Food, France, love and a bit of healthy competition. “The Hundred Foot Journey” is a charming and hilarious film that tells the story of a young Hassan Kadam and his family. Based the novel by Richard C Morais, this movie is diverse on and off screen. The cast is led by Oscar winning British actress Dame Helen Mirren and internationally known Indian actor Om Puri. If that is not enough, producers include Juliet Blake, Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey. This production is sure to please foodies and lovers alike.

Hassan Kadam is living with his family in India where they own a restaurant. Tragedy strikes the family and they begin a nomadic stint ending in Lumiere, France. Once there, Papa (Puri) decides he wants to reopen in a location he found while driving into town.

The only problem is, across the street from this property is one of the most prestigious restaurants in France. Hassan, who has a natural gift, (Manish Dayal) had been well taught by their mother how to cook and serves as the chef. The restaurant owner Madame Mallory (Mirren) and Papa begin competing with one another for customers, ingredients, and more.

This happens simultaneously with Hassan falling in love with Madame’s clever assistant, Maguerite (Charlotte Le Bon) from the opposing eatery. Viewers see the love and conflict unfold as the movie progresses.

This cast is very diverse with actors of Indian, French and British descent. Mirren plays a delectably flawed commander in chief of the esteemed French restaurant. Due to Mirren’s natural finesse, Madame Mallory is perfectly depicted. Mirren is fluent in French and admits to have “…always secretly wanted to be a French actress.”

Puri plays a conniving, yet caring owner of Maison Mumbai and father of five children. He adds a playful air to the film, while loosening up Madame’s uptight personality.

His son Hassan (Dayal) is a charismatic and gifted young man. Dayal exudes the charm and sentimentality of the role wonderfully and has a way with the women of the film.

Charlotte Le Bon plays Dayal’s love interest and is the essence of joy and radiance. She is bright and clever, which steers away from the stereotypical female love interest. This cast is full of talent, adding just the right spice to attract taste of all movie goers.
The cultural flavor of this movie is just right. Two very different cuisines are mixed together in the this film, forming an outlook on food and cultural differences. The setting of this movie does not just serve as a landscape, but highlights the ethnic zest of the movie. All in all, there is no excuse not to see this film. It’s a rare delicacy worth savoring.