Directing Shabana Azmi in ‘Imaginary Rain’ is my biggest privilege: Chef Vikas Khanna on new movie

Mumbai, Jan 4 (PTI) For celebrity chef-turned-filmmaker Vikas Khanna, directing the acclaimed actor Shabana Azmi in his upcoming film, “Imaginary Rain”, is more than just a career milestone. He describes it as the “greatest highlight” of his life.

The movie, based on his 2023 novel of the same name, will see Azmi play the role of a MasterChef in Manhattan, rediscovering her roots in India after a personal tragedy. The film also features Prateik Patil.

Khanna, who has also written the film, explores themes of grief, family, and rediscovering one’s passion through Indian cuisine.

“My next movie is coming out in a few months. It’s called ‘Imaginary Rain’, it’s with Shabana Azmi, A R Rahman (music), and Prateik. It’s about a chef in New York. I think it's my life's best work.

“And to direct Shabana Azmi has been one of the biggest privileges of my life. I'm very proud of it. For me to convince her (Azmi) to play this role possibly will be one of the greatest highlights of my life,” the Chef-filmmaker, who made his directorial debut with the 2019 film, “The Last Color”, starring Neena Gupta, told PTI in an interview.

Khanna said he has been working actively towards releasing “Imaginary Rain”.

“I'm so busy with Bungalow (his restaurant in New York) that I've no breathing space. I'm stuck inside the restaurant 24x7, but now it's my big mission to have this movie find home. I promise you that you might have never seen a food movie like this in your life before. This is the best work of my life,” he said.

Talking about his memorable experience of hosting actors Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh recently at his restaurant, Khanna said it was a privilege to have the star couple at Bungalow in New York.

A video surfaced online showing Padukone making modak under Khanna’s guidance.

“When Deepika and Ranveer were going to come, we had to keep figuring out the dates, as at the restaurant, it was impossible for us to get one seat. But it was a privilege (to have them). New Year was happening, and every day we gave a mithai (sweet), and Deepika helped us to make the mithai that day, it was ‘Anar ke modak’,” Khanna said.

“It is my way of exploring and expanding the vision of Indian food, like when they (actors) are making modak, everybody, including kids are going to start making modak. It's putting a new breath of life into our traditions. I'm very proud that God has given me the opportunity and the stage where I can do this beautifully, organically and feed into a celebration of India,” he said.

Khanna is thrilled to be back as one of the judges on the competitive cooking reality series, “MasterChef India 2026”, which will premiere from January 5 on Sony Entertainment Television and SonyLIV. It will also feature Chef Ranveer Brar and Kunal Kapoor as the judges.

This season introduces a unique twist with the ‘jodi’ format, where contestants, paired as family members, spouses, friends, or even inter-generational duos, will compete to transform into culinary geniuses under the guidance of the show’s judges. Altogether 12 pairs from various parts of India will be part of it.

Michelin-starred Chef Khanna said the culinary show has significantly transformed the cooking culture in India and has been instrumental in honouring chefs.

Reflecting on his journey as a host, Khanna recalled a time when many people mistakenly wrote “chief” instead of “chef”, and highlighted how the profession was relatively unrecognised in smaller cities.

“…The journey has been unbelievable since then. Besides, it has helped us to stand shoulder to shoulder with the global chefs. I also feel that this has been a very important spark point for people to understand cooking in a much bigger spectrum,” he said.

As the show embarks on its ninth season, its theme focuses on celebrating the diverse flavours that encapsulate India.

Khanna lauded “MasterChef India” for showcasing the richness of Indian cuisine and added that the show has allowed him to deepen his understanding of Indian food, transcending traditional North-South boundaries.

“I moved to the US when I was very young. I used to feel the pride of cooking Indian food was missing. I feel this entire platform has sparked that whole pride, especially post-pandemic, when people became so conscious. Also, social media has helped a lot in it,” the Amritsar-born Chef said.

“But more important than that, this became the defining force, as we had the diversity of India (on the show), and it helped us to gain more knowledge, information, and curiosity (to explore). And I'm using that whole thing, what I learned from here in a few weeks, to take it to America and try to expand my own horizons in a different way,” he said.

Khanna said from auditions to the whole process of making dishes during the competition, it is a learning opportunity even for judges. “For me, it's like almost going for a PhD research every time I come for the season here,” Khanna said. PTI KKP BK ATR