Celebrity chef Vikas Khanna's directorial debut to premiere in US

Vikas Khanna

After whipping up satvik meals in the White House for the Obamas, celebrity chef Vikas Khanna is now savouring the film festival circuit. His directorial debut, The Last Color, will have its world premiere at the Palm Springs International Film Festival 2019, which runs from January 3-14, in California.

The film stars Neena Gupta, Aqsa Siddiqui and transgender activist Rudrani Chettri. It is an adaption of Khanna's book by the same name and also marks his screenwriting debut. Its teaser was unveiled at Cannes. The Last Color will have its world premiere at the prestigious 30th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival 2019.

The film is under the competition category - New Voices New Vision. The movie, which marks Vikas' debut as a director and screenwriter, is based on his bestselling book by the same name. The Last Color is the story of Chhoti (Aqsa Siddiqui) - a nine-year-old flower seller and tightrope walker who befriends Noor (Neena Gupta), a 70-year-old widow living a life of complete abstinence.

Chhoti promises to bring a ray of hope in the life of Noor. Besides Neena and Aqsa, the film also stars transgender activist Rudrani Chettri. The teaser of the film was unveiled at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year and marked Vikas' fourth appearance at the fest. The film has been shot by Subhranshu Das, and produced by Bindu Khanna, Poonam Kaul and Jitendra Mishra under the banner of House Of Omkar.

The Last Color is inspired by the real-life experiences observed by Vikas while researching around food and culture for his books and TV shows. He was shooting for Holi for his book 'Utsav: A Culinary Epic of Indian Festivals' in Vrindavan when he witnessed a desolate sight - everyone was playing with colours during the festival except for the widows who were dressed in white and watching the celebrations from their balconies and terraces.

However, in 2013, the Supreme Court of India allowed the widows in Vrindavan to get rehabilitated and live a life of dignity which included being able to participate in festivals such as Holi. This coupled with Vikas' experience of meeting a nine-year-old flower seller girl, and inspired him to tell this compelling story.

"This is a story that had to be told and I am glad that I am finally getting an opportunity to do so. This story not only moved me deeply, but also motivated me to pen it into a book and subsequently make it into a film," Vikas said in a statement.

"From writing the book to making the film, the journey of 'The Last Color' has been a long and eventful one. We feel honoured that the film is having its world premiere at the 30th Annual Palm Springs International Festival 2019. I am eagerly looking forward to the audience's response and hope that they will experience a similar sentiment that I did while writing and making the film." Jitendra Mishra, the producer of "The Last Color", said: "The world premiere at the 30th Annual Palm Springs International Festival 2019 is a milestone in the film's journey. It has also reassured us of the faith and confidence we had placed in the project."

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Edited by mid-day online desk with inputs from IANS