Coming home and attending family gatherings isn’t always easy. In India Sweets and Spices, college freshman Alia Kapur (Sophia Ali) comes home to a less than relaxing summer vacation. Forced to participate in her Indian-American community’s party circuit, full of gossip and formalities, the straight-A student is looking for any way to rebel.
Alia gets her opportunity when she meets the handsome Varun (Rish Shah) and his family at her local Indian grocery store which they own. She immediately invites them to these social gatherings, hoping for inclusion and drama. Upon their arrival at one such event, it is revealed that both Alia’s mother and Varun’s mother (Deepti Gupta) knew each other during their formative years, bringing up secrets of the past and problems in their present.
It’s hard not to make the Crazy Rich Asians comparison. Not only do the two films share producers but India Sweets and Spices follows many of the same tropes and formulas of the 2018 box office hit. An outsider, or in this case outsiders, intrude on a rich family’s party after being invited by the youngest child looking to shake things up. We get the “hilarious” antics of secondary members of the family, mainly the Aunties. Class is dissected through romance. I bring this up, not to criticize but look closer at representation. Is it good representation if different cultures continue to use the same conventions over and over again?
Writer and director Geeta Malik’s script is at its most interesting when it does its own thing. Indian women’s history is intricately woven into the narrative through Alia’s desire to know her mother better. The family matriarch, Shelia, is played by Bollywood veteran actress Manisha Koirala who gives a complex and layered performance where she transforms from a powerful sophisticated party thrower to a resentful and ashamed former feminist stuck in a loveless marriage.
Shelia’s rediscovery of her past feminist self leads to both tension and bonding with Alia. While this feels forced and unearned by the mostly formulaic script, both Koirala and Ali give enough in their performances to pull off something worth watching in India Sweets and Spices final act. While predictable and derivative, the film is still solid, filled with humor and heart.
India Sweets and Spices is playing in theaters. Watch the trailer below.
