘Mistress of Spices’ Aishwarya Rai portrays an Indian woman in San Francisco running a spice shop. Hollywood actor Dylan McDermott is paired with her. Gurinder Chadha’s husband, Paul Mayeda Berges who is donning the director cap for the first time, speaks about Aishwarya, the film which was shot in San Francisco and Kerala and the novel written by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni which was adapted into the film.

What factors prompted you to sign Aishwarya Rai for the role of Tilo in Mistress of Spices?

While working with Ash on Bride and Prejudice, we started to think that she would be perfect as Tilo and it would show a whole new dimension of the actor. She read the script and immediately understood the character. She wanted to play the role of a natural, soulful woman who helps her customers, holds onto her traditions, and at the same time, slowly opens up to new possibilities in her new life in America.

How did you go about adapting the book to cinema?

Gurinder and I read the book in 1996 and thought it was a unique blend of an immigrant’s tale and sensual romance. We wanted to be very faithful to the spirit of the book when adapting it. At the world premiere of ‘Mistress…’ at the Toronto Film Festival (in late 2005), Chitra got on stage and said she was overjoyed with the film. It was her book plus lots of new layers which will always be added when you move from a novel to cinema. The biggest change we made went like this: In the book, Tilo’s skin physically changes a few times. She starts as a young woman in the skin of an older woman. But as the romance develops, her skin becomes younger. We knew that it would be hard to show that in cinema, and didn’t want that kind of magic to take the viewer away from the real emotions of the story. So we kept Tilo the same age throughout. Chitra was happy with this.

When you handle Aishwarya, do you see her as a star or as an actor?

She is an actor first, because she wants to play challenging roles. Of course she is a star too, possessing the quality to light up in front of the camera in a way that is inexplicable. Ash is beautiful, but as Tilo, she shines with her character’s inner beauty; simple and non-glamourous, thinking about others, and never herself.

How is Tilo different from Lalita of Bride and Prejudice?

Lalita was head-strong, knowing exactly what she wanted, and wouldn’t settle for less. But Tilo is a pure character. When the romance unfolds, you feel for her and want her to be complete and happy. Also, ‘Bride…’ was a musical, so the tone of acting was lighter. This story is more like a fable.

Is ‘Mistress…’ in the same East-West genre as ‘Bride…’?

Yes, ‘Mistress…’ too looks at the way different cultures intersect and influence each other. Most of the film is set in San Francisco but we shot Tilo’s childhood in Kerala. The cast is mixed - Indian, American, black and white.

An anecdote or two from the sets of ‘Mistress…’

Gurinder and her mum made all mango and carrot pickles for the spice store. We played a lot of pool and danced like mad at the only nightclub in the Isle of Man, north of England. Ash danced like crazy and also endured me singing Mere Sapano Ki Rani… which shows she’s blessed with great diplomacy!