Cooking with Stella (2009)

• 33% of critics liked it
  (6 reviews)

• 24% of users liked it
  (255 ratings)

A woman who has learned a few things about taking care of herself runs the risk of having her tricks found out in this comedy-drama. Stella (Seema Biswas) works as a domestic in New Delhi and has used her fluency in English and skills as a cook to wrangle a job as housekeeper for Canada's ambassador… More A woman who has learned a few things about taking care of herself runs the risk of having her tricks found out in this comedy-drama. Stella (Seema Biswas) works as a domestic in New Delhi and has used her fluency in English and skills as a cook to wrangle a job as housekeeper for Canada's ambassador to India. While she's well liked by her employers, they don't know that she's been submitting padded expense reports for years and pocketing the difference; she also regularly raids the cupboards to sell quality foods at a discount to others. However, Stella's schemes may be a thing of the past with the arrival of new ambassador Maya (Lisa Ray). Maya's husband Michael (Don McKellar) stays home to look after their young daughter, and cooks as a hobby; he's fond of Indian food, and insists that Stella give him lessons in preparing the local cuisine. With the man of the house a frequent presence in the kitchen, Stella finds scamming her employers is not nearly so easy, especially since she and Michael get along so well. Matters become all the more complicated when Maya and Michael hire a nanny, Tannu (Shriya Saran), who is an especially devout Hindu girl. Cooking With Stella was the first fiction feature from director Dilip Mehta. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi