Often, filmmakers’ creations are inspired by their personal lives. Renowned chef-turned-director Vikas Khanna’s next, Imaginary Rain, too stems from an intimate part of his life. The film, which is adapted from his novel of the same name, is borrowed from his grandmother’s journey.

Shabana Azmi, who plays the protagonist, begins, “Beeji, Vikas’s grandmother, ran a small restaurant in New York where she was not respected because she was a woman. Also, there was no respect for Indian cuisine at the time. How she goes from there to hitting the headlines of The New York Times [forms the story].”

The senior actor has often joked about her lack of culinary skills. Playing a chef-restaurateur hasn’t come easy. “Of course, I had to take lessons from Vikas,” she exclaims. “He is so particular even about how you hold the vegetable to get the right cut. He even showed me how to peel potatoes. What is most inspiring about Vikas is his passion for life and food. His desire to put Indian cuisine on the world map [drove him] to become the first Indian Michelin star chef.”

The second schedule of the drama, which also stars Prateik Babbar and Kanwaljit Singh, is slated for June.

Azmi and Khanna’s equation goes well beyond the movie. Keen to raise funds for the actor’s NGO Mijwan Welfare Society, the chef-director has tied up with SpiceJet airlines to whip up culinary delights as part of the on-board menu. The sale proceeds will go to the NGO.

Delighted by his gesture, Azmi says, “Vikas helped us immensely during the pandemic. He has been working on the SpiceJet initiative quietly for six months, and I only got to know about it the day before its launch.”