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:

Dean Winters, Jess Weixler, Aarti Mann

Cast

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

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 | cooking | cook | food | 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:

74-14 37th Avenue, Flushing, 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

When Samir and Carrie go out for their first date, they visit the Arepa Lady, made famous by Jim Leff and the contributors to Chowhound.com .

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Quotes

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

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Connections

References Teesri Manzil (1966)

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Soundtracks

Ina Mina Dika
Arranged by Siddhartha Khosla
Performed by Goldspot

User Reviews

Relevant, witty, and uplifting.

This is a heartfelt, amusing film starring Aasif Mandvi, mostly known for his work as a Daily Show correspondent. It's not quite as funny as I expected from a comedian of his caliber; not because he tried and failed, but because it's more of a quirky story of a personal journey. But there were definitely a good number of lines that were so funny I had to repeat them out loud to myself. It's a bit slow in the beginning (could have used some tighter editing), but give it some time to build. Naseeruddin Shah is magic, as always. If you know his work, nothing more needs to be said. If not, watch this and enjoy. (And I gotta say, I think he looks damn good for his age!) It is not a coincidence that the song Akbar (Shah) is listening to when Samir (Mandvi) first meets him is from a classic Hindi film in which the character says that although all his clothes come from other countries, his heart is still Indian. Samir has tried to cut himself off from Indian traditions, even while his parents are attempting to shove them down his throat; the more they push, the more he pulls away, and vise versa. Throughout the film, with help from unexpected places, he learns to reconcile his western life with his heritage, and appreciate where he came from.