The story is a silent masterpiece cooked to perfection in the gravy of the most eloquent words, dabbed with magnificent characters and scenic visuals, and sprinkled with refreshing humor. This is a 2014 movie I stumbled upon by chance on Netflix.

“Eating is a multi-sensory experience, and certain combinations of flavors and aromas activate enzymes and stimulate specific parts of the brain, evoking pleasure and also recollections of pleasurable experiences. Like a certain scent will remind you of your first love” is an excerpt from the movie that sums up the movie’s essence.

The Kadams immigrate to France with nothing but faith in their cooking talent and their religious respect for food. Their van brakes go faulty, and they end up stranded in a quaint French village nestled in the heart of lush hills. Mr. Kadam is a die-hard optimist who staunchly believes that there is no such thing as coincidence. Hence setting his stout heart on settling down with his large family in the village, he establishes his Indian restaurant right opposite Madame Mallory’s celebrated, Michelin-star-decorated French restaurant. This movie depicts the story of how their mutual love for food transcends cultural differences.

1. Narration:

From the beginning, from the lack of drama, glitter, and glamour, it’s quite apparent that a genius ensemble is in action, right from the author to the music director. The story was the star of the show. The story narration was subtle, confident, and every scene was essential in carrying the story forward. The story’s flow was clear as a cool freshwater stream, and the characters were heartwarming and down-to-earth. Enough associations have been made between grub and sensuality. Refreshingly, this movie was a gentle love affair with food.

2. Buoyant and colorful characters:

                   From the cheerfully boisterous Mr. Kadam to quiet and hardworking Hassan, from the deceptively frigid and proud Madame Mallory with a golden heart to the kind and ambitious Margeurite, the characters were multidimensional and filled up the story with life and enhanced its flavor.

3. The steadfast optimism:

• Hassan hailed from a small Indian village with little knowledge of the world. Even when he found himself suddenly amidst foreign land and people, he didn’t quiver or flail. He threw himself into learning a new cuisine with an open mind and improvised by blending in his traditional spices from home. When Madame Mallory asks, “Why change a two-hundred-year-old recipe?” Hassan replies, “because Madam, maybe two hundred years is long enough.”
• The entire Kadam family not only survived but thrived in an alien land where they ended up only because their vehicle’s brake failed. Their favorite slogan repeated several times in the movie was “Maybe brakes break for a reason.” They believed in destiny, things beyond human power to control, and more strongly, that destiny only held good things for them.

4. Different and yet so similar:

• The stubborn resistance humans have towards anything foreign, a byproduct of vices such as- fear of the unknown, prejudice, and hubris, was intelligently questioned in this movie. Madam Mallory was moved to tears when she tasted Hassan’s omelet, her forte, and at that moment, she realized that Hassan was a genius in the making and her pride gave way to genuine admiration. Each cuisine is exquisite in its own way and yet is ‘foreign’ and ‘unacceptable’ to people used to other cuisines. But the comfort of the sense of familiarity should never hinder the appreciation for a genuinely sumptuous meal.

• When a few derelicts from Madame Mallory’s restaurant vandalized the kadams’ restaurant in the name of patriotism, Madame Mallory felt bad and set out to clean the expletives left by them on the Kadams’ restaurant wall. And when Mr. Kadam heard of Madame Mallory’s offer of a six-month training to Hassan in her restaurant, he burst out in anger. The conversation that ensued was the best example of how two very different and yet celebrated cuisines can look to one another. 

Mr. Kadam: “you seduced his mind with your awful, tasteless, empty sauces. With your pitiful, little squashed bits of garlic.”

Madame Mallory: “That is called subtlety of flavor.”

Mr. Kadam: “It’s called meanness of spirit. If you have a spice, use it! Don’t sprinkle it. Spoon it in.”

Madame Mallory: “You do not seem to understand that there’s such a thing as enough. Classical comes from the word ‘class’, and Hassan will learn how to cook with class in my kitchen.”

Mr. Kadam: “Indians cannot become French, and the French cannot become Indian.”

Madame Mallory: “Mr. Kadam, I think I’ve just spent the whole day washing those words off your wall.”

The characters relentlessly work hard to overcome their differences to put humanity first.

5. Celebration of food by virtue of the written word:

The entire script is an ode to exceptional food and the intense pleasure the act of eating kindles in us. The author’s outstanding writing prowess and respect for good food can be gleaned via the restaurant’s patrons’ reviews, where Hassan is the chef. Some of their remarkable reviews read as follows:

• “La Baleine Grise has been known for experimental food combinations. But on my most recent visit, the oysters with nitro pearls of sturgeon and oyster dust were made exceptional by the addition of ground cardamom seeds.”
• “While it’s only been a few months since my last visit, I was pleasantly surprised by the appearance of coriander, fenugreek, and masala.”
• “…. glutinous sauce resonant of tandoori. this was a surprising triumph.”
• “… the most unexpected ways. With a marinade of tamarind and smoked chili, the fish swims into my top 5 of all time.”
• “an established molecular cuisine favorite in Beaubourg appeared to have discovered the spice of life.”

These are words only a person deeply in love with food, and all it symbolizes could have concocted.

6. The end:

       Hassan was a true trailblazer who had to overcome his own family’s reservations towards foreign cuisine on top of society’s prejudices to channel his creativity through fusion cooking. With the knowledge of two genius cooks-his mother and Madame Mallory, of two formidable cuisines, he added a dash of his originality to create sensational food. Hassan became the new La Baleine Grise, Paris’ top restaurant’s chef de cuisine within a year of working there. He took Paris by storm, and the Paris media proclaimed: “The word is the restaurant’s regeneration is mostly down to a young chef from India called Hassan Kadam who arrived in Paris just over a year ago. In just one year, he has transformed the restaurant with his introduction of bold spices, explosive taste, and unusual combinations.” 

But after a year of enthralling the fashion capital with his ladle-bearing- magic-fingers, he realized that his tastebuds were satisfied only when the food was seasoned with love. He began to feel something missing in both his life and cooking after a spectacular year in Paris. Michelin stars and fame were adrenaline rushes. On his journey to find himself, Hassan realized that food is deeply personal, and the real joy of cooking is in the ability to feed and be fed by those closest to our heart. 

Some hate stories tied up neatly with ribbons at the end and claim real life is never that simple. But, isn’t reality complicated enough? At least in books and movies, let our favorite characters live happily ever after. We deserve that win in this life. And maybe, just maybe, brakes do break for a reason. At any rate, it’s a beautiful notion to believe in.