Will Chef Turn The Tide For Saif?

Saif Ali Khan  is going through an extended rough patch in his career,what with all his recent  and  not-so-recent films sinking without a trace. Saif’s last successful films were Cocktail and Race 2in 2013.

Thereafter thundering flops  like Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Bullett Raja,Sajid Khan’s Humshakals and Kabir Khan’s Phantom set his career back considerably. His last non-starter was the hellish Rangoon.

Chef which is directed by Raja Krishna Menon whose earlier work is the much-lauded Airlift ,feels Saif’s  recent track-record has no bearing on Chef. “The only thing that matters is the present. The films in Saif’s past or the ones he will do have no bearing on Chef.”

Curiously enough the director picked Saif for Chef although his Airliftactor Akshay Kumar doesn’t only have a hefty boxoffice clout, he was apparently keen to  play the chef in Chef as he  loves to cook in real and has in fact worked as a professional chef in Hong Kong in his early years.

Raja Krishna Menon insists Saif is  the right choice. “Saif possesses an approachability and a fallibility which I thought were important for the character in Chef.”

Menon who is a Malayali just like Saif’s leading lady Priya Menon  in Chef  ,feels it’s the story and not the actors that audiences want to see. “Audiences today are picking films for their stories and how they have been portrayed, much less who is in it. We believe we have made a film that is honest and speaks from the heart, a story that will resonate with the audience and I believe that is enough for a film to work.”

The director feels  Saif will make  a telling impact on  the audience. “Saif is absolutely brilliant in the film. I believe people will enjoy watching him in this avatar of a Punjabi chef.”