Usthad Hotel - my take

Last week I watched a good Malayalam movie called ‘Usthad Hotel’. I was happy to experience something that was a few steps above the kind of stuff I get stuck viewing most of the time. A story well told and well executed captures anyone’s attention and brings home a simple truth that more filmmakers should take note of – you don’t need gimmicks and over-the-top hoopla to sell to the audience – just give us a good story and we’ll appreciate it.

The director, Anwar Rasheed has teased out natural performances from his talented cast. Thilakan, as Karim or Karimka as he is known, was outstanding but then he can play such roles with perfect ease. The lead character, Faizi was well played by Mammooty’s son Dulquer Salman – yes he has some way to go but considering that he is only a couple of films old, I would rate him quite high. He has screen presence and an easy affability writ large on his young face. He is definitely going places. 

The lead female character had nothing much to do and seemed to have been created solely because one cannot have a good-looking young male lead not be seen with a pretty girl. Plus you had to have the ‘Appam’ song! Nithya Menon did do justice to the largely forgettable role however. I was a little disappointed at seeing some superb actors being given insignificant roles – Mamukoya could have done with a meatier role, so could Lena whose role was that of  the eldest in a gaggle of older sisters and Praveena seems to be only in fleeting cameos in any movie she is part of. Siddique as the father was effortless and eminently watchable – again not surprising from this veteran.

Anjali Menon’s story was simply lovely. A refreshing change to see a feel-good theme which yet managed to pack in a few hard-hitting lessons. That’s the kind of entertainment that I enjoy and to judge from the movie’s success, a lot of people would agree with this view. The story was weak only in a few places, notably in the female lead character’s ability to be up traipsing around town half the night despite being from an ultra-conservative Muslim family – its still Calicut and that is nearly impossible to get away with even today. Another part of the story that was hard to swallow was the ease with which Faizi seemed to land unbelievable jobs in the gastronomical capitals of the world!

The story is set largely in Calicut, the place where I spent my memorable college years. Perhaps that’s why the sight of the beach and the market-place, roadside stalls and pickled ‘nellikas’ whisked me back to a time that sometimes seems to have passed just yesterday. Unlike my usual practice of writing the entire story down and giving away the ending to those who haven’t watched it, I have decided to curb my loquaciousness and limit myself to the barest outline. It is not an easy task but I do want my friends to watch the movie and not point out with mild irritation that I have ruined their viewing experience by revealing too much!

Faizi is the only son of his dad and he plops out into the world after a disappointing series of four daughters. His birth is hailed and celebrated with great joy. His mother Fareeda (Praveena) doesn’t last too long after giving birth to five kids in record time and she passes away leaving him to be taken care of by his sisters and father. The father is only interested in Faizi and dreams of the day when he can hand over his fast-expanding Dubai-based business ventures to his beloved son. The kids grow up in Dubai largely by themselves (another ill-explained part of the movie) and seemingly in the kitchen nearly all the time. He learns to cook from his sisters and he enjoys himself so much that he secretly does a culinary course in Switzerland instead of the MBA his dad thinks he had spent his money on.

The truth comes out during a girl-viewing ceremony which is foisted on him as soon as he lands in Calicut on the express instructions of his sisters who fear that some foreign woman would sink her claws into their precious brother. The girl being viewed is Shahana (Nithya Menon) who calmly tells him she has no particular interest in getting married to him or anyone else but she has no choice being a part of this very traditional family. When his father finds out the truth about his degree, he is understandably upset and takes away his credit cards and passport in the hopes of teaching him a lesson. Faizi meanwhile is frantic because he has a great job lined up in London – as a sous chef in a famous restaurant and has no means of getting there. 

To cut a long story short, Faizi goes to his grandfather (Thilakan) whom he hasn’t seen in years and is made to work like a dog in order to meet Karimka’s standards of perfection for his legendary albeit run-down eatery known simply as Usthad Hotel. He learns that no job is beneath him, that one should cook with one’s soul, that money is not the most important thing in the world. He sees his grandfather taking care of the employees as if they were family all the while struggling to repay a loan and on the brink of losing all he held dear. He asks him why he doesn’t charge more while spending on the finest ingredients for his famous Malabari Biryani. His grandfather tells him that anyone can cook and feed so as to leave a person with a full stomach but to leave someone with a full heart is something only those who have that special touch are capable of. And for his grandfather, seeing his customers satisfied in mind and body was a wonderful gift – it inspired him to cook with consummate perfection.

A lot of ups and downs later, Faizi realizes that it is up to him to keep his grandfather’s tradition going and he revamps the Usthad Hotel in style, making the hotel profitable and even more popular. And then he gets the offer of a lifetime as executive chef in a new restaurant in Paris (a bit of a stretch for me – that part!) and announces to all and sundry that he is leaving for his dream job. His grandfather has a predictable heart attack but thankfully, the aftermath is not emotional blackmail but rather a blessing to his grandson to live the life he always wanted. He had only one request – could Faizi deliver his monthly cheque to a place in Madurai together with a message to a Mr Krishnan? A relieved Faizi happily agrees and lands up in Madurai by bus the very next day.

He finds himself in the most unusual place he has ever seen. Loads of food were being prepared, packed neatly and taken in vans to distribute to the poorest of the poor in Madurai. He is asked by Krishnan to go along and he witnesses with teary eyes the love with which the poor are fed to fullness. He learns the importance of giving and the joy of cooking with love. My favourite line in the movie is by Krishnan when he explains to Faizi this simple truth “If you offer a person anything else – money, material objects – he or she will always want more but if you offer them food, no matter how hungry they are, they will not ask for more once they have had their fill – they will say ‘enough’.” This character is said to be inspired by a real life hero named Narayanan Krishnan of the Akshaya Trust who somehow does not seem to have been mentioned anywhere – here’s a link to his story http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAl_0JaDJqY&feature=youtu.be

Faizi comes back to Usthad Hotel much wiser in the ways of the world. The ending is a feel-good one which I should point out, I have in no way revealed ;-) One comes back from watching this movie with the same contentment one experiences after having had an excellent biryani – deliciously full and craving only for the suleimani chai that is the perfect ending of all things good. Go watch it – I am betting you’ll love it as much as I did :-)