Gulabjaam

Gulabjaam Story: A successful banker quits his job and comes to Pune to learn cooking. After eating a sweet prepared by Radha, he is hell bent on learning how to cook from her.

Gulabjaam Review: Filmmaking and cooking are somewhat similar. In order to make a good film, you need a focused director, good actors and technicians that give an end product which strikes a chord with viewers. Similarly, to prepare a good dish, you need a chef who has sound knowledge of what he/ she is doing and who knows what ingredients are needed to make the preparation finger-licking good!

With Gulabjaam, Sachin Kundalkar achieves both the things- a film about food which makes you want to drop everything and take up cooking classes. Gulabjaam is a ‘follow your dreams and see what they lead you to’ sort of a film with Aditya (Chandekar), an ex-banker, and Radha (Kulkarni), a gifted cook, acting as the ingredients. Aditya wants to learn to cook traditional Maharashtrian dishes from Radha who, though initially reluctant, agrees to teach him. While the story cooks on one burner, there is a genuine bond simmering between the two on the other. It’s a bond that adds a different flavour to the film and keeps it from becoming just about food.

Coming to the ingredients aka actors of the film, Sonali and Siddharth efficiently present their roles and develop a chemistry that encapsulates the essence of the film. Simply put, Aditya is the slice of lemon on a plate of poha; it might not make much of a difference if absent, but once squeezed, it adds to the overall taste. As for Sonali, she is the salt in the film; that bit without which the recipe would be bland and incomplete.

Gulabjaam has its share of cons, the major one being its pace in the second half. The slow motion shots hamper the progress of the film and give the viewers a chance to predict what comes next.

That apart, Gulabjaam is a tasty meal that leaves a sweet aftertaste. Lest you want the hunger pangs to kick in, watch this one on a full stomach.