‘Chef’ Relied On Saif’s Relationship With Taimur: Raja K Menon

Baby Taimur is teaching Saif Ali Khan a lot about fatherhood, on and off the screen.

Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan on holiday with baby Taimur. 

Photo courtesy: Instagram

Saif Ali Khan desperately needs a hit and one can say going by the looks of his upcoming Raja Krishna Menon film Chef, an adaptation of Jon Favreau’s Hollywood flick by the same name, that it just might do the trick. Chef looks like a clean, direct  address to the heart. The trailer makes no effort to hide the the fact that it is father-son reunion drama recounted against a culinary background and set mostly in the lush greenery of Kerala.

Director Raja Krishna Menon, whose last film Airlift told a real-life humane story set in violence-torn Kuwait of the 90s, reveals how Saif dug into his own psyche as a father to  play one in Chef.

We had lengthy conversations on how Saif became a father at a very young age. He was too young to understand, appreciate or enjoy fatherhood with Sara and Ibrahim. But with Taimur’s birth, Saif got another chance at understanding fatherhood.

Raja Krishna Menon, Filmmaker

Saif Ali Khan and Svar Kamble in a scene from Chef.

According to Raja, Saif has brought his understanding to the film and his portrayal quite effectively.

I think Saif’s understanding of his relationship with Sara and Ibrahim has definitely helped explore his relationship with his screen son in Chef.

Raja Krishna Menon

In Chef, Saif’s son is played by a bright newcomer named Svar Kamble.

I think it’s been a while since we’ve seen a father-son relationship in Hindi cinema. I think Masoom was the last film where the father-son bond left an impact and that was  21 years ago.

Raja Krishna Menon

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