Hundred-foot Journey
Billie Kjergaard
Hassan is briefly seduced by fame and fortune, but he eventually realizes that family is more important. A snobby woman learns that she should be more open to accepting people who have different customs.
An angry mob storms a restaurant and burns it to the ground, leading to a sad death. Later, two men deface and try to burn down another building in the dead of night; a main character is injured as a result of the fire.
Parents need to know that Lasse Hallstrom's The Hundred-Food Journey follows the journey of Hassan (Manish Dayal), a young and extremely talented chef, and his/his family's culture clash with rival restaurateur Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren). The many mouth-watering food scenes are often accompanied by wine, and there are some scenes in which one character starts to drink a bit more heavily (to suggest depression). Two brief moments feature some violence (including one in which men throw fire bombs) -- one of which causes a sad death. There are also a few romantic kisses and suggestions of intimacy and language along the lines of "bloody." To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
After unrest drives them away from their native India to London, Hassan (Manish Dayal) and his family take to the road and find themselves stranded when their brakes fail in a small French town. Hassan's father decides it's just the spot to open an Indian restaurant. Directly across the street, Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren) runs another restaurant, one with a long, proud tradition of fine French dining -- and possessed of a famed Michelin star. She's not happy with her new neighbors and declares war on their rival eatery. Meanwhile, Hassan starts to fall for Marguerite, the sous chef in Mallory's kitchen, who teaches him the basics of French cuisine.
Like beef bourguignon, one of the many dishes filmed so delectably in this production, THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY is a crowd-pleasing classic. The family story, told with empathy and love here, is its base; the food scenes that are odes to the art of cooking, framed through a cross-cultural prism, are its mea; and the gorgeous French countryside and melodic Indian music are its garnish. It's a delight to watch, especially because of the cast.
But, also just like beef bourguignon, it's not particularly inventive, even if the story centers around a young man's ingenuity in the kitchen. You know what you're getting. A true master chef -- as director Lasse Hallstrom has revealed himself to be in many previous turns at the helm -- would take a classic and turn it into something transcendent, adding elements that transform, rather than just substituting one ingredient (the location, perhaps) for another and hoping it feels different. Still, the film is big-hearted and filling enough -- so filling that it runs too long, actually -- to be a pleasant enough cinematic meal.
I want to introduce you all to a movie i saw recently, that brought me to tears and taught me life lesson. Here i will just summarize the story to create an interest in your heart. An entertaining and amazing story.
THE hundred foot journey is one of those movies which satisfy every aspect and every individual, filled with comedy, love, romance, intrigue, suspense and most importantly life lessons. Here is a story from it.
It begins with a market scene. AKHIYA and her son (HASSAN) in a market in MUMBAI, INDIA. Akhiya and Hassan are in the market place to buy food items but hustling to get one particular food item, sea urchin. By the look, rush and desperation of different buyers stretching out money to the trader to buy the whole lot of sea urchins. but the trader stares at all of them without saying a word. Young hassan finds his way through the crowd, and goes straight for the item and tastes of it. Alas the trader said "for the one who truly knows", impressed by Young hassan's go-for-it attitude. He sold the lot to Hassan, indirectly Akhiya, hassans mother.
Hassans life seemed to be going on well, as he was a cook in his family restaurant, the Kadam family restaurant where hassan saw as a school and his tutor Akhiya his mother. The restaurant and cooking was all he knew. Hassan was particularly trained by his mother in the art of tasting. Akhiya, master-cook taught important lessons to hassan one of the many lessons was "Life has its own flavour, spirits that live in all ingredients but to cook you must kill, you cook to make ghosts" meaning what we acually call taste or sweetness or flavour of an ingredient is actually life in ghost form.
