Tarla

A biopic of a cook "Tarla Dalal" touches lot of sensitive topics with delicacy like her dishes. Huma Quereshie once again has shown her range in this movie , if you really want to see her range see "Monica O my darling " Probably her previous movie and this one in one shot. Sharib "Nalin Dalal ,husband of Tarlaa Dalal" is a fresh face they have provided while show casing the romance between husband and wife. He is shown as a helping ,caring husband who is always backing Tarla no matter what , and please focus on the final scene between husband and wife where he breaks. I recommend that scene to be watched by every male of south asia . A lovely movie watch . Please remove chicken chicken ( the songs of this movie which I did not find so soothing !) and consume.

Caution : Don't watch with empty stomach , has lot of food in it.

What do viewers want to see when it is a biopic of a Indian housewife who rose to become a Celebrated cook show 30 years back? How did she do it. The inner charachter strength should have been shown to emerge in her as she faces vicissitudes of life. Her vague wish to do something Better in her life fades away after 12 years as a home maker. But magic of learning & making different recipes which won hearts fails to be shown in movie .Why her books or show sold well is missed. Her place as a Pioneer Indian modern cook book author and tv chef is not hight lighted. Whether older regional cook books family notes helped her? Did she herself learn western or non Gujarati non Indian recipes from other resources? Only Credit given is to her slipping sometimes supportive Husband for her success.

Food photography could have created many a Ratatouille or food classics visual moments .

Huma Qureshi gives her all to present herself as a Gujarati girl a home maker and Celebrity woman who knew what needs to be done to succeed. Sharib Hashmi shorter than her rises to present a typical husband who has a atypical grateful trait of supporting his spouse .Why that could have been revealed by flashes of family backgrounds of both the families? But one thing is sure that these two stayed with me longer than i had expected by their performances.

Can the film makers not add Visuals of most famous recipes taking shape revealing the seed of the magic why million Cook shows have blossomed across tv and youtube today. We have a 14"tv in the kitchen just to watch and learn how to make new recipes step by step today .

What would viewers want to see in a story about an ordinary homemaker who became a celebrity chef?

Firstly, how did she do it?

Next, why her books and show were a big success?

This film is more about her relationship with her husband and the struggles between her different roles as homemaker, mother and wife. Her place as a pioneer Indian cook book author and TV chef is not even highlighted.

The movie gets elevated by the wonderful performances of the lead actors. Huma Qureshi plays her role very well. Sharib Hashmi is a master performer and plays his part with ease.

Music by Suhit Abhayankar, Nilotpal Bora and Rohan Vinayak, with an added performance from Rekha Bharadwaj, is soulful and melodic.

Notes to the film-makers

• Both, Tarla Dalal and Huma Qureshi are beautiful. Then why give a set of false teeth to Huma?

• Food presentation? Where is it? Kindly stop payment to the food stylist or at least ask for a refund.

There's not much in the movie about Tarla Dalal that we already didn't know. But we get to know a lot about her supportive husband. At times one wonders whether it's his biopic.

Tarla Dalal. She was a unique woman. The only Padmashree recipient so far from the field of cooking. The day I found out that a biopic based on her life was being made, I started looking forward to it. It's a lovely movie.

The story and screenplay keep the movie at a certain pace. It never gets sluggish. The songs either take the story forward or enhance the mood introduced in the preceding scenes. Huma Qureshi and Sharib Hashmi have portrayed their roles sincerely. Huma is building a good body of work. Sharib is a gem. There's good chemistry between the lead pair too.

The film is more about Tarla's relationship with her husband and her constant struggle with her roles as a wife, mother and caretaker. I would have loved to see more about how she developed the recipes or how she learnt new ones.

The film scores well also on the time travel aspect. The costumes and surroundings give you the feel of the 70s and 80s. The makers may have missed a few gaps, like they've shown a Kinetic Honda in what may be late 60s or early 70s.

Anwar Says: In an era of biopics on Sportspersons only, an effort to present biopic on a home made chef is definitely commendable. It's a feel good cinema but with a bland taste. You always look for some spices and unable to get till end. The magnitude of Tarla's achievements, which made her a household name is shown in a subdued manner.

Huma Qureshi was a perfect choice to play the lead but even she couldn't come up with the feminist angle of Tarla. The most loved one is Sharib Hashmi, the husband , ever supporting and a person, every wife dream of. But Tarla facing social problems, sometimes look superficial.

Music of Abhayankar, Bora and Vinayak is soulful and melodic. Heard that Hansal Mehta is making a biopic on Sanjeev Kapur and I am sure he would overcome the shortcomings seen in Tarla.

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