Chef Vikas Khanna on Friday dropped a poster of his upcoming feature film Imaginary Rain starring Shabana Azmi and Prateik Babbar, describing the movie as “a journey like no other”.
“I’m surrounded by countless blessings as I embark on showcasing the greatest work of art of my life. When two of India’s most legendary artists come together to bring to life the story of a New York City chef, magic is bound to happen,” the 53-year-old celebrity chef and filmmaker wrote alongside the poster.
“It’s an honour and a privilege to collaborate with the iconic Shabana Azmi (5-time National Award winner) and the phenomenal AR Rahman (2-time Academy Award winner). Stay tuned for my upcoming feature film IMAGINARY RAIN—a journey like no other,” he added.
In Imaginary Rain, based on Khanna’s novel of the same name, Azmi plays the role of a Masterchef in Manhattan who returns to India following a personal tragedy to rediscover her roots. The upcoming movie is written and directed by Khanna.
"Prerna, a woman now in her fifties, has been running an Indian restaurant in downtown Manhattan for two decades. She is on the cusp of a midlife crisis, and her life indeed unravels when she suddenly loses her son, her lease, and with these, her passion for cooking as well. Caught in the grip of newly awakened emotions, Prerna finds herself confronted by many haunting questions from her past, which take her back to her motherland, India. And so begins an intensely personal struggle that will lead Prerna to forgive herself, escape her past and rediscover her true passion for cooking," the book's blurb reads.
“#Vikas Khanna deeply amused by my culinary skills whilst #Prateik Babbar looks on indulgently during the shoot of #Imaginary Rain in #Amritsar,” Shabana captioned a picture shared in 2023 featuring her cooking outdoors with Vikas and Prateik by her side.
Back in February 2024, Vikas took to his Facebook account and announced that the team had finished shooting the last sequence of the film at his Dubai restaurant Kinara. “Today we shot the last sequence for Imaginary Rain at my beloved Kinara. This movie celebrates Indian cuisine like nothing seen before through the eyes of Prerna,” he captioned a video, thanking fans for eagerly looking forward to the film as it finished production after 6 years.
Besides his culinary prowess, Vikas is known for his film projects like The Last Color (2019) and Barefoot Empress (2022). Born in Amritsar, Vikas has also been one of the judges of MasterChef India since its beginning. In 2024, he opened the Bungalow restaurant in the East Village neighbourhood of New York City.
