If you liked 'The Bear' series, these food-led movies from India will inspire you even more

Indian cinema’s relationship with food (often a key element in it) has offered viewers a lot of spice, sweetness and flavour over the years. Bringing two of man’s best creations, recipes and films, is indeed a treat to the senses that makes us want more of both. If all you ever think about is food and films and how to enjoy them, here’s a list of movies which revolve around the two. Enjoy this tasty treat. 

Stanley Ka Dabba (2011)

We all miss the good old days while at school where we would wait for lunch break to either dig into our dabba or the one that belonged to our best friend. This 2011 film by Amole Gupte brought back all those memories in what was a heart-warming film—one with an ending that left us absolutely numb. Watching young Stanley cook up one story after another for not bringing his tiffin will make you wonder as to what could be the reason. Making things worse is a new teacher—Verma, who raids the dabbas of the tiny tots and insults Stanley asking him to not turn up if he can’t bring his dabba to school. It’s only when Stanley brings food does Verma aka Khadoos offer him an apology. The climax of the film is one that leaves a lump in your throat (we won’t spoil it for you), and will certainly make you value every bite that you take. An absolute must-watch!

The Great Indian Kitchen (2021)

If there was ever a film that made one stand up and take notice of patriarchy, this was it. On watching the film, one tends to realize the deeply-rooted problem that exists in households where women are treated as mere cooks and cleaners whose sole job is to prepare food. Nimisha Sajayan is at the top of her game playing a newly-wedded wife who simply cannot deal with the daily grind (no pun intended) in the kitchen. The amazing camerawork across countless scenes in the film showcases the contrast between the delectable food, and the horrible plight of the ladies making it. Some of the most hard-hitting scenes in the movie involve Nimisha getting her period and the treatment by her in-laws that follows. With Nimisha finally reaching the point where she liberates herself from her misery, The Great Indian Kitchen is an eye-opening film that you cannot afford to miss. 

The Lunchbox (2013)

The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. And here was a film that was made with all heart. How could it not, for its two protagonists, came together because of food. One simply loved the innocent, yet honest conversations between Ila, a young housewife looking to win over her husband via her food and Saajan Fernandes, a widower who works as an accountant. It’s a sweet story of how two strangers connect and share their lives, through heartfelt letters, all over a wrongly delivered lunchbox by the Mumbai Dabbawalas. Filled with the flavours of warmth, emotion and sincerity, here was a film that showed how the mutual love for good food could bring two people together in the most extraordinary way. 

Cheeni Kum (2007)

Just like its name, here was a film without much saccharine sweetness or conversations that were sugar-coated. That’s what we loved about this Tabu and Amitabh Bachchan starrer. With there being so many movies made under the sun that focus on youngsters falling in love, it was a breath of fresh air to see romance blossom between a man well into his 60s and a woman in her late 30s. What one also loved was the complete lack of drama in the film, as their love was as real and mature as it can get. A movie that’s all about the flavours of life, it made us crave Hyderabadi Zafrani Pulao, plus, we enjoyed their culinary journey right from the first scene, to the last. 

Sharmaji Namkeen (2022)

Rishi Kapoor’s swansong made each one of us realize that work won’t feel like work when we do what we love. And when all that a person loves is food, there’s no prize for guessing that what follows is a sure-shot recipe for success. Brij Gopal Sharma (played by Rishi Kapoor and Paresh Rawal, in what was a first for Bollywood as two actors essayed one character) showed viewers that the second innings post retirement can be as memorable as the first, in this case even more. This slice-of-life drama that also saw Juhi Chawla, Satish Kaushik, Sheebha Chaddha, amongst others in top form. Exactly what you need to dig into if you’re looking for a film that’ll leave you with nothing but smiles and memories of an evergreen actor, who’ll live in our hearts forever. 

Feature image: Still from The Lunchbox