contemporary world cinema for salmon arm |
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Cooking With Stella Country:
Canada
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Transplanting the upstairs-downstairs comedy to New Delhi, Dilip Mehta has crafted a delightful feature debut with his acclaimed sister Deepa ( Water , Heaven on Earth ). Featuring charming turns from Don McKellar ( Where the Truth Lies ) and Lisa Ray ( Water ) and Seema Biswas ( Water ), Cooking with Stella is great fun to watch as it offers a glimpse of how Canadians live in India's capital. As head housekeeper at a diplomatic residence in New Delhi, Stella (Biswas) serves up delectable dishes to a succession of Ottawa civil servants. But while she sets a divine table, some of her other activities are less above board. She skims inflated bills to pad her modest salary and raids her employer's pantry for her own “duty free” business. The arrival of Maya (Ray) and Michael (McKellar) initially disrupts Stella's routine. To her surprise, the wife is the diplomat while the husband stays home to look after their baby daughter. He also has designs on her kitchen! When Michael, a trained chef, discovers Stella's culinary talents, he asks her to be his guru and teach him the secrets of authentic Indian cooking. She warily agrees and eventually her trepidation turns to pleasure. Meanwhile the beautiful and virtuous Tannu (Shriya Saran) joins the household to care for the baby. Determined to protect her turf, Stella plots her slyest ruse yet. Biswas, as Stella, is both commanding and coy, especially in her market and kitchen scenes, a proud and complex Indian working in a Canadian enclave, redeeming all deceptions with a radiant smile. "A light, clever and enjoyable comedy…Don McKellar and Lisa Ray are terrific…but it is the Indian cast members who have the most fun in the Mehtas' fleet-footed satire.” J. Anderson, Eye Weekly |
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