A Nawab he may be, but Saif Ali Khan sure knows how to serve a good treat. The actor has donned the chef’s apron for his next, aptly titled, Chef. The film is an official remake of Jon Favreau’s 2014 delectable American comedy with the same name.
Khan's Chef is directed by Raja Krishna Menon, who also directed Airlift (2016), and the filmmaker seems to have highlighted the north-south connection in the remake.
Chef Roshan Kalra (Khan) is a divorcee, but hasn’t severed ties with his estranged wife Radha Menon (Padmapriya) and son. The son invites his father for his maiden performances in school, at first, the father turns down the request, but then he agrees to come. Kalra then is seen prepping to run a food 'double-decker bus'. He need not just win his son, but his reputation as a chef too.
The film oscillates from Delhi to Punjab, but is largely set in Cochin, Kerala. Based on the trailer, Menon hasn’t changed the prime plot of the film. What he has added is a sumptuous, subtle desi flavour.
The trailer scores for its sweet and spicy story, grounded characters and some delectable dialogues that highlight the relationship of Kalra with Radha and his son.
“Tumhe pata hai duniya ke best chole bhature kaha miltey hai?” (Do you know where do we get the world’s best chole bhature?), questions Kalra only to be left stunned that his son is clueless on the concept of the delicacy.
“Tum Chandi Chowk ke Roshan Kalra ke only puttar hokar aise baat nahi kar sakte (As the only child of Chandni Chowk' Roshan Kalra you can’t be talking like that),”says Kalra who then takes his son to Delhi and later Amritsar.
Kalra has you in splits when he takes his son's liking for chole bhature as a sign that that he doesn’t need to take a DNA test.
The north-south connect will be one of the USPs of the film. Though too early, Khan and south actress Padmapriya look fabulous as the estranged pair, Roshan and Radha.
Chef promises to be a delectable slice of life drama. It will be hard not to bite your teeth into this desi treat.
Chef is set to be released on 6 October.