Making a remake of a hit film is always a challenge. More so if the movie is set in a different milieu. Expectations will mount and comparisons are bound to arise. Raja Krishna Menon, who has been on cloud nine with the success of the Akshay Kumar-starrer Airlift , is working on a Bollywood adaptation of Jon Favreau’s Hollywood film Chef.
Awe inspiring
Menon says, “ Chef left me awed. The script was amazing. I never imagined myself adapting it into a Bollywood movie. Till now, my films, be it Barah Aana or Airlift , were based on my own scripts.” Chef was a story the filmmaker could relate to as he is a foodie, travel enthusiast and parent. However, his version will be a whole different take on the Favreau film; it will be done keeping the Indian palate in mind.
In the movie, says Menon, relationships will be treated from an Indian perspective. “As I have a 17-year-old son, the relationship between a father and son will be explored in earnest.” A bit of a road movie, the film will zoom in on various parts of the country beginning in scenic Kerala and concluding in the busy streets of Delhi. After all, only a handful of Bollywood films (Raavan,Chennai ExpressandDil Se) have explored the rich culture of Kerala, that too mostly with shots based on songs. Menon’s film will explore the food and landscape of the State. “Kerala to me, has to be one of the loveliest regions in the world. It is a land that is still rooted in its traditions and culture.”
Chef will star Saif Ali Khan as Roshan: a professional chef visiting his family in Kochi. He has quit his job at a leading international restaurant and decides to start a food truck. His son joins him on the culinary journey. “While Bollywood is familiar with kulcha, butter chicken, palak paneer and the like, we will be introducing pazham pori, kappa and meen curry, puttu and kadala curry to the menu,” says Menon.
As the film travels through Goa, Rajasthan, Punjab and Delhi, the local food of the regions will be featured in the film. “I don’t think any other Indian film has explored the flavours of India to such an extent,” says Menon. “It’s the treatment of relationship, travel, food and more that makes our film different from Favreau’s.”
Growing up, Menon watched Bollywood films with his sister Devika and was a huge Amitabh Bachchan fan. However, filmmaking was never on his list of career options. A science graduate, Menon’s plan was to become a bike mechanic. That was until he worked on the production of an ad film in college. “I saw the magic of filmmaking and was hooked,” says Menon, who made ad films before turning a feature director.
Tales worth telling
Fond of penning his thoughts down on paper, Menon decided to translate them on screen when he found a tale worth telling. Since then, there’s been no looking back. “I need to be really passionate about the film that I am working on. The shoot of a film is not over in a matter of days. It takes close to a year. I will be bored if I didn’t find the script captivating,” says the Malayali, who plans to make a Mollywood film one day.
Menon’s Chef , is produced by T-Series, Bandra West Pictures and Abundantia Entertainment. “We have bought the rights to the Favreau film and thought it was the perfect title for our adaptation too as the film revolves around the life of a chef.” Other characters in the movie include a professional Bharatanatyam dancer played by Padmapriya.
Khan’s son will be played by Svar Kamble. Dinesh Prabhakar and Chandan Roy Sanyal too have important roles in Chef , which is slated to hit theatres in 2017.
