The globally popular Masterchef has now inspired a film which is set to roll mid-next year.
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 12, 2015)

UK, US, Australia and India... This cooking competition has the couch potatoes hooked and now has inspired Monali Sen Choudhury to script a two-hour feature film inspired by it. Interestingly, the film even borrows its title from the globally successful TV show, Masterchef. However, on the big screen, the master chef is a woman and the film traces her journey strewn with several hurdles before she is acknowledged as the best culinary expert in the world.

"It's a human interest story. The protagonist has a keen interest in and a talent for cooking. It becomes a cathartic experience for her, taking her to the top of her profession," informs producer Ram Mirchandani.

Buzz is, Deepika Padukone and Katrina Kaif are in contention for the title role. Ram won't comment on this casting but admits that two British actors who are big names in the West have been approached for an interesting, extended cameo. "We are in talks with Academy Award winner Colin Firth and Oscar-nominated actor for The Imitation Game, Benedict Cumberbatch, for this role which has a hint of romance. Both the actors know about Masterchef and have shown interest. So the leading lady who is our film's hero could share screen space with a Hollywood star," he says, adding that one of the show's judges, either Heston Blumenthal or Gordon Ramsay, could also make an appearance along with that season's participants in a small portion before the climax.

The film is expected to roll around May-June and will be shot in 55 days in Mumbai and a picturesque hill station which could be either Coonoor or Darjeeling.

DNA (January 29, 2015)


The London-based Bend It Like Beckham director arrives in Mumbai next week for casting. The film will chronicle the last six months of Lord Mountbatten’s tenure in India, which marked the end of the British Raj.

Shares the director, “There are these so-called facts that we grew up reading about Mountbatten’s closing months in India. And there are these secret documents which I’ve unearthed. These point to another truth which I’ll reveal in my film.”

She has bought the rights to two very important books on the subject as well. “My husband Paul Mayeda Berges (who has co-scripted The Viceroy’s House) and I have bought the rights of two books Narinder Singh’s Sarla’s The Shadow Of The Great Game and Larry Collins & Dominique Lapierre’s Freedom At Midnight. These, plus the documents we’ve unearthed, will serve as the basis of the plot,” says Gurinder.

Buzz is, Chadha was keen on casting Colin Firth as Mountbatten, Naseeruddin Shah as Jinnah and Saif Ali Khan as Jawaharlal Nehru, but she counters, “I want actors who fit perfectly into every part. I see a lot of very natural actors in India now. And I’m eager to work with them.”

Gurinder will also go location- hunting during her trip to India. “I’ll be shooting in and around Jodhpur and Rajasthan.”