Despite Ash’s best efforts, Mistress of Spices flopped. Why? The script was too "art house" for mainstream audiences, and the magic realism felt corny to Western critics. But for fans, it’s a treasure. It shows a vulnerable Ash, stripped of dancing extras and designer lehengas.
In the climax, her character Nandini must choose between two men. Instead of crying, she grabs a policeman’s lathi (staff) and violently breaks clay pots. It is the moment the "spice" turns into fury—a rare glimpse of Aishwarya’s character losing control.
Aishwarya plays Tilo, an Indian immigrant in Oakland, California, who is secretly a "Mistress of Spices." She runs a spice shop, using magical spices to heal her customers' troubles and fulfill their deepest desires. However, a sacred rule governs her life: she must never use the spices for herself or touch another human being. When a handsome American architect named Doug (Dylan McDermott) enters her shop, Tilo breaks the cardinal rules, sacrificing her magical powers for human love.