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The Indian-Americans 

What’s on Masterchef Vikas Khanna’s Menu Now?

The Last Color!

New York is full of surprises where unexpected things happen and you get to meet the most unexpected people. I certainly didn’t expect to be eating a home-cooked meal by Master Chef Vikas Khanna served in his 10th floor apartment near the United Nations. Nor did I expect to be eating it with the iconic Pakistani filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy whose powerful work has won her a gaggle of awards including two Oscars and six Emmys.

Nor did I know what was really on Chef Khanna’s menu – a first screening of ‘The Last Color’, the deeply moving film that he has written and directed.  “Sharmeen has been my biggest inspiration – I’ve never met any filmmaker who can actually bring about a revolution like she has,” says Khanna. “I was not a part of the revolution. I was in the audience. But it moved me so much.”

Vikas Khanna of course is the original master of reinvention – cook, chef, cookbook writer and now the author of a novel ‘The Last Color’ and the writer and director of this feature film based on the book. So this was a truly surreal event – not only was a master chef showing his directorial debut for the very first time but the Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy was actually in the audience!

Khanna’s touching film is about marginalized lives in Varanasi, on the ghats of the Ganges, about the triumph of the human spirit. He recalled how the widows in the holy city were shunned and how it really disturbed him: “It broke me – I felt very insignificant and small that I couldn’t do anything about it. It was so moving to me when the Supreme Court gave orders for these widows to play Holi for the first time.”

The first look of the film was shown at the 71st Cannes Film Festival and it’s a feel good film with strong performances and great photography. The moral center of the film is Chhoti, a 9-year-old street waif, who is a tightrope walker and flower seller. She shows the power of the girl child and how she can change the world. It’s a love story which really raises your happiness quotient.

The verdict from this high-powered audience in one word was ‘Stunning!’ The audience was deeply touched by the emotional story and the powerhouse performances of the cast right from the wonderful Neena Gupta to the debut actress Aqsa Siddiqui who embeds herself in your affections with her beautifully nuanced, natural performance. The city of Benares, evocatively filmed, is a star in its own right and makes the story come alive.

 

And after knocking everyone out with this very engaging film, Khanna turned chef once again and served the guests an equally critically acclaimed meal which he had whipped up: Roasted Squash Soup with Creme Fraise, Spinach and Roasted Beet Salad, Tamarind Chicken Curry with Brown Butter; Pineapple and Garlic Curry; Job’s Tears Paella (a rare barley) – ending with Lemon Curd, Roasted Figs and Signature Millet Chocolate Cake.

When one chocolate cake ran out, the unflappable chef tossed up a second one together in minutes. So you see, it was both a culinary and cinematic feast – an abundance of riches.

(This article was first published in CNBCTV18.com )

Have you seen ‘The Last Color’? What do you think of it?

Have you tasted Masterchef Vikas Khanna’s cuisine? Which is your favorite dish?

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