Hassan, his family and the restaurant seems to be going well until one night there was political fracas due to an election in the province and the losing party birthed chaos leading to the destruction of the restaurant, death of his mum and the loss of everything precious they had own. This chaos lasted for a while and the Kadam family had to seek asylum in london. They stayed for a while but couldnt continue as they didnt find comfort as well fulfilment. they are a family that
loves to cook and loves being close to nature not processed foods. At the embassy, when interviewed by the consulate; Hassan said "the vegetables in england has no life"
Days after, Mr Kadam (hassans father) sees a building on lease and shows interst in acquiring the building so he can set up his famous family indian restaurant in france.He tells his children, who really weren't excited about it considering they hadnt planned to stay in that part of france and there was another problem. About a hundred feet from the proposed building was a world class restaurant with a michellin star. Hassan and his siblings protested against their father's decision but he wasnt moved. His mind was made up and there was nothing anybody could do about it.
Madam mallory, the michellin starred restaurant owner got word about the kadams family plan and wasn't really happy about it but she was confident they werent match enough to be a competitor in the restaurant business. She is confident Kadams family restaurant will last for eight (8) months at maximum. However, she planned to cripple their efforts even before the opening night. Madam Mallory visits the Kadam's as they prepare for their opening night, takes their food menu went to the village market market and bought all ingredients crucially needed for the Kadams menu for the opening evening. getting to the market, Kadam was left in despair, heartbroken he declared war on madam mallory and her restaurant. Determined he drove 50miles in distance to get these items from another market. His determination to see that the restaurant opens that evening paid off. He got the items and the whole family dive in to preparation of the food with Hassan as the Chief cook. Amazingly due to family team work they were able to beat time and prepared the restaurant in anticipation to receive customers. The evening was a success with customers coming in to taste
the delicious indian meals.
Kadam a stubborn and relentless man when it comes to decision making had sworn war on madam mallory and her restaurant and sought revenge. He went to the market and bought all the pigeons in the market. He found out that pigeons were the key ingredients in preparing food for the minister of france who will be visiting the michellin
restaurant. This caused a great upset in madam mallory's restaurant and amongst her chefs. Griefed by this incident, one of her finest chef JEAN-PIERRE decides to go set ablaze the KADAMS family restaurant.
Hassan was caught in the fire and his hands were badly injured. He was rushed off for treatment. Madam mallory on hearing this summoned all her chef and questioned them on the accident, on hearing about Jean Pierre wrong act she relieved him of his duties and asked him to leave the restaurant in shame, and sternly warned against such attacks in the future. To make up for the atttack madam mallory goes to the kadams restaurant to clean off the dirt in the premises. Hassan comes out to see her and offers to make her an omellete.
She tasted the omellete and was amazed at how hassan without any training was able to pull it off. knowing the right ingredients and style. She offered hassan 6months training which he took but was subject to mr Kadam whom she was at war with. Kadam abruptly refuses the offer and goes to confront madam mallory, they battle with words and go there seperate ways.
But madam mallory was determined in ensuring Hassans cooking skills doesnt go to waste. She visited the kadam family restaurant there after and demanded for either hassan or death. After long persuasion and much convincing Kadam agreed. Hassan goes to work and learn under madam mallory, he grows to be a world class chef, and was invited to one of the best restaurants in paris. He becomes an icon to be reckoned with in cooking, attending interviews and bagging cash.
I had the pleasure of watching The Hundred-Foot Journey with my parents on Friday. The film produced by Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey and Juliet Blake, stars Helen Mirren, Om Puri and Manish Dayal and is directed by Lasse Hallstrom.
Set in France, The Hundred-Foot Journey tells the story of the Kadam family who move to a small town in France from India after a particularly traumatic event, to start a new life and open their restaurant Maison Mumbai. In the process, they are confronted by Madame Mallory (played by Helen Mirren), owner of a Michelin-star rated French restaurant Le Saule Pleureur across the street, who is intent on shutting down their restaurant, complaining at the outset that "curry is curry." Over the course of the movie, the audience is taken on a breathtaking journey of what it means to follow your dreams, unexpected love, mutual understanding, and the universal power of food to connect us all to what really matters. (Check out the official trailer for the film here.)
While I found the entire movie to be an inspiring feast for the senses, I was struck by one message in particular, shared by young chefs Hassan and Marguerite in the pivotal five sauces picnic scene: "Food is memories." After that scene and watching the film, I can honestly say that I will never look at food the same way again.
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