“Tarla is the kind of film you should watch over lunch or dinner or chai,” Huma Qureshi

Prepare to be served with a dash of emotions, a sprinkle of inspiration and a garnish of flavourful entertainment in #Tarla on #zee5global on July 7, 2023. Watch an exclusive interview with the very talented Huma Qureshi, who plays the iconic Tarla Dalal in the film.

As the trailer of the film Tarla dropped, it brought nostalgic memories of the time when cooking meant jotting down the recipes on a torn/rough copy followed by the trial, errors, and the eureka moments when the recipe turned out just as we wanted!

The film is based on the life of the iconic home chef, Tarla Dalal, who is known for her unique cooking style and mouthwatering recipes. As the film is releasing on July 7 on Zee5 Global, we spoke to Huma Qureshi, who is playing the lead role in the biopic film, exclusively on Indus Age.

By Nidhi Kumari

The trailer of the film looks promising, tell us what made you say “yes,” to Tarla?

I remember when I got the call first and I was offered this role, I was like but I’m nothing like that and I had never done a biopic before in that sense. I was a bit nervous on playing a character who is so loved.  I remember watching her reruns of her shows that used to come and we used to have her little cookbooks at home. So, it’s been a very challenging journey playing her because, like I said, I don’t look anything like her and I’m not even from a similar background, but especially, it doesn’t come naturally only because I’ve not grown up in Maharashtra.

But I think our director (although it’s his first film), he’s done a wonderful job; he’s been super confident about this story, about this subject, from the word go and in a way like we were discussing during the making of this film and it’s like a homage to our mothers like a mark of respect, to say “thank you” because what you did, although you didn’t wear superhero capes, but what you have done is nothing short of being a superhero.

Tell us more about the story of the film.

It’s a story about India’s first OG Master Chef, a woman, who could be just any lady living next to you and how we sort of restrict her life to a kitchen or to the household and how she really cooks her way out of it.

For a girl, for a woman, for a lady, even in today’s time to sort of shatter the glass ceiling when you are constantly told that this is where you belong. The story has been told beautifully. It is not like a morcha baazi I. It is a story on relationship and how we have to take everyone along with us.

I hope people enjoy it and they resonate with the film, and humari mehnat rang laegi.

A lot of Chefs have a signature word or style, did Tarla ji have any?

Tarla Ji had a very interesting and unique style of talking. Since she had a Gujarati connection but also Nepean Sea road, so she had a particular way of talking. When we heard Tarla Ji’s old interviews, we realised, her way of talking and the words she uses is more like Marathi. So, we created a glossary of Tarla Ji’s words to learn how she used to pronounce it. So, the one thing we realised was her thing was “Namak Swaad Anusar.”

Food has different relation with different people. What and how is it with you when it comes to food or cooking?

When I look at my dad’s Journey also, it will be 50 Years of our brand Saleem’s soon; I feel like somewhere I am close to hospitality and food because of my family. Even Chef Vikas Khanna whom I met recently said that places like the one that your dad is running is such an important part of India’s cultural and food history. So, I feel like in a way with Tarla ji also, if we don’t talk about these stories, if we don’t talk about their struggles, we don’t talk about how difficult it was to get your first cookbook and your first show and being the only woman to do that and the first woman to do that and to have a male Chef, helping you in the kitchen, these were all such radical thoughts, right? So I feel, because maybe my family is so heavily associated with hospitality, and see my father go through his own journey, what it takes to establish a brand like that. I felt that this story should be told.

When I met Tarla Ji’s kids and they’d come on set one day and they all are, of course, grown up and much older than me and they look at me, saying you’re playing our mother’s part. I felt so much responsibility because  it’s somebody’s parent, of course, she’s a legend and an icon but for me, I was like it’s somebody’s grandmother that I am also representing and it’s the way I choose to represent it will be remembered. It’s part of her Legacy.

I really hope that her family enjoys it and they feel we’ve done Justice to their mother’s legacy.

What should be message for your fans?

Tarla is a very sweet film. It is the kind of film that you should watch over lunch or dinner or chai; watch with your family; it’s a full on family Entertainer with lots of heartwarming moment.

Tarla Movie Trailer review: ****

A sweet tale based on the life of an iconic home chef, Tarla Dalal starring Huma Qureshi is a refreshing story garnished with good performances and a dash of novelty.

  #bollywoodinsiders, Huma Qureshi, newfilm, OTT, tarlamoview, ZEE5 Global