Tarla Dalal is a name familiar in every Indian household. One of the earliest chefs before the age of YouTube kicked in and quick recipes became a fashion, she went on to sell about 10 million copies of cookbooks. Conferred with Padma Shri, she would go on to give women wings to cook easy recipes while also encouraging them to dream. Years later, hers is a name that remains strongly etched in minds for being a successful homemaker who cooked her way to her ambition and independence.
When the Piyush Gupta directorial starring Huma Qureshi as 'Tarla' released, expectations were high and nostalgia gripped families. Curiosity to see what went behind the making of the famous Tarla Dalal piqued and the two-hour film did serve the audience with her honest and humble story.
The film shows Tarla wanting to do something in life but unable to figure out her passion. As she gets married and settles with her husband and three children, years pass by and more than a decade later she realises, she failed to do anything for herself. Gradually, the word of her fine cooking skills spread and she begins tutoring women on their cooking skills. One thing leads to another and she manages to publish her cookbook and sells about 10,000 copies, with the support of her husband who encourages her to pursue her dreams. A breakthrough in her career comes when she lands a TV show with her own name.
However, trouble in her paradise begins as the societal pressure dawns upon the shoulder of a working independent woman living in the 1970s. Dissuaded by the society for being too supportive of his wife, her husband decides to take a back seat. The more Tarla tastes success, the more distasteful things turn at home. However, good sense dawns upon her husband and he becomes the man behind his woman’s success. The rest is history.
Huma Qureshi’s strong portrayal of the character and Sharib Hashmi’s husband act is a soft treat for the audiences. The film which has an inspirational story to tell, however, could have been elevated several notches by better writing and direction. What serves is a mellowed down recipe with not many layers to unravel but a straight and oversimplified narration.
The film does get its tone right when it comes to portraying an era at least four decades ago. One cannot help but wonder if the excellent and ready-made story at the hands of the filmmakers would have been something else if polished further. There’s a lack, and the final result is that no particular scene or dialogue in the film is worth remembering. Little attention is paid to her iconic recipes that changed the course of home cooking back then and greatly influenced kitchens; rather the focus is on Tarla’s struggles to keep up with her newfound profession and household.
Overall, Tarla serves just fine but misses out on adding some salt and pepper and the final dum!
