Deepanjana Pal
Inspired by the life of cookbook author, television show host and amateur chef Tarla Dalal, Tarla tells the story of a woman who finds her calling when she’s asked to teach young women how to cook. Tarla (played by Huma Qureshi and a set of patently false teeth) tells her students that if they can make delicious, vegetarian food, they can win over their families (particularly in-laws) and defeat patriarchy.
Film that is ostensibly about a chef who is famous for having experimented with and simplified recipes from all over the world, would be filled with shots of food and cooking. However, Tarla’s screenplay stands out for being disinterested about cooking in general.
The film would have us believe that replacing chicken with potatoes in murgh mussalam is a brainwave when even the most amateur of cooks knows that there’s more to making vegetables tasty than dunking them in a one-flavour-fits-all gravy.
Little effort is made to establish the time in which the story is set. Names are changed as are some dates. Incidents are tweaked, possibly for the benefit of what the makers believed would make for a more dramatic plot.
The moment she becomes successful, we’re shown how Tarla neglects her marriage and children — all because she’s intent upon excelling in her professional life. Neither she nor anyone else in her family notice one of her children has stopped eating. She expects her husband to cancel a much-needed job interview so that she can film an episode of her cooking show.