Celebrity Chef- author Vikas Khanna’s directorial debut The Last Color starring Neena Gupta to have it's World Premiere at the prestigious 30th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival 2019

Celebrity Chef- author Vikas Khanna’s directorial debut The Last Color starring Neena Gupta to have it's World Premiere at the prestigious 30th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival 2019 ~Vikas Khanna visits Golden Temple to seek blessings before heading to Los Angeles for the premiere of his directorial debut 'The Last Color'~ Mumbai, 21st December 2018: Celebrity chef-author Vikas Khanna’s directorial debut feature The Last Color starring Neena Gupta will have its World Premiere at the prestigious 30th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival 2019 held from January 3rd to 14th in Los Angeles. Vikas who hails from Amritsar made a special trip to his hometown and visited Golden Temple to seek blessings before heading to Los Angeles with his mother for the Premiere of his debut film. Vikas reveals, "In the last 30 years of my career as a chef and author, I have made it a point to visit Golden Temple before I start any project, big or small. Sometimes, I make as many as three visits in a year." "I am not superstitious. I visit Golden Temple to pay my regards and seek blessings of our beloved Gurus. These visits keep me grounded and form a strong foundation for anything I start off. I come here to be inspired and to do meaningful work which inspires others." he adds. There was another reason for visiting Amritsar, informs Vikas, "To show the film to my bua (paternal aunt). It was a very emotional moment as we both were crying after the screening. I hope this mea" The Film which also marks Khanna’s debut as a Director and screenwriter is based on his bestselling book by the same name. The Last Color is the story of Chhoti (Aqsa Siddiqui) - a nine-year-old flower seller and tightrope walker who befriends Noor (Neena Gupta), a 70-year-old widow living a life of complete abstinence. Chhoti promises to bring a ray of hope in the life of Noor. Besides Neena Gupta and Aqsa Siddiqui, the film also stars transgender activist Rudrani Chettri. Interestingly, some of the pivotal roles in the film have been played by first time actors based in Varanasi. Khanna spent many months researching and working with them to bring out the real essence of the character. The teaser of the film of the film was unveiled at the Cannes Film Festival 2018 earlier this year and marked Khanna’s fourth appearance at the festival. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=P9VQsr6XQ50 The film has been shot by Subhranshu Das (Filmistaan), and produced by Bindu Khanna, Poonam Kaul and Jitendra Mishra under the banner of House Of Omkar. The captivating theme music with Indian musical undertones as well as the background score has been created by a team of musicians led by Elliot Middleton, renowned for instrumental and cinematic theme creations. Elliot is based in LA. The Last Color is inspired by the real-life experiences observed by Chef Vikas Khanna while researching around food and culture for his books and TV shows. He was shooting for Holi, the Festival of Colors for his book Utsav (the world’s largest compilation of festivals), in Vrindhavan when he witnessed a desolate sight - everyone was playing with colors during the festival except for the widows who were dressed in white and watching the celebrations from their balconies and terraces, having resigned themselves to fate. However, in the year 2013, the Supreme Court of India allowed the widows in Vrindhavan to get rehabilitated and live a life of dignity which included being able to participate in festivals such as Holi. This coupled with Khanna’s experience of meeting a 9-year-old flower seller girl inspired him to tell this compelling story.