MOVIE REVIEW: Chef
Chef
Starring: Saif Ali Khan, Padmapriya
Janakiraman, Svar Kamble
Director: Raja Krishna Menon
Music Directors: Raghu Dixit, Amaal Mallik
A remake of Jon Favreau’s 2014 film of the same name, Chef has some interesting flavors with its parallel themes of family and food, but these don’t really add up to a fully satisfying cinematic meal, mostly because of a lazy narrative and uneven pacing. Still, the movie is palatable enough, mostly because of good performances by all the actors. It is also beautifully shot.
Star chef Roshan Kalra (Saif Ali Khan) is stuck in a rut and he seems to have lost his passion for cooking. After being fired for punching a customer in the New York restaurant where he works, Roshan heads to Kochi in Kerala where his Malayali ex-wife Radha Menon (Padmapriya Janakiraman) and son Armaan (Svar Kamble) live. What ensues is a journey of self-realization for Roshan.
Saif almost nails it as a flawed person in search of his true self. He makes his character really relatable. South Indian actress Padmapriya is a natural and has a luminous presence. The attractive salt ’n pepper Milind Soman, playing Radha’s boyfriend, is delightful in the few scenes that he is in. The camaraderie between Saif and his Bangladeshi pal played by Chandan Roy Sanyal is endearing. The boy Svar, refreshingly without that precocity usually associated with child actors, charms you with his beguiling innocence.
Watch Chef to see Saif’s coming of age as an actor and for the heart-warming father-son angle. Just a niggling thought: why is the chef mostly shown cooking (at least initially) just one dish—pasta?!
TOP 10 SONGS
1. Chalti Hai Kya 9 Se 12 (Judwaa2)
2. Mere Rashke Qamar (Baadshaho)
3. Hawayein (Jab Harry Met Sejal)
4. Main Kaun Hoon (Secret Superstar)
5. Sweety Tera Drama (Bareilly Ki Barfi)
6. Lag Ja Gale (Bhoomi)
7. Tere Bina (Haseena Parkar)
8. Tere Mere (Chef)
9. Rocket Saiyyan (Shubh Mangal Saavdhan)
10. Galti Se Mistake (Jagga Jasoos)
(Left) Judwaa2
TOP 10 MOVIES
1. Judwaa2
2. Toilet: Ek Prem Katha
3. Newton
4. Shubh Mangal Savdhaan
5. Bareilly Ki Barfi
6. Baadshaho
7. Chef
8. Bhoomi
9. Haseena Parkar
10. Simran
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