The Xoom Lunch

The grub at Ad shoots is usually phenomenal. And depending on the production house, the food is served. Most of the khana served on ad shoots sets is usually continental or Italian cuisine.  

But if you are shooting with R.Balki, expect Southern fare prepared fresh by the famous Muthuswamy Caterers. From piping hot dosas and wadas, to chettinad chicken.. if it is Pradeep Sarkar, apart from the normal fare, there is a robust Bengali spread and one lands up literally licking the last morsel with your fingers.

Yesterday we shot with Mr Amitabh Bachchan for a money service called Xoom. Lunch was served at 2 pm. From tandoori tangdis to seekh kababs, fried fish to mutton biryani was laid out. The veg food did not deserve my attention after feasting my eyes on the non vegetarian delicacies. 

A working lunch was announced and the crew, who had been hard at work since 7 am, dug in. I took my plate of mutton biryani and fried fish to one corner, with a can of Diet Coke. I am told that the pesticides digests the rich food instantly. That's why on all shoot sets, Diet Coke is a must for the catering crew.

Anyways, after the sumptuous meal, we sweetened our palette with some deliciously chilled rasmalai. Lunch hour over, we all trooped in to continue our shoot.

Casting my eye around, I noticed that the unit members including me were all walking sluggishly, while Mr Bachchan was going about his shot in his customary brisk and efficient manner...

The penny dropped. Just like his ghaas phoos character in Cheeni Kam, he is a vegetarian and eats home cooked food. No wonder he was chosen to endorse a product which used lightning as a metaphor to describe it's financial services. 

So whilst the biryani settled lovingly in our bellies, the aam junta including me, crawled around like tortoises, going about our shooting business. No wonder the saying goes, never mix business with pleasure.