Paul Berges' Mistress Of The Spices Opens in India on April 28. He talks to Subhash K Jha

Q: What are your release plans?
A: I'm very excited about the release. We've been having preview screenings across the UK and the responses from audiences have been fantastic. Entertainment Film released the film nationwide in the UK. They're a great distributor who have released films as diverse as LORD OF THE RINGS, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, HOTEL RWANDA.

In India the release is through PVR who are really behind the film. We've sold the rights in the States to the Weinstein Company so it'll be nice to work again with Harvey Weinstein.

After the UK and India the film will branch out internationally and I'm thrilled that we've sold the film all over the world. Our previous films were huge hits in South Africa, Australia, across Europe, Middle East, etc. so I'm looking forward to seeing the film with audiences everywhere. MISTRESS ....is a more intimate, sensual film than our previous comedies.

It has its own unique style which is a fusion of immigrant's tale, sexy romance, and magic realist fable. So I hope people get a chance to discover something that is culturally familiar, but stylistically different.

Q: Ash will soon be seen in yet another Indian role in an international film Provoked. Does that film look tempting to you?
A: I haven't seen 'Provoked' yet. But I know about the real-life case in England it's based on. I think it's great that Ash is interested in taking on challenging roles which will inspire her to present different sides of herself as an actress.

I'm biased as the director, but in MISTRESS Ash gives a very understated performance which is unlike anything I've ever seen her do. I think it's one of her finest roles and people who have been seeing the film agree.

Q: After Bride & Prejudice do you think your film will build on Ash's reputation as an international star?
A: I hope that Ash and other actors in India get to make smart, entertaining films in India and also get to do different films internationally because it can only give them richer experiences to draw from as actors.

When we showed MISTRESS at the Toronto Film Festival people were saying, wow we knew Ash was incredibly stunning, but she can also show depth as an actress if given a juicy role to sink her teeth in.

Internationally many people appreciated Ash in 'Bride & Prejudice' but because it was a musical which blended Hindi film and Hollywood traditons, it was an unfamiliar film language for many non-Indians.

They could look at Ash and see her as someone outside their experience. In MISTRESS because it's set in a very diverse San Francisco and her performance is understated, it shows a different side to what she can do.

Also I think Ash has great chemistry with Dylan McDermott, who is hugely popular in the States from his TV show 'The Practice'. From the moment they started rehearsing I could see that their intensity together would be sizzling on screen.

Q: It seems Ash cannot join you for the premiere. Is that a disappointment?
A: Premieres are usually photo opportunities for the cast and all of my cast from MISTRESS are making new movies! I'm happy that they're currently shooting all over the world. Ash is shooting with the great Mani Ratnam, Dylan in Canada, Nitin in China, Adawale's shooting in Hawaii.

So that's more important than doing a premiere. The most important thing is they have all seen the film and are very proud of it. Ash said the film was beautiful, magical and made her smile.

Also Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, the novelist, said some lovely things about the film at the Toronto Film Festival so right now I'm just excited to present it to audiences around the world.

Q: What are you making next? Have you and Gurinder worked out a mutually time-effective scheme for filmmaking?
A: Gurinder and I are always writing new scripts - sometimes together, sometimes with other writers. There are just too many stories that we're excited about telling - some set in the UK in the spirit of BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM, some in India and others in Hollywood. I'm deciding now what I want to direct next while Gurinder is prepping DALLAS.

Q: Are you aware that you would be accused of selling Indian exotica to the West?
A: That's not the case at all. MISTRESS is about keeping traditions alive and the way that cultures influence each other. India's relationship with the rest of the world has moved far beyond 'exotica' and I truly hope that people stop thinking in such reductive terms.

The films that Gurinder and I have made always view culture in terms of possibilities, never as exotica or as a problem The world is a much smaller place now and filmmakers have an important role to create characters that are human and complex and hopeful. That's one of the things that drew me to MISTRESS.

The film is essentially saying that we all have traditions that we value and we all have very similar desires. If we remember how similar we actually are then we'll never see someone as 'exotic' or 'other' again.

Q: So how exotic is Mistress?
A: I hate the word 'exotic'. I wanted the film to be sensual, soulful and romantic, never exotic. Because it's a fable it has a very different look that Santosh Sivan, the masterful cinematographer, and I spent a lot of time creating. We wanted to bring the spices alive as characters because in the film spices represent tradition.

Everyone relates to traditions that are passed on from our mothers and grandmothers. There is so much wisdom there that comes from something real and most cultures have a stong relationship with spices. The colour, tone and music of the film hopefully compliments the storytelling.

Q: Final trivial question....your film is about the aroma and spice of life. How spicy is your life? Do you cook? Do you like Indian food.
A: I feel very lucky because my life is extremely spicy! One of the reasons I love being able to make films in the UK, India and the States is because I get to eat all of my favourite foods in each country. I dream about eating pau bhaji in bombay when I'm away!

I'm not a great cook but I'm an enthusiastic learner and helper. Fortunately Gurinder is a great chef and my saas (gurinder's mum) is the true mistress of spices. Her cooking is adored by family members and friends all over the world and I especially love her aloo varian a nd aloo gobi.

For THE MISTRESS OF SPICES, Gurinder and her mum made all the pickles in the spice store so every time I see a big jar of achar in the film it makes me smile.