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Credited with being the first New Zealander and the second female to direct an episode on the critically acclaimed Netflix series Chef’s Table, Auckland based writer-director Zia Mandviwalla is "breaking records and crushing it in the film industry,” noted a write-up in Miss FQ. The episode that premiered at the Berlin Film Festival’s Culinary Cinema Section on February 13, 2019, and was released on Netflix season six in New Zealand nine days later, portrays a British-Indian chef Asma Khan whose restaurant Darjeeling Express has become a London favorite.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Asma wants to show the world the value of girls… In India, the archaic tradition of dowry means a girl is a burden to her family, and a second daughter is a curse. Asma has spent her life trying to shed this stigma and prove her worth as a second daughter,” mentions Mandviwalla in a press note shared with Parsiana. Asma created a new life for herself in the UK and attained a PhD in law but that did not bring her fulfillment. She started recreating her family’s guarded recipes to stave off her loneliness as an immigrant and to re-live her connection with her home in Amritsar.
When she opened Darjeeling Express in London’s trendy West End, her kitchen was staffed entirely by women who had little or no professional training. The restaurant’s open kitchen ensures these women are visible and acknowledged. Asma is keen that "when a girl is born there will always be light, fireworks and a celebration,” reiterates Mandviwalla.
The series’ first director from outside the USA, Mandviwalla’s background directing commercials and short films was different to the documentary training of many of the other directors. "She came to the project with a whole different angle on the visual narrative, bringing a surprising and unique tone to her episode. Her shot choice, edit pace and story structure are just fantastic,” series creator David Gelb was quoted by CampaignBrief, Asia of February 25, 2019.
"My involvement with this episode began in the middle of 2018,” recalls Mandviwalla, adding, "Finch, the company who represent me in Australasia for commercial work, have also been involved in previous seasons’ Chef’s Table. Michael Hilliard, one of the executive producers and partners at Finch, is also one of the producers on Chef’s Table. He asked me if I would like to direct an episode that he would be producing… I had always been an avid watcher of Chef’s Table. It was something I never thought I would be working on. My background is in narrative fictional drama so from the start I knew I was a risky choice for the producers but it was those very same storytelling tools that I put to work in approaching Asma’s story.” Perusing the extensive research document she was provided, she followed it up with a series of lengthy phone calls with Asma to understand her psyche.
Mandviwalla believes in capturing people’s stories "with grace and humility. It’s always such a privilege to be given access into someone else’s world that I feel a duty to portray their truth as best I can.”
The episode was shot in London where the restaurant is located, Los Angeles where Asma’s friend Chef Vivek Singh is located and Delhi. As mentions Mandviwalla, "India is Asma’s birthplace, her family home... It is where all of her food comes from… We shot in Delhi, Aligarh (where her parents live) and nearby Chattari where her family land and ancestral fortress are… India is so alive with warmth, color and texture. Shooting in India was all about evoking a sense of Asma’s past. We wanted to bring to life some of the memories, stories and dreams she shared with us… while at the same time telling the story of the culture, heritage and history that has shaped who she is.” The shoot at the Nizamuddin Dargah in Delhi was particularly memorable as contributing to the "charged atmosphere” were worshipers and musicians playing Sufi music. At the end of the shoot the Imam honored the crew with gold and green scarves.
Born in Bombay to Soonu and Ronny Mandviwalla, Zia grew up in the Middle East and moved to New Zealand with her family in 1996 (see "Shining in shorts,” Zoroastrians Abroad, Parsiana, April 21, 2013). Ten years ago she was named The New Zealand Screen Production and Development Association’s New Filmmaker of the Year. Her short film Night Shift premiered at the Festival de Cannes in 2012, traveled around the world and took home the Youth Jury Prize at the Aspen Shortsfest and the Firebird Award for Best Short Film at the Hong Kong International Film Festival. Her other short films, Eating Sausage, Clean Linen and Amadi have also received acclaim at festivals around the world. She is researching on the Parsis for a feature length documentary.
Conducting theater and writing workshops for remote, isolated communities, Mandviwalla considers herself "very lucky to have led a life where I have always been able to make my own choices and follow my heart.” She believes in taking risks: "You have to fail to learn and you have to fail to succeed. Don’t be afraid to be pushy and vocal about the things you need, about what kind of work you want to do and how you want to do it.”