Just returned after watching the new flick – Chef. Colour me bamboozled! What. A. Movie. It was like a friendly mug of hot chocolate on a cold witless day. It was one of those nice cozy movies that one breezes through – just what the doctor ordered for the febrile mind. It was the most enjoyable two and half hour road trip of my life. Saif Ali Khan as the Michelin star chef and theth Punjabi munda on a sabbatical, visiting his son in Cochin plays his part with élan. The movie takes you lovingly through the essence of Kerala, as only a Mallu-phile can. The beautiful old tharavadu houses sitting in the lap of lush untamed greenery, the esoteric Nettur Pettis and Thattu Vilakkus, the char-burned naked brick walls, the slightly huffy Man Friday of the house in his white mundu and a stern namam decorating his forehead were a visual treat. The souped up vintage Routemaster double decker bus and the dishy Milind Soman warmed the cockles of me heart. Just when I thought my cup was brimmething over, Wham! The Raghu Dixit Project made a friendly appearance and that did it. The characters in the movie thankfully did not overshadow the simple storyline. My favorite was the scary-ass irreverent ex-services mallu driver whose credentials were that he had driven a tank in the army The movie is the official Indian adaptation of Jon Fravreau’s movie Chef- Food Porn. People who grew up down South, go see it for the mouth-watering visuals from your childhood. If your staple is Dharma Productions, babe, stay at home. This visual treat is wasted on you. The drama is in the visuals, not in the food. Screw the other reviews. Go watch this movie if you want a mind Spa. Raja Krishna Menon, you knocked this one out of the ball park, dude!