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Home is where the heart is in new film 'India Sweets and Spices'
Metro Atlanta transforms into the upper crust community of Ruby Hill, New Jersey in the new comedy 'India Sweets and Spices.' Writer and director Geeta Malik talks to Paul Milliken about filming in Atlanta and capturing all the drama that goes on behind the scenes.
ATLANTA - The new comedy "India Sweets and Spices" was filmed here in Metro Atlanta, but takes place in the upper crust community of Ruby Hill, New Jersey. It’s a town where outsiders are treated like outsiders, and insiders always play by the rules.
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For writer-director Geeta Malik, Ruby Hill is a very real place.
"The idea came from my own childhood," says Malik. "I grew up in Aurora, Colorado, in a sort of insular Indian community. And my mom called these parties ‘Desi therapy,’ which, Desi is someone from your homeland. So, everyone would get together and eat their own food and have our own clothes on and we’d feel very warm and comforted in that community. But as I got older, I realized there was also a lot of backbiting and gossiping; there was a lot of drama behind the scenes."
The drama in India Sweets and Spices begins when college student Alia — played by Sophia Ali — comes home to Ruby Hill for the summer. Romance blossoms, family secrets are revealed, and Alia must balance her own independence with her family’s expectations.
"I relate to Alia in a lot of ways, for that reason," says Ali. "She is perceivably this rebel character, especially in her family. That’s sort of how people see her. And I’ve always felt like that my whole life, you know? I wanted to be an actor!"
Still, whatever domestic drama may play out on-screen, Malik says there was none behind the camera, thanks to a smooth experience filming in the so-called ‘Hollywood of the South.’
"I loved Atlanta. I had a blast when I was there," says Malik. "The pool of talent was so deep, there were amazing supporting actors that we got from the town, and it was just a really film-friendly city. Everyone was amazingly skilled and amazingly committed. So, I loved filming in Atlanta. I would go back in a heartbeat."
India Sweets and Spices opens in select theatres on Friday, Nov. 19, including the Springs Cinema & Taphouse in Sandy Springs. Click here for more information on the film.
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