Indian celebrity chef Vikas Khanna premiered his documentary Kitchens of Gratitude at the 69th Cannes Film Festival on Saturday.
The film was unveiled by Mohan Kumar, India’s Ambassador to France, and Leena Jaisani, senior director - media and entertainment division at Ficci, at the festival’s India Pavilion.
“Michelin-starred Chef Vikas Khanna is not just a culinary ambassador of India but is also helping create awareness of our culture globally. For Indians, food is a sacred expression of sharing and caring and with Kitchens of Gratitude, he has personified it,” Kumar said in a statement.
“This is a small step but will go a long way in building bridges amongst communities and nations,” he added.
For the occasion, Khanna wore Giorgio Armani, Corneliani and a Tissot watch.
The documentary is based on the chef’s ideology that food is the thread that connects people and that it transcends caste, creed and faith.
While researching how food was cooked in the Indus Valley Civilisation, Khanna discovered that daily cooking was a communal activity in those times and he did not find a single reference to the use of small cooking pots.
The fact that everyone used to get together to cook and eat confirmed his belief that the “unifying power of food was stronger even before religion came into being.”
Khanna then created, directed and shot a 15-minute documentary that captures this belief. The documentary feature personalities such as the Dalai Lama, Deepak Chopra, spiritual leader Mata Amritanandmayi and Pastor Craig Mayes of the New York Mission, among others.
“Kitchens of Gratitude for me is solely about how food has always been the thread that brings people together encourage people to share. The documentary examines how shared food experiences help break the walls that divide people.
“I firmly believe that our children must know that every faith welcomes everyone. No faith ever promotes discrimination. It is food that binds us together, and it must continue that way,” Khanna said.
Here is what the celebrities had to say online:
- Anupam Kher: Congratulations. You are the bestest.
- Gautam Rode: Vikas Khanna becomes the first chef in history to premiere a documentary at Cannes 2016. ‘Kitchens of Gratitude’. Proud of you bhai, Vikas Khanna.
- Kunal Kapur: Proud of bro, Vikas Khanna for showcasing his work at Cannes 2016. ‘Kitchens of Gratitude’.
