MUMBAI: Huma Qureshi will be essaying the role of India’s first-ever Home chef, Tarla Dalal. Produced by Ronnie Screwvala, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, and Nitesh Tiwari, the epic food filler will be directed by Piyush Gupta. While talking about the late chef and her decision to make a film on Tarla’s life, producer Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari says, “Tarla’s story is a lot more than her being an iconic chef. It’s a story about a working mother who single-handedly changed the face of vegetarian cooking in India and paved the way for many such home cooks and start-ups to aspire and achieve their dreams. “
Huma says, “Tarla Dalal reminds me of my childhood. My mom had a copy of her book in the kitchen and would often try many of her recipes for my school tiffin. I also clearly remember the time when I helped mom make Tarla‘s homemade mango ice cream. This role has taken me back to those sweet childhood memories and I am very thankful to Ronnie, Ashwini and Nitesh for having faith in me to play this awe-inspiring character.”
Tarla Dalal was an Indian food writer, chef, cookbook author, and host of cooking shows. She was the first Indian to have been awarded a Padmashree award in the culinary skills category in 2007. This is for the first time Bollywood will be depicting the life story of a chef on screen. The late chef, who was popular for her palatable recipes was every cook’s inspiration, and her cooking instructions are still present in every culinarian’s food dairy. Her “desi nuskhe” are still a topic of conversation in every Indian household, often given credit for refashioning vegetarian food in India.