Today's Special (2009)

In this super-feel-good foodie comedy, young Manhattan chef Samir rediscovers his heritage and his passion for life through the enchanting art of cooking Indian food.

Director:

David Kaplan

Writers:

Aasif Mandvi (screenplay), Jonathan Bines (screenplay),

Stars:

Aasif Mandvi, Aarti Mann, Kevin Corrigan

Cast

Credited cast:
Aasif Mandvi	...	Samir
Aarti Mann	...	Henna (as Aarti Majmudar)
Kevin Corrigan	...	Stanton
Dean Winters	...	Steve
Jess Weixler	...	Carrie
Ajay Naidu	...	Munnamia
Naseeruddin Shah	...	Akbar
Amir Arison	...	Dr. Semaan
Kevin Breznahan	...	Freddie
Kumar Pallana	...	Regular #2
Madhur Jaffrey	...	Farrida
Ranjit Chowdhry	...	Regular #1
Chloe Cmarada	...	Woman #2
Harish Patel	...	Hakim
Sylvia Kauders	...	Restaurant Patron

Storyline

Samir is a sous chef in Manhattan. He quits when he's not promoted - his boss says his cooking lacks soul. He decides to find an unpaid internship in Paris, but his father suffers a heart attack keeping him home for a few weeks. Samir must run the family's failing Indian restaurant in Queens. He can't cook Indian food, so things get dire when the chef quits: Samir tracks down Akbar, a cabbie who claims to have cooked for British royalty in Bombay. Akbar cooks with mind, heart, and gut - and offers philosophy as well. With the help of Carrie, whom he met at the Manhattan restaurant, Samir begins to enjoy the work. But will his father approve, and if not, what then?

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Plot Keywords:

chef | cook | restaurant | cooking | indian food | 

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Taglines:

Life Has No Recipe

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Genres:

Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 November 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

7 to the Palace

Filming Locations:

Jackson Heights, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$90,639 (USA) (19 November 2010)

Gross:

$317,831 (USA) (10 December 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Inimitable Pictures, Sweet180

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Madhur Jaffrey, who plays Samir's mother, is a celebrated expert in Indian cuisine, and the author of many cookbooks.

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Quotes

Akbar: Eating with utensils is like making love with an interpreter.

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Connections

Spin-off Today's Special: New York Indian (2012)

User Reviews

Evoked a gastronomic delight in Indian cuisine...inspiring with a peculiar sense of humor

Rating and review:***** A great movie for the weekend. Funny and also will definitely stir your appetite or may even motivate the Chef hiding within you to get into the kitchen if you are a foodie !! I enjoyed and chuckled with the idiosyncratic behavior of the characters in the movie. It well depicted, with humor the generation gap of ethnic Indians raised in the West. No one else could have fit into the role Naseeruddin Shah played. cheers ! I wish more movies of this genre are made. I love the concept of blending into the Western culture while preserving the roots of ones own as show in this movie. That makes people more interesting. Enough of monotonous meat and potatoes I say !!