Walking out of a press screening for Today’s Special, I found myself in conversation with an older South Asian gentleman who thought the movie sucked. Well, not in so many words, but he thought it was formulaic and aimed to a mainstream audience that wouldn’t get it. I disagreed. It would be so awesome to report that we got into a giant brawl, but we had a good exchange and parted ways with much to chew on.

For me, this was the realization that the quick, light-hearted review that I’d planned to write would need some nerdy background information.

So here’s the deal: In 1965, the US passed a new Immigration Act that removed national-origin quotas and lead to an exponential increase in the number of immigrants from non-European countries. This meant that a lot of young, hungry, ambitious South Asians came to the States around that time. These South Asians (desis, as we’re called) had kids who are now in their 20s and 30s. These kids, especially those on the younger end of the demographic, assimilated into US culture, and began to walk away from the doctor/lawyer/engineer path to success that their parents tried to follow.  Some even became actors and comedians.

Over the past decade, those actors and comedians stopped waiting for Hollywood to care, and began making  their own films, reflecting their own experiences. From American Desi to American Chai to The Namesake to Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle (damn, was Kal Penn in all of these?!), the films depicted an American-born kid who struggled for white American acceptance and a love/hate relationship with his (usually his) frequently harsh, alienating, and clueless parents. In the comedies, the tension is reconciled and the parents come around. In the dramas…well, not so much.

Which brings us to Today’s Special. Based on Aasif Mandvi’s Obie winning play, the film’s a sweet, light-hearted comedy that, yes, is a bit formulaic.

But! It’s also very clearly a deeply personal film, packed with little details, observations, and incidents that will resonate with every American-born (or Brit-born, or Carribean-born, or South  African-born — pick your hyphenation) desi kid who watches it.

Samir (Aasif Madvi, showing real acting chops) is a sous chef at a fancy French restaurant in New York. After six years on the line, he’s passed over for a promotion because his cooking is “cold, paint-by-numbers” and his boss (Dean Winters — Liz Lemon’s douche-y ex on “30 Rock”) wants sexy, boner-inducing stuff.  His pride wounded, Samir quits on the spot and decides to go apprentice himself in Paris to that culinary éminence grise, chef Joel Robuchon.

His plans change, however, when his father has a heart-attack upon hearing the news. Literally — Samir tells him and he promptly stumbles off a ladder and onto the pavement in front of the family’s dilapidated Jackson Heights, Queens, Indian restaurant in a moment of blunt force symbolism. Of course, high-falutin’ French-cooking Samir’s now in charge of a restaurant that violates every last bit of his fine-cuisine training and expectations. Besides the ticky-tacky plastic tablecloths and peeling wallpaper front-of-the-house, the kitchen reveals health-code violations by the dozens and a murderous chef  (Ajay Naidu in a brief, nearly-mute, scene-stealing turn) who spits paan into a paper coffee cup (those iconic Greek-design cups — just one of many glorious little NY touches) while cooking.

When the cook quits in a nicely paced confrontation, Samir (at his wit’s end and desperate to leave this mess and get on a plane to France) remembers a recent taxi ride in which the  Indian driver bragged about cooking for Indira Gandhi. Harnessing the tree-shaking powers of the three old “Uncles” (hilarious regulars who bitch about cricket and politics like a desi Three Stooges Greek chorus), Samir find the driver, Akhbar, and installs him in the kitchen.

Cue the entrance of Naseeruddin Shah, one of the greatest actors ever. Akhbar is thankless, ridiculous role. A plot device. A sort of less-offensive Indian version of the Magical negro so beloved by crappy Hollywood screenwriters. As expected, his past is mysterious (he claims to have worked at the Delhi circus, run an orphanage, met Queen Elizabeth) and he conveniently disappears after he teaches vital lessons to our protagonist. Instead of the platitudes mouthed by those Morgan Freeman characters, Naseeruddin’s stuck with lines like, “Cumin is such a saucy wench” and “with Indian cooking, a recipe is like a raga”. But you know the crazy part? He makes them work! The actor’s richly modulated voice releases those words like a caress, and we care about those spices instead of snickering like hyenas. In Naseeruddin Shah’s hands, the character is a lively, impish charmer…we hang on his omg-what’ll-he-do-next! quality and understand why Samir does the same. From plucking live chickens to  dumping the menus, Akhbar shakes things up and Naseeruddin Shah once again proves that he’s just incomparable.

Needless to say, Samir gets his groove back as a chef (and finds out how to create boner-riffic meals in the process), gets his groove on with a special lady, and gets into the groove with his estranged parents. This is a comedy, after all.

So yes, it’s formulaic in that it’s about a son who is faintly embarrassed by his heritage/parents, rebels against it/them, then realizes how much a part of his identity it/they are, leading to a happy denouement.

But for any desi kid, this is a real conflict, and Today’s Special lingers on the little details that they will notice. The act of rubbing your mother’s aching feet, the pressure to get married, the kitchy shower curtains that were bought because they were inexpensive and your mom/dad really thought the pattern was un-ironically great…the smells, the sounds, the signage. The film lovingly captures the little India neighborhood of Jackson Heights, Queens, down to the 7 train as it rattles past. Reality isn’t glazed over, just portrayed accurately. And the real-deal cast (including Indian cookbook pioneer Madhur Jaffrey as Samir’s mother, and Harish Patel as his father) certainly doesn’t hurt, and neither will capitalizing on the sudden insatiable interest in all things chef-related…see  ”Top Chef,” “Hell’s Kitchen,” “Iron Chef,” etc.

The world’s seen a wealth of coming-of-age stories by writers of European descent, so why not another desi story or ten or thousand? Especially another sweet little love song to embracing your heritage.

Today’s Special
Directed by David Kaplan.
US, 2009, 97 min. NY Premiere.
Cast: Aasif Mandvi, Madhur Jaffrey, Naseeruddin Shah, Jess Weixler, Ajay Naidu, Harish Patel, Ranjit Chowdhry, Ostaro, Kumar Pallana
Soundtrack: A nice mix of Bollywood classics like “Ina Meena Deeka” and new desi indierock from Goldspot.

Screening Time & Venue:
The Paris Theatre, NYC: Wednesday, November 11 at 6:00 PM