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EXCLUSIVE: Vikas Khanna opens up on his inspiration for The Last Color, Neena Gupta & a film with Shabana Azmi
A part-time award winning chef and part-time filmmaker, in an exclusive chat with Pinkvilla, Vikas Khanna opened up about his journey from culinary to the cameras.
It was in March 2020 when world renowned chef Vikas Khanna's debut film The Last Color starring Neena Gupta was set to release in theatres across India. The film which had premiered at the 30th Palm Springs International Film Festival, USA, in January 2019 was finally getting ready for its India release. But, the Covid 19 outbreak played spoilsport. Now, The Last Color is finally making its way to theatres and ahead of the film's release, we caught up with Vikas Khanna. A part-time award winning chef and part-time filmmaker, in an exclusive chat with Pinkvilla, Vikas Khanna told us about his journey from culinary to the cameras.
Set in Varanasi, The Last Color revolves around the world of widows amid the chaos and piousness of the holy city. With Neena Gupta playing the role of a widow, the film showcases how a young tightrope walker girl makes it her mission to add colour to her life. When asked what inspired him to write a book and make a film on this subject, Vikas Khanna recalled a childhood story of his aunt and how she wasn't meant to have any colour on her during the festival of Holi. "I was a child and I wondered why I couldn't apply any colour. I used to secretly then apply a small dot of colour on her palm and she used to then clench into a fist. She was my inspiration," Khanna revealed.
However, as a debut director, making The Last Color came with its own set of challenges. He revealed that he was a taskmaster for keeping up his hectic crew schedules but the effort was totally worth it. "We were almost a crew of 40 to 50 people shooting in Varanasi. And since the film is filmed around a lot of sunrises and sunsets, I had a crazy schedule. Waking up at 4 or 5 am shooting till 9 am, then taking a break and again resuming shoot in the evening. It was hectic and I didn't know so many things." Speaking of a particular scene from the film, Vikas revealed that they had lit up almost 1,000 lamps and it became quite impossible to shoot because invariably some used to go off.
Khanna also opened up on working with Neena Gupta and her brilliant performance in the film. Speaking about her chemistry with the young child artist Aqsa Siddiqui, Khanna hailed Neena for making it look effortless. "When they first met, Neena ji told me she simply wants to become friends with her first. She put in all the hard efforts to build that chemistry during workshops. I did not do anything. She put in so much efforts that it looks so effortless on the big screen."
Apart from his love for telling stories, Khanna has also championed the Feed India campaign during the pandemic which is now a global success. When asked about the current state of farmers and protests in the country, Vikas who himself hails from Punjab expressed his disappointment over the state of affairs. "We are all farmers. All of us. I hope better sense prevails," he said.
What's next on the cards?
Just a few days ago, Vikas Khanna gave his fans and followers a glimpse of his next ambitious project. Sharing a video on Twitter of the sea and setting sun, he wrote, "One of my most ambitious projects #2021 #Rain." When asked if this film will be with another veteran actress Shabana Azmi, Khanna smiled and said, "Well, I don't want to talk much about the film but it is based on a book. The big reveal will happen on January 7." Until then, the chef and filmmaker firmly believes that he shouldn't limit himself to just his culinary dreams.
The Last Color releases in theatres on 11 December, 2020.
