They have been friends for years. They have done one film — Raj Chakraborty’s Yoddha — together. With Valentine’s Day just days away, actor-MP-restaurateur Dev invited actress Mimi (today’s birthday girl) and director Raj to check out Tolly Tales. t2 checked out what was cooking...
What do you guys have to say about the look of Dev’s restaurant Tolly Tales?
Mimi: The decor is brilliant. I love the filmi theme and the charpoy at the entrance. It was a brilliant idea to use curios, old things like a retro camera... in the restaurant. The Dev wall is quite an eye-catcher.
Raj: A sense of nostalgia permeates the place. And this is the perfect hangout... one can have hours and hours of adda over food and drinks. I love the whole vibe. I am so intrigued by the retro posters on the walls. It has raised my curiosity level about old films. It is also the perfect place for cinephiles to hang out... and who knows, they might just get to meet Dev and take a selfie with him! The menu is extensive, the ambience is cosy and the prices are reasonable.
Mimi: They have my fave... pizza too, yeah!
Do you all follow a particular workout regimen or diet plan?
Dev: I play badminton, hit the gym for an hour, go horse-riding, swim.
Mimi: I am not much of a diet person. But I have a sweet tooth, so I need to have at least two sweets a day. Anything from a rosogolla to chocolates. If I go on a diet, I have stew, baked fish. I’ll probably have vegetable soup thrice a day. But I don’t work out. I’ll have two-three spoonfuls of rice and a soup with lots of veggies including beans and broccoli.
Raj: I do cardio exercises, and I swim.
Have you guys ever binged on set?
Mimi: Remember what happened in Bombay?!
Raj: This happened during the shoot of Yoddha. We were shooting in a studio in Karjat, and one evening we all went to have dinner at a rooftop restaurant. We were a group of 10, and ordered a lot of food. Now someone there passed some comment, that was followed by another comment and another and soon an argument ensued. Dev was already an MP then, but he hadn’t taken his securitymen along. We were asked to go into a private room, while the argument escalated outside. We told Dev to call security and soon the place was swarming with policemen, wanting to know who the MP was. They were probably expecting an older person as MP (smiles). Meanwhile, Dev, who had revealed his identity as an MP, had invited them to join us for dinner. They were really confused! They were probably thinking, ‘Who are these people?’ A Bengali at the restaurant recognised Dev and we were finally escorted out.
What about shooting food scenes?
Raj: Strangely, we shoot food sequences after having lunch!
Mimi: Exactly. In my new film Ki Kore Toke Bolbo (releases on February 12), we have quite a few food scenes and all were shot after we had our lunch. For one scene, I had to have six glasses of water, and I couldn’t move after that!
Raj: Also when shooting food sequences, everyone wants to take a bite!
Dev: Interestingly, the heroes in Tonyda’s (Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury) films hardly get to eat anything (laughs out loud), even when there’s so much food on the set! Years ago, I was shooting in a jungle for the film I Love You. One day rice was brought in for a scene, but the sequence got pushed back. The rice was left untouched, and 24 hours later it went sour. We had to do the scene the next day, and when I informed the director [Ravi Kinagi] about the rice having gone bad, he shouted: ‘So you have become such a big star that you can’t have it?! Eat it.’ So I had to have that bashi rice. During the shoot, the lights had attracted insects to the rice and since the scene was of me picking up some rice from the ground, I had to finally gulp down a mixture of rice, bugs and small rocks!
What are your must-visit restaurants?
Dev: I like to go to places that give me some privacy... I like to have my me-time for an hour.
Mimi: Tolly Tales, since you get everything here! I like the biryani in Dum Pukht (ITC Sonar). Mainland China here and Britto’s in Goa are faves too.
Raj: Peter Cat.
So pizza is your thing, Mimi?
Mimi: I am a foodie, and I love Italian and Bengali cuisine. And when it comes to pizza, I can have two slices.
Raj: No no, she has more.
Mimi: Okay three! I am not a rakshash!
Raj: She just leaves one slice... out of shame.
Mimi: That’s not true at all! My fave pizza is thin crust with extra cheese and lots of bell pepper and onions. Also, I try out all kinds of burgers and French fries when I’m abroad. I even had a burger that had three layers of cheese. It was HUGE and I loved it.
But aren’t actresses always on a diet?
Mimi: It’s a myth that heroines don’t eat. Before shooting song sequences, only the heroes say stuff like, ‘Don’t eat too much, we won’t be able to lift you up!’ (Laughs)
Raj: The heroines love to eat. However, they start with their nyakamo seven days before shooting a song sequence (smiles). Suddenly they cut down on their food intake or hit the gym or go on a diet of water and soup. Have you seen Shrabanti binge?! She completely digs into rice and mutton.
Dev: Doesn’t leave anything.
Mimi: But Payel (Sarkar) hardly eats anything. I have seen her drinking only protein shake during the shoot of Jamai 420, while Nusrat (Jahan) and I would binge on Thai Curry and Tom Yum Soup.
Raj: Nusrat makes great biryani too.
Dev: Koel (Mallick) can eat a lot. And she can be really strict about her diet. Whenever we go abroad to shoot, (Nispal Singh) Rane makes it a point to take us out for dinner. So in a six-day schedule, we would be eating out five days.
Is there any dish you crave?
Raj: Dev likes having red meat and kebabs. Whenever I go abroad I try to taste the local cuisine. We had some great kebabs in Istanbul.
Mimi: I remember in Spain, Raj wanted to have paella. So they gave him something that resembled a khichuri with prawn and squids in it. But it had that aashte smell.
Raj: No no, it was good.
Are you interested in cooking?
Mimi: I try to make dishes after reading up the recipes on the Internet.
Raj: What?!
Mimi: I can also make a pizza!
Raj: She makes great cakes too! It’s so heavy that you might injure someone if you hit them on the head with it (laughs).
Mimi: Hello, my oven wasn’t working at that time! I watch quite a few food shows on television, from MasterChef to Khana Khazana. Last time I even whipped up a Mexican Salad with Parmesan cheese and it came off quite well.
Any actor who loves to cook?
Dev: Mithunda (Mithun Chakraborty). Shrabanti...
Have you tried tasting anything wacky?
Dev: I’ve had octopus.
Mimi: No, the food should look good, and I must know what I am eating. I would never taste an octopus. In fact, I started having mutton only recently. I don’t like to experiment with my food.
Raj: I’ve had nothing too extreme.
What’s your comfort food?
Dev: Bengali cuisine.
Mimi: Bengali and pizza.
Raj: Kebabs.
Pictures: Rashbehari Das
