The Hundred-Foot Journey: An engaging food affair

The Hundred-Foot Journey
Starring: Helen Mirren, Om Puri, Manish Dayal, Charlotte Le Bon
Rated: 7/10
Foodcentric movies have a charm all their own and this languid one emanating from the picturesque village in the north of France is gently enervating.
Produced by none less than Steven Spielberg, it catches the pulse of kitchen soirees and Michellin stars with a grip one would have on a knife while slicing tough meat. The beauty of it all is that you can almost smell the aroma of the food wafting through the two restaurants of this sleep village.
Then there is Om Puri and his family which walk into this village on a rainy night to create all kinds of havoc in the hearth of the neighbouring restaurant standing tall on its acquired class and commitment to high end food through the managerial skills of Helen Mirren.
As the tandoori chickens take on the fromage and molecular pigeons on the plates on either side of the sinewy road, there is romance budding too — between an absolutely stunning and ethereal looking sous chef in Charlotte Le Bon and our very own Punjabi da puttar Manish Dayal as chef Hassan Kadam.
It’s a captivating journey full of spice, with relationships folding up and unfolding around starred and unstarred food. Everything — from the village ambience and the nuances of its people, to the “almost” tantalising affair between Om Puri and Mirren, to Hassan’s journey from the home roast to the molecular lab and back — is beautiful and engaging. From Chini Kum to The Hundred-Foot Journey, it’s been satiating. 
Source: Sunday Pioneer, 10 August, 2014

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