'Tarla' review: Not Huma, Sharib lends flavor to this biopic
What's the story
Huma Qureshi and Sharib Hashmi starrer Tarla, a biopic on India's most-loved celebrity chef Tarla Dalal, was released on ZEE5 on Friday.
Directed by Piyush Gupta, this sweet story of India's legendary culinary expert falls flat for many reasons.
Dalal's life revolved around food but this biopic doesn't; it missed out on two essential ingredients- Dalal and her flavors.
Read our review.
Story
The formative years of the celebrity chef
It's based on Dalal's journey from being a housewife with a knack for cooking to becoming a top chef in India. The first half is about Dalal inside her kitchen until she starts her cooking classes.
From there on, the story plunges to the new heights she reaches where she bags her cookery show while her personal life takes a hit.
The big miss
There's no 'Tarla' in this film
Qureshi plays the titular character in this biopic but neither does she look like Dalal, nor speak like her. Though she performed her part really well, the "Tarla" factor was missing throughout. I still remember how Dalal used to speak, but despite Qureshi's hard efforts, the accent was missing.
Not only in mannerisms, but Qureshi's physical appearance is also different than how Dalal was.
Highlight
Hashmi is the saving grace
The primary factor behind Dalal's success was her husband Nalin Dalal, who encouraged and supported her at every step. His character is played by Hashmi, and to perfection. Hashmi's simplicity is so soothing that it instantly makes you fall in love.
It wouldn't be wrong to say that the star of this biopic was Hashmi who portrayed a progressive husband.
Writing
It's a dish served half-baked
Tarla is basically a biopic on Dalal's life but without food. The essential ingredient to her success was missing. Yes, it is about the formative years of Dalal, but I was expecting to see Dalal's magic with the spices once she aged, but with Qureshi in the frame.
Unfortunately, so much stress was put on adding drama, that the flavor of food went missing.
Verdict
Not the lip-smacking dish you would expect
The scene where Dalal recreates Murg Musallam and Chicken 65 as Batata Musallam and Gobhi 65 is my favorite. You'll find many such small sweet moments in the movie.
But, more than Dalal's story, it appears to be a silent biopic on her husband. You must watch it for Hashmi as he delivers his best performance.
Verdict: It gets 2.5 stars out of 5.