India Sweets and Spices

Summer has arrived in Ruby Hill, New Jersey, a posh suburban oasis of mini-mansions,
backyard swimming pools and luxury cars, but for the first time in her life, Alia Kapur (Sophia Ali) wonders if this is all there is to life. After a year at UCLA, she is ready to trade in the lavish Saturday-night dinner parties and gossiping "aunties" of her community for a more authentic, worthwhile existence " even if she doesn't quite know what that looks like yet.
When Alia meets Varun (Rish Shah), the son of local shopkeepers, she impulsively invites
him and his parents to her mother's upcoming extravagant soiree. In the process, she accidentally uncovers a pair of family secrets that will have consequences for everyone involved. Her straight- laced mother Sheila (Manisha Koirala) has a shared history with Varun's mom Bhairavi (Deepti Gupta) that she refuses to discuss with her daughter, while her father Ranjit (Adil Hussain) is harboring mysteries of a much more recent vintage.

 
As Alia struggles to reconcile her image of her parents with these new revelations, she makes
a single bold gesture that forces Sheila and Ranjit to reexamine their lives. Writer and director GeetaMalik's Nicholl Fellowship-winning screenplay India Sweets and Spices is brought to the screen in a fresh, vibrant, often funny, always thought-provoking take on a classic coming-of-age story.

The film stars Sophia Ali ("The Wilds," "Grey's Anatomy"), Manisha Koirala (Dil Se.., Bombay), Adil Hussain (Life of Pi, "Delhi Crime"), Deepti Gupta, Rish Shah, and Ved Sapru. Producers are Sidney Kimmel (The Lincoln Lawyer, The Age of Adaline), John Penotti (Crazy Rich Asians, Hell or High Water), Gigi Pritzker (Drive, Hell or High Water) and Naomi Despres (Kill the Messenger, High Crimes).

Review:

Good wife, good mother, good life?  India Sweets and Spices takes us on journey into Indian culture of arranged marriages and the importance of appearing successful. As Alia discovers family secrets, chaos is unleashed.  Can the family contain the gossiping community from finding out their problems? And how many more secrets will be exposed?  In an age of appearances and showboating is the norm I loved how this film explores the importance of family, true friendships and importance of finding your voice no matter the cost.  India Sweets and Spices, is a well balanced film of humor, drama with plenty of layers and spice, making it very entertaining. Rising Star Sophia Ali is one to watch, very talented.  

Editor - Michelle Warmuz