Tag Archives: juhi chawla

The hundred-foot journey (2014)

My Ratings: 4/5

The hundred-foot journey is a very well cooked film, tender and succulent, a perfect fusion of the spicy Indian masalas and the subtle French cuisine.

The film is an emotional drama, a journey of a young boy Hassan (Manish Dayal) from being a good cook to a world famous chef.

But not so fast.

The hundred-foot journey unfolds itself in a slow pace; lures the audience to get accustomed to the Southern French countryside to get introduced to the characters and be a part of a beautiful story told to perfection.

The Kadam family spearheaded by Papa (Om Puri) opens up an Indian restaurant at a hundred-foot distance from an already established French restaurant owned by none other than the ever-competitive Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren).

The battle begins and the battleground is their respective kitchens.

And what follows is a food fest.

At one end we have the delicate French sauces to entice you and on the other hand the aromatic Indian spices to create magic, believe me you will want to eat on both sides of the street.

And then of course though somewhat predictable, the aromas of the two cultures finally blend in and the result – a couple of sweet love stories.

Superb acting by Om Puri, he is undoubtedly the spine of this film and also provides the needed comic reliefs in regular intervals.

Helen Mirren is as usual at her best, Charlotte Le Bon, Manish Dayal all acted brilliantly. And if you care to remember Juhi Chawla’s cameo as the mother who made Hassan realize the essence of good cooking.

A.R.Rahman’s music perfectly compliments the superb visuals by cinematographer Linus Sandgren.

The last half of the film is a bit stretched but then again it’s probably necessary for the desired conclusion.

Overall the film has a sense of tranquility that tends to stay with you, one of those movies that leave you with a pleasant smile.

Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey and Juliet Blake – the producers.

The hundred-foot Journey comes from one of my favorite directors Lasse Hallstrom who has pampered us earlier with amazing movies like What’s eating Gilbert Grape, The Cider House rules, Chocolat, Hachi: a dog’s tale and many more.

So I went with lot of expectations and came out of the cinema hall hungry yet satisfied.

Totally worth it.

Film trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEO1TWeM5JU