Vikas Khanna is a charming man. A pleasant personality combined with candour, deep love for his grandmother and mother and his craft, and adulation for shorshe (mustard) make him endearing. “The last time I was here for the shooting of MasterChef, I ate litti chokha with mustard chutney somewhere in the city and it was so different. I am used to having Patna and Uttar Pradesh’s litti chokha, which is supposed to be authentic, but this was crazy. The thing is that Bengali mustard is totally different from what you get in northern Indian states. And I have asked my team to get me that same litti chokha this time as well so that I can savour the flavour once more. I guess the way Bengalis have taken up the spice no other cuisines have done it; it’s remarkable,” said the Michelin star chef as we sat for a tete-a-tete with him in between his sessions at Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet in association with The Telegraph on a hot winter morning.
He was here this time for the Calcutta exclusive launch of his 40th book, Imaginary Rain, which has already been adapted for the screen and stars actor-activist Shabana Azmi who was also present at the session. Khanna who shuttles between the US and India is not new to the world of writing or film-making with scores of cookbooks to his credit and a number of documentaries as well, with Holy Kitchens being the most popular one. However, his interest in the art of storytelling has grown more in the last decade as he believes good stories can bring a revolution. Excerpts from an interview with Khanna:
You turn 40-book-old with Imaginary Rain. Tell us when did the idea of the book take shape?
It was in 2016 that I got the idea for the book. I have a priority list and I work around that with dedication. So since too much was going on with the restaurants I wanted to slow down. It took time, because we also had a pandemic in between. I am glad the book is released in Calcutta as planned during the lit fest. I am doing the launch here only.
That makes us feel so special…
Kolkata has a special place in my heart. I have the fondest childhood memories here and in my last film with Neenaji (Neena Gupta), she also desired to come to Calcutta. (Smiles)
I find the title, Imaginary Rain, to be very poetic. Tell us more about the idea behind it.
When you will read the book or watch the film then the title will speak to you more clearly. But I want to say that I do take a lot of time to create this whole new world experience for people to enter. The last film, The Last Color, had colours and this one has water. You might feel like it is the normal rain that the main protagonist is talking about but for very intuitive people it’s a different rain. The book is inspired by my grandmother. Though Prerna Malhotra and her journey are different, the ethos is the same.
How was it working with Shabana Azmi?
It was dreamlike. She is the Shabana Azmi, daughter of Kaifi Azmi, and we have been watching her on the big screen holding the scene. When I reached out to her, I had to be very clear about what I wanted from her. The first thing we wanted from her is that she’ll have to learn how to cook because she doesn’t and the protagonist is an expert. So, she learned how to cook for the movie; she did all the cooking by herself in the film, which is kind of amazing. She doesn’t cheat, she doesn’t use glycerine; she is a method actor. Satyajit Ray made a film with her, imagine what her training might have been! So when she was wearing the apron she was Prerna and when she took it off she was Shabana Azmi. She turns into what the director says.
While in terms of writing you are quite a veteran now with 40 books to your credit, filmmaking is relatively new. Tell us about your fascination with this new medium.
I have been making documentaries since 2018 but those were for schools and colleges and not real feature films that could make rounds of festivals. For me, human interest stories are very powerful. My last documentary was about a 100-year-old woman who went to school. I think this fascination is there in me because I think movies can bring a revolutionary shift and I think people will listen to true stories.
You are like a multi-hyphenate talent. How do you juggle cooking, managing restaurants, running social campaigns, doing TV shows and now writing and filmmaking?
My mantra is very simple in life. We all have that 24 hours with us but I make sure not to waste my time on anything which I feel is not leading me to something. When you’re running businesses like this, the first thing that dies is poetry or creativity. Daily stress related to the operations of restaurants affects your sanity and creativity majorly. So that’s why I put walls between me and the management in order to continue writing, in order to continue doing these self-expressive things. And it’s working very well for me.
Since you have led such a full life, and now that you have built a rich oeuvre of books, is there any chance of writing a biography?
There’s a Russian film about me with an American filmmaker making it. But writing a biography is not on the cards at the moment. I don’t want to write a dishonest biography. If it’s a biography then it has to be hardcore. To do that I will have to defame a lot of people.
Do you read the books of other authors?
I read different kinds of literature. I like to read literature which motivates me, it doesn’t give me ideas of fiction or non-fiction, but it motivates me. I need to stay very motivated to keep going. I had planned this book launch in Calcutta two years ago. Planning is important for reaching your goal and goals keep you running.
And do you watch anything on TV or OTT?
I don’t have a TV so that way I don’t watch the general content or I should say I sometimes miss out on things. Many times people ask me if I know a certain actor and chances are that I don’t know. I am more into real cinema and documentaries. My favourite movie from India is Masaan. I have watched it two-three times and Devdas is one of my all-time favourites because I am a fan of Shah Rukh Khan.
What’s next after Imaginary Rain?
My next book will be very different and it’s challenging in many ways. It also talks about my patriotism, which is very different from the common notion of the word and emotion.
