Esha Deol Takhtani plays Bollywood's first woman chef in 'Cakewalk'
Mumbai: Celebrated journalist and noted author Ram Kamal Mukherjee is all set make his directorial debut with a short film titled ‘Cakewalk’ starring Esha Deol Takhtani in lead role. The 27 min short length feature film will mark Esha's return to the celluloid after a hiatus. Cakewalk will be India's first short film to air exclusively on television.
Speaking about Cakewalk, director Ram Kamal Mukherjee shared, "I always wanted to tell stories. Two years ago when I wrote my first fiction Long Island Iced Tea (collection of 8 short stories) many people from the industry called and inspired me to make a series. That's when the idea of a short film came to my mind. But Cakewalk is not a part of my fiction book."
About Esha's character in the film, Mukherjee told, "It's about a journey of a chef Shilpa Sen played by Esha... the professional and personal challenges she faces in 12 hours of her life."
"Incidentally Esha plays Bollywood first women chef on screen. We have seen Mr Bachchan in Cheeni Kum and Saif in Chef," he added.
“I thank the team of Rishtey Cineplex for having seen potential in this film. This also reinstalls my faith in good content. Here’s hoping that the viewers appreciate our endeavor,” said director Ram Kamal Mukherjee on his debut.
Esha Deol Takhtani who plays the lead protagonist in the film expressed her joy saying: "I had full faith in Ram Kamal when I signed for the film and knew that he would give his all to make this remarkable.”
"Viacom18 is one of the leading networks in India and I am happy that Cakewalk will be India's first short film to be aired on India’s No.1 movie channel, Rishtey Cineplex." added Esha.
Thank you @ColorsTV @rishteycineplex @viacom18 @Sudhanshu_Vats and @rajcheerfull sir for showing faith in our film. Thank you @Esha_Deol for bringing Shilpa Sen alive on screen. Thanks for your faith and trust in @amppvtltd and my vision. Do watch this space for updates. pic.twitter.com/xQLNL3sNPq
— Ram Kamal (@Ramkamal) January 31, 2019
On bringing forth this beautiful narrative to the viewers through television, Nina Elavia Jaipuria, Head - Hindi Mass Entertainment & Kids TV Network, Viacom18 said, “The film revolves around the professional and personal challenges faced by a chef in her life. It's a slice of life story which has been beautifully portrayed by Esha Deol. When Ram Kamal approached us to acquire the film, what struck us was the simple, yet intriguing narrative encapsulated in just 27-minutes. This is definitely one of Esha Deol's finest performances and will be loved by the viewers who have a penchant for experimental content.”
The film is co-directed by Abhra Chakraborty, and also stars Tarun Malhotra and Anindita Bose. The Music has been composed by Shailendra Sayanti and the title track by Rupali Jagga. Shot in Kolkata the first look of the film was unveiled by veteran actress Hema Malini in London.
"We wanted to set a benchmark with our product and trust me it wasn't a cakewalk," says producer Aritra Das. "Everyone discouraged us, saying that there is no future for shorts. But we are grateful to Viacom18 and their entire team for proving the world wrong," added Aritra.
Written and directed by Ram Kamal Mukherjee, the film is produced by Aritra Das, Shailendra Kumar and Dinesh Gupta. Cakewalk is all set to air on Sunday, February 17th on Rishtey Cineplex.
