Chef (2017)
27KChef: Directed by Raja Menon. With Saif Ali Khan, Padmapriya, Svar Kamble, Chandan Roy Sanyal. Chef Roshan Kalra sets out to find the true source of happiness and reignite his passion for food while being more present in his son’s life.
“In my mind Raja Krishna Menonu0026#39;s u0026#39;Chefu0026#39; will be remembered as the movie that helped Saif Ali Khan get his mojo back. Mr. Khanu0026#39;s acting career has been suffering for the last few years. Some bad luck and some worse decisions have led to some awful films. While his last release u0026#39;Rangoonu0026#39; was decent it didnu0026#39;t help his prospects at the movies. With Chef he finds himself again much like his character does.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eChef, a remake of Jon Favreauu0026#39;s 2014 movie by the same name, is about Roshan, a chef in New York City going through a midlife crisis. After finally achieving his dreams of running a kitchen he is now in a slump. His work doesnu0026#39;t excite him, he has lost his passion for cooking, and his emotions are out of control. An impulsive decision takes him to Kochi, India where he reunites with his ex-wife and son. While trying to make up for lost time and bonding with his son Roshan gets a new lease on life.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eDirector Raja Krishna Menon has weaved a simple tale about family, fighting for your dreams, and what it means to find contentment. The tone, throughout the movie, is mellow and soft. While this does make you restless at times itu0026#39;s also why the film works to a certain extent. Moments such as the North Indian father being shocked that his son had never eaten chole bhature bring a smile to your face. I also enjoyed the relationships in the movie. The father-son bond as well as the exesu0026#39; dynamic was rather refreshing and stayed away from dramatic clichés.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe biggest takeaway from the movie is Saif Ali Khan. He sinks his teeth into the role and delivers a fully realized character complete with faults and dad humor. Itu0026#39;s his most restrained and real performance in years. Padmapriya Janakiraman, who plays Roshanu0026#39;s estranged wife Radha, is quite good as well as is the young actor who plays their son. The music is soothing in the moment but not particularly memorable. The camera captures some beautiful shots of Kochi, a place you donu0026#39;t normally see in North Indian films.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis is a slow movie, no two words on that. Solutions to problems are convenient and relationships are mended too easily. But if you enjoy gentle stories about characters finding themselves chances are this will satisfy that craving.”
