The flower market, a plate consisting of idli and vadae, a hub for startups - yes, of course, we are talking about namma Bengaluru. In fact, to take it a step further, Purandar Chaudhuri, president of food and beverages department at Cafe Coffee Day, India, is now working on a documentary series called Life in a Bowl, which will feature different cities of India and their culinary and cultural landscapes.
He started the series with Kolkata, his hometown, and is now gearing up to present the story about Bengaluru. Chaudhuri, who has extensively worked in the food industry, wants to use ‘bowl’ as a symbolic aspect to explain new dimensions of life.
“I started working on this documentary series in 2021. As a creative person, I wanted to express and explore life in a new dimension. Since I have worked significantly in the food and beverage industry, I wanted to connect different aspects of life with food as a main narrative. I wanted to start with the place I grew up in, Kolkata, and now I’m focusing on Bengaluru, where I have worked for a significant part of my life,” says Chaudhuri, who plans to extend the documentary series to cities like Jodhpur, Amritsar, Kochi, and the North Eastern cities.
Hosted and narrated by Chiraag Paul, who is a former professional football player, the first episode of Life in a Bowl featuring Kolkata is already out. The documentary showcasing the life and food scene in Kolkata includes the influence of Chinese in Kolkata, a conversation with a poet at Indian Coffee House and much more. This episode has also been screened at international film festivals, including the Tokyo International Short Film Festival 2021, Venice Shorts 2021, New York Tri-State International Film Festival 2021, among others.
“All of us have bowls — from priceless fine-China to a mudbowl made at a local pottery; every bowl is unique and overflowing with human emotions and stories. We embarked on a journey of exploring some of the most unique food stories from across cities in India where the ingredients are not limited to food but people, culture, history, art and literature,” says Chaudhuri, who learnt filmmaking techniques by watching the works of Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen and Ritwik Ghatak.
Chaudhuri explains that the Bengaluru episode has all the ‘ingredients’ that can establish the vibes of a true Bengalurean. From Koshy’s to Ranganna Military Hotel and new-age cloud kitchens, the documentary seeks to explore the multitude of aspects that an everyday Bengalurean experiences.
“To me, Bengaluru actually represents India. You can easily define a Delhite or a Mumbaikar, but you can never define a Bengalurean. This episode will take you through the journey of the city’s flower market and the popular food joints that shape the cultural landmarks. It also highlights Forum Three, a theatre group that has been in the city for decades; a piece with Deepti Bopiah, CEO of Go Sports Foundation that supports sporting activities, Naresh Malhotra, senior partner with Sequoia Capital India among others,” says the 48-year-old, who is set to release the episode on Bengaluru in April.