I never knew that someone made movies. I thought they just got made,” says Raja Krishna Menon, a day before the release of Chef. The Saif Ali Khan-starrer,
directed by Menon, is a remake of Jon Favreau’s 2014 drama with the director in the eponymous role. “I remember seeing the film (Chef) when it released and I
came out of the theatre lamenting over why I didn’t think of this idea. The film resonated with me so much. It was a reflection of our times and tides,” says Menon.

With Chef, Menon is juggling the pressures and expectations that come along with adapting a cult hit — the story of a chef in his 40s who quits his job post a
war of words with a food critic and returns to his hometown to fix up a food truck. He reconnects with his ex-wife and invites their young son to join him in
driving the truck back while selling food in various cities along the way. It was the real world feel of the film that had him hooked, instead of the commercial
viability of a formula that had worked. In the Indian version, the lead protagonist, played by Saif Ali Khan, is named Roshan Kalra. “The current generation in
our mid-30s and 40s is the one that really could take the off-beaten track and choose a career outside the gamut of medicine-engineering-civil services. They
are dealing with real life problems — divorce, single parenting and breaking societal norms. In addition, this generation was also redefining success — and
asserting that it was not all about the money,” says 46-year-old Menon.

Menon was also very keen on casting a strong female character, which has manifested as Radha Menon, essayed by Padmapriya Janakira- man. She plays Khan’s
ex-wife in the film. “I had always wanted to create a character of a woman who is fiercely independent, not bothered about society – doesn’t care about
marriage or divorce and lives life on her own,” adds Menon, who has also included dialogues heavily influenced by pop culture, with Tinder and DNA tests making
an appearance. “We wanted to keep it that way, and make comedy that is relatable and real. Like how, maybe, colleagues talk at a workplace. These are not

one liners that you have to work hard towards. And this is Saif in a ‘throwback to Dil Chahta Hai’ mode,” says Menon.
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Menon has brought Chef from Los Angeles and Miami and based it in Delhi and Kerala, the latter being Menon’s homeground. “It was an organic choice. A film
will tell you where it should be set. But it did help, for knowing the location like the back of your hand can do wonders. I am a Malayali, Suresh Nair, who wrote
the film, is a Malayali, and Ritesh Shah, the writer, has spent so much time there that we have given him an honorary membership of the state,” says Menon,
whose last successful outing was Airlift with Akshay Kumar in the lead role.

Menon’s earlier films have been a mixed bag, where he has brushed the territory of commercial and indie cinema. He made his debut with the urbane and slick
Bas Yun Hi which was followed by Barah Aana (2009). With Airlift (2016), Menon churned out a big hit. “One has to keep pushing the envelope. With a film like
Barah Aana, I did too much too early. I don’t think the audience was ready for it. But with an Akshay in Airlift, I went about using the star as an actor, which
worked for me. We didn’t use his strengths as a star. There was no action, or comedy. But the star power definitely helps, people sit up and notice your film.
It’s a simple choice — which side of the toast do you want to butter up?” says Menon, for whom filmmaking was a matter of chance. “I was all geared up to be a
bike mechanic,” says Menon, who has had back-to-back screenings, the last one being one where Kareena Kapoor Khan was in attendance and who, in his words,
loved the film.”
It’s difficult to place a finger on the cinematic sensibilities of Menon. They are a bit all over the place.