Today’s Special 2009 (Movie Review)

Dir: David Kaplan
Starring: Aasif Mandvi, Naseerudin Shah, Jess Weixler
Dur: 1 hr 39 mins
Genre: Comedy
Rating: 2/5
PG: Occasional use of foul language.
Comment: This is an English film with Indian protagonists.


Samir (Aasif Mandvi) is a sous chef at a famous restaurant in America. He is on the rise and is expecting a promotion but is shocked when he is denied the promotion and one of his lesser colleagues receives it. His anger gets the better of him and he quits. Already here, one can begin to see signs of the Indian mindset which is portrayed fairly accurately in the film. He goes to his distant parents hoping to get some comfort but instead he is bombarded with marriage proposals and ire for not being the perfect son. His already strained relationship with his parents is given new string just as it is about to run out.

His father’s illness forces him to take charge of the family restaurant. His discovery of Indian cuisine which is foreign to him is guided by an unconventional acquaintance, Akbar (Naseerudin Shah) who has an unusually long list of skills and fantastic experiences. Akbar helps Samir see the speciality of Indian food and to discover the one thing he is lacking, creativity. Samir brings up the restaurant with Akbar’s help but is not able to complement his professional success with personal satisfaction. Finally, he does manage to fulfil his parents’ expectations as he falls in love with an ex co-worker, Carrie (Jess Weixler) and proves to his father that he is not a failure. The film ends on a happy note.


The story is simple and pretty easy to relate with. The audience is definitely Indian and contains plenty of food for thought. Aasif’s range of expressions is ruefully limited. N Shah is masterful and really adds much needed life to the film. The film can be used for discussing and reflecting on the Indian mentality but as for entertainment, I wouldn’t assure you much.

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