There have been many movies tackling the Indian diaspora, first and second generation migrant stories that have been told with nuance and sincerity. India Sweets and Spices, written and directed by Geeta Malik, brings an intergenerational story that is wrapped up in a coming of age for its protagonist, Alia Kapur (Sophia Ali), her mother’s past, and women’s empowerment. India Sweets and Spices has a lot of overall great ideas and themes, even if it doesn’t always rise up to the potential of its setup and story.
The film opens with Alia (Ali) at a party on the UCLA campus, getting drunk enough to suggest that she cut everyone’s hair (including her own). When she returns home to New Jersey for the summer, Alia is pushed to attend weekend parties hosted by a variety of family friends from the Indian-American community, including her parents, Sheila (Manisha Koirala) and Ranjit (Adil Hussain). Alia wants to do as she pleases, but there is pressure to act in accordance with the community’s unspoken rules of propriety and traditions. That, in turn, puts her in direct conflict with Sheila, who is the ethereal picture of Indian values and elite social decorum. However, when Alia meets Varun Dutta (Rish Shah) and his family, who are the new owners of a local store and have recently moved to town, she invites them to her mother’s party. This sets off a chain of events that rocks Sheila’s meticulously crafted life and forces Alia to rethink everything she thought she knew about her family.
The film’s feminist touches were unexpected and lovely, especially as they provided Sheila with more backstory and dimensions beyond the always put-together mother who has incredibly high expectations for her daughter. But as the film uses Sheila’s history to create conflicts within her family and community, there is less of a focus on how that ultimately shaped her all these years. However, there is something rather beautiful about Alia forging her own path after discovering her mother is not the woman she thought she was. Intergenerational stories are often best when a mother-daughter duo are each faced with challenges that somehow bring them closer together. To that end, India Sweets and Spices does excel, connecting Alia and Sheila just as they are each at a fork in the road of their lives where they must choose who they want to be moving forward.
Much of the issue is that India Sweets and Spices attempts to tackle too many storylines, leaving all of them rather underdeveloped. The film sets it up so that Alia’s coming of age story comes first and foremost before pivoting towards her mother’s mysterious past and feminist history, which comes as a deep shock to her daughter. This twist is meant to fuel Alia’s changing perspective about her life and influence the choices she will make in the future — whether it be settling into the traditions and social status that have shaped her life or forging her own path forward. The film is anchored by the spirited portrayal of Ali as Alia, who doesn’t seem to care whether she disrupts the snooty ways of her upper-class community.
However, Malik only brushes the surface when exploring, and later unraveling, the picturesque life of the characters. Class and the snobbery of the rich permeate the story, though there is little the film does to develop or deepen these aspects, especially when it comes to Alia, who fashions herself as being more progressive than the gossiping aunties and family friends she is often forced to engage with at social gatherings. When Varun brings up the privileges Alia as a rich Indian-American while she rails against her mother, there is some acknowledgement there. But the film glosses over a true reckoning for Alia with regards to the comfort her wealth and status have brought her by comparison to the working class Dutta family. What’s more, the film includes a half-formed love triangle that could have used a lot more development. Rather, Malik teases its presence without properly following through.
Malik weaves two stories to various degrees of success in the end. There is a lot the film is missing with regards to its focus, attempting to do too much with so little time that certain aspects and themes get lost amidst the chaos. But despite everything, India Sweets and Spices certainly has its highs, with some genuinely thoughtful and endearing moments. It doesn’t fully come together, especially as it pivots its focus from Alia to Sheila in a way that isn’t always balanced, but the performances and themes are fantastic.
India Sweets and Spices had its North American premiere during the Tribeca Festival on June 10, 2021. The film is 101 minutes long and is not yet rated.