Vikas Khanna: From master chef to filmmaker - whipping up empowering narratives

Michelin Star Chef Vikas Khanna and his production house, ‘House Omkar’, have recently unveiled their new short film, ‘Pinky Ka Basta’, which talks about education crisis post-Covid, especially among girls. It sheds light on the fact that not just in rural India, but in cities as well the percentage of girls dropping out of school is huge. In an exclusive interaction with Adgully, Vikas Khanna and his partner Poonam Kaul talk about their film projects, their experience working with Neena Gupta and Shabana Azmi, and more. They also lament about not receiving backing for their films and facing difficulties while executing these projects.

Vikas has directed a few films in the past, but he admits that it has never been an easy task to get backing from known producers for subjects based on women empowerment. He lamented, “People often say that it doesn’t work for them. But we are also risk takers of stories.”

Poonam – who comes from a corporate background and has worked with many noted companies such as Apple, Nokia and many others – too said that it is not simple to get funds for these movies. She said, “Five to six years ago, if you had a 65-year old female protagonist in your film, no one would have done it. But times are changing and people are beginning to understand now. We kept this entity a little away from Bollywood, because you are able to take those chances and you are answerable to yourself. We are all self-funded and we are doing things that we believe in. I am hoping to continue this journey.”

Vikas feels that some obstacles are good, as they work as inspiration. Recounting the problems he faced in his directorial journey, he said, “The biggest difficulty was language. If you look at ‘The Last Colour’, it was in Hindi, ‘Barefoot Empress’ was in Malayali, ‘Valley of Fireflies’ was in the Apatani language, which only ten thousand people in the world speak. But the stories of those women were so powerful. Now, the new film is in English and Hindi, plus there is a documentary in Punjabi. I feel the films break barriers of human stories because under the skin we are all the same. We all are looking out for validation, looking for people who can support us, celebrate us, hear us.”

Speaking further, Vikas said, “There are very few people who can make film stories organically. I got a big discount as a filmmaker because people feel that I am at the top of my line in cooking, and if I am trying something new, then it is a big thing. But it is not true as I don’t want to take that for granted. My cooking career is less than my films. I want to take it to the extreme and I am very proud of that. For instance, not many people can reach the Zero Valley, but we went there and made a whole movie about the history and its future. I believe that challenges and the adversities we face while making these movies are important too, as they are very encouraging. These are not your typical movies, where we add dance or music. Eventually our film ‘The Last Colour’ became very successful. At Amazon, we were No. 1 movie amongst so many countries. It was my first feature film.”

Vikas feels that being a known personality has hardly benefited him in his career as filmmaker. “Nobody believed in us in the beginning. I can reach out to any chef in the world – it is easier for me to pick up my phone and ask Gordon Ramsay to meet me at the Heathrow Airport. But in this industry why would people trust me? These are not big budget films that someone would want to do for the money. People have to believe in our vision. When Neena ji came to our shoot, she had actually come to check us out at Varanasi. She asked me why I wanted to make a film when I was such a successful chef. I told her ‘Neena ji, I can make films. I had approached many directors and they said that these are not the stories to make money. So, why do you want to put your time into it? I said these movies bring about a positive change’. This is what we stood for. We have differences, but our partnership has lasted for 15 years. Our vision is the same.”

Speaking about working with veteran actors Neena Gupta and Shabana Azmi, Vikas said, “When you have Neena Gupta on the screen for one and a half hours, with makeup and in a white saree, it is fantastic. I remember when I went to one of the producers for ‘The Last Colour’, he told me to cast a younger actor, but I told him that she doesn’t have experience like Neena Gupta. I realized that after Neena ji’s ‘Badhaai Ho’ became a hit, ‘The Last Colour’, too, proved to be worldwide hit. I feel having a celebrity on board brings credibility.”

‘Imaginary Rain’ is Vikas’ next film, which features Shabana Azmi and Pratik Patil Babbar. He said that he wanted to cast veteran actress Shabana Azmi, but it was not a smooth process of casting for him. Revealing the story behind it, Vikas said, “I had written that movie for Shabana ji as I wanted it to be a strong character. I always had her in mind and chased her for a long time. Had she said no, I would have made another movie, because it would have been impossible to make ‘Imaginary Rain’ without her. You’ve got to see how she fits into the role. I was also chasing Pratik Patil Babbar, but he was already doing a film with Shabana ji. I tried to enquire about that movie when one day Shabana ji told me that that movie was not happening. Then I approached Pratik and told Shabana ji about it. She quipped, ‘I know you are obsessed with bringing me and Smita Patil together in some way!’.”

Praising Shabana, Vikas said that is was a delightful experience to work with her and added, “I am so amazed by Shabana ji’s dedication. She is such a gifted artist. There was one scene at the Golden Temple where she had to cry. She refused to use glycerin and asked for some space. She finished it in a single take. Watching her, I never felt like saying ‘cut’. She always used to be in character when we were on the sets. She is totally a director’s actor and needs to know everything. She is a delight to work with.”

Adding further, Vikas said, “Neena ji is more natural and she wants to improvise, while Shabana ji knows exactly what to do and will give you that 100 times. She would come first on the sets and be prepared and you can’t change a scene on the spot. She is pure in her craft. Now, I feel that I cannot work with anyone else after working with her!”

Also Read: Vikas Khanna's film calls for #BagsToSchool: Fights girls' education crisis post-pandemic