Delhi, a city with culture,food: McKellar

Canadian star Don McKellar, who plays a Canadian diplomat in Delhi in Dilip Mehta’s Cooking With Stella talks about how it was shooting for the film and his Delhi experiences
How did you get the role of the Canadian diplomat in Cooking With Stella?
I think this is more of a question for Dilip and Deepa really. It’s certainly not as a result of a personal reputation for diplomacy.On the other hand, I did immediately identify with the role when I read it – the humour, the curiosity...
How was working with Seema Biswas and Lisa Ray? Was there a cultural cleft between you and Seema initially?
I knew of Seema’s work and I’d admired it since The Bandit Queen. She was certainly one of the reasons I was eager to jump on board. I was worried, however, that their might be a clash of styles or working methods. Fortunately, that didn’t prove to be the case. She was immediately responsive and completely immersed herself in the role. It was a joy to work with her and everything seemed quite effortless when she was around. On our down time, she was also a lovely guide who took me around Delhi. Since we’d been put up in the same hotel, she accompanied me on many enjoyable walks through various neighbourhoods.
Did you have any inkling of Lisa’s illness? Did she share her condition with you?
No, I didn’t know she was sick. I don’t believe she knew either, at the time, although deep down she knew something was wrong. I love eating (especially Indian food) so I was always dismayed that she ate so little. The restaurants in Delhi are so excellent! I used to razz her about her fear of food, an unfortunate remnant of her history as a model. Now, of course, it’s clear there was a deeper health issue behind her eating problem and I’m embarrassed about how I teased her. I was surprised at how easy it was to play Lisa’s husband. Her relaxed and gracious spirit made it easy to imagine us in a relationship. And this imaginary image of domesticity made the news of her diagnosis even more devastating. We were all crushed. But her courage has made it impossible for any of us to mope.
You shot for months in Delhi. How much time did you get to see and explore the sights and sounds of the city? Did Delhi embrace you? And did you reciprocate?
I loved Delhi and I explored it as much as I could on my days off. As I mentioned above, I love exploring new places on foot and Delhi is a great city of neighbourhoods, a city with culture, history, and food. And certainly, the city reciprocated. Wherever I went, people were friendly and helpful. Because I had a full beard for the film, every time I went out, people would look at me and say, ‘Sir, you look like you are from India. My clever response was always, ‘Sir, so do you!’
The film is about culinary experiences aromas and sensations. How familiar were you with Indian food and cooking methods by the end of the film?
As I had said earlier, I’ve always loved Indian food. I live in Toronto and, as you probably know, it’s not hard to find good Indian food there. But because I play a chef who is trying to learn Indian cuisine in the film, I had a special excuse to eat at the best spots in Delhi. And, I must say, the city never let me down in that regard.
Would you like to return to India for another film?
I’d love to. Please put the word out.
Post Slumdog Millionaire, there’s a lot of global interest in Indian cinema. Has that curiosity affected you too?
I was interested in India before Slumdog Millionaire. But, you’re right, for a number of reasons I believe the world is especially interested in India these days. Hopefully that curiosity will help draw international audiences to Stella.
You are Canadian actor making films in places as far-flung as Delhi and LA. Is that inconvenient?
As far as I’m concerned, travelling is one of the great perquisites that accompanies a life in movies. In the case of Cooking With Stella, the only misfortune was that my girlfriend, who is also an actor, was unable to come over and join me. She was working at the time.
Are you returning to India for the film’s release?
I’d love to, if it is at all possible.
Your girlfriend...
Yes, she’s the same one I had when I was in shooting in India. She waited for me.
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