Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 19, 2016)

Mirror had earlier reported about South actress Padmapriya playing Saif Ali Khan’s ex-wife in the Raja Krishna Menon directorial Chef (October 19). Now, we have learnt that Sobhita Dhulipala of Raman Raghav 2.0 fame plays a close friend with a love track between them.

A source in the know reveals, “Sobhita is expected to join the team by December. She recently had a meeting with Raja who is convinced she fits the role perfectly. She starts off as a friend of Saif’s character but later they fall for each other. The film is being shot all over India, from Kerala to Goa, followed by Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab and Delhi, and Sobhita is most likely to join the Delhi schedule.”

Raja, when contacted, confirmed the news, saying, “Her character is loosely based on Scarlett Johansson’s role in the original but it’s a much more evolved character and a much longer role as compared to that. Sobhita, besides being extraordinarily attractive, is a natural when it comes to acting. I wouldn’t go so far as calling it a love angle between Saif and her, but there are insinuations of what could have been between them. However, I wouldn’t want to reveal which part of the journey she joins him at.”

Chef is an adaptation of the Hollywood Jon Favreau-starrer of the same name that released in 2014. However, Raja had earlier told Mirror that it isn’t a complete remake, explaining, “It’s a story I felt I could adapt enough to make it my own. Writers Ritesh Shah, Suresh Nair and I have truly adapted the original. It’s definitely not a remake.”