When he’s not cooking up a new menu or opening another restaurant, the 52-year-old can be seen attending film festivals, writing novels, and even directing some of those novels as a big-screen feature. Yet, something is humbling and endearing about the chef and the auteur. It's the way he speaks about his contemporaries in the cut-throat food and beverage space, his collaborations with Neena Gupta and Shabana Azmi, and his passion for storytelling through various art forms. It feels more like a bonfire conversation with a friend than with a Michelin-star chef 
 

For his latest project, ‘American Sikh,’ an eight-minute animated short making waves on the festival circuit, Vikas Khanna drew inspiration from the semi-biographical journey of American cartoonist, author, and activist Vishavjit Singh. Singh gained global recognition for his portrayal as Sikh Captain America, using it to combat hate speech and discrimination while promoting Sikh awareness. We sat down with the chef for a conversation about his favourite places to eat, his preferred animated movies, and more. 
 

*Excerpts from the interview 

Man’s World: What attracted you to this project? 

Vikas Khanna: It's a short animated film, nine minutes long, depicting the almost biographical story of Vishavjit Singh in a post-9/11 world, where there were numerous riots and discrimination against Sikhs in America. But his story begins in 1984 when they were displaced and came to America. I read about him ten years ago on CNN; they were discussing Captain America as a Sikh. I found it very interesting and powerful. But I saw such nasty comments at the time in some articles. 'Oh, how can Captain America be Taliban? How can he have a beard and turban?' But my psychology growing up in Amritsar has always viewed Sikhs as our superheroes. They were protectors, always the warriors, always the first ones to come and help you. My entire childhood was spent with them, so for me, this was like, I don't understand this disparity of thought. So when this movie came to us, Guneet Monga and I decided to be part of it. 

MW: What is your equation with Guneet Monga? 

VK: Guneet is like a sister to me. She's a mentor, a friend, she's my charger. Sometimes, when my battery's going down, I need to speak to Guneet. I don't need to speak to anyone else. She's one of the first people to see most of my work even as it's being created. With lines of films coming out, who better than her? I don't think there's any other woman in the world who carries more gravity in the film world right now than Guneet Monga 

MW: Was filmmaking always on the horizon?  

VK: I want to do everything. All the people around me kept saying you can't do this, and you can't do that. I think as long as you're breathing, you shouldn't let others decide what you can do and what you can't do. When you have such a global platform and the will, or abhi toh umaar bhi hain toh thoda bhaag sakta hoon. I feel it's essential for me to constantly reinvent myself, to constantly give birth to my ideas and art, because life is too short for me to get stuck on the idea that I'm just a chef and shouldn't expand. With only 24 hours in a day, I should be able to decide what comes next. 

MW: Any movies that have stayed with you?  

VK: I'm a fanboy of 'Masan' and of Neeraj Ghaywan. Deepa Mehta, every work she ever touched, has moved me. One person who killed me for the film was 'Roma,' Alfonso Cuarón. And that was when ‘The Last Color’ (Khanna’s directorial debut) came out. I was moved by how a movie can be so natural that you feel you're living in it. I’ve tried to attempt that In ‘Imaginary Rain’ (his upcoming project) with Shabana Azmi. 

MW: Any particular animated movies you are fond of? 

VK:  I only see Shah Rukh’s and Tom Cruise's movies on the big screen. However, I'm in love with Ratatouille. I feel that America has completely changed the game of animation. This country has taken animation to an extreme level with their animation which shows the diversity of thought processes. I also like Toy Story because my sister was a big fan of all three of them. 

MW: What is something you're watching right now?  

VK: I want to watch The Menu, whenever I get the time. I’ve been getting a lot of messages about it and I’ve heard it's crazy.  

MW: What are some new chefs that you're excited about? 

VK: (Chuckles) Mera aapna hi kaam khatam nai hua toh kisi aur ko kya dekho? Out of all the young chefs, one who stands out for me is Prateek Sadhu. He creates his path, his map, which I salute. For a young kid to take a risk like this and to open Naar, it's commendable. Aise toh bohot lambi list hain. But what Chintan (Pandya) and Roni (Mazumdar) are doing in New York is kind of phenomenal. What Dishoom has been able to achieve in London is groundbreaking. It excites me, and it also shows me, how far Indian food can be taken with new demographics entering, new business models entering our world. If not so much about the business part which excites me now. At this age, what excites me more is how it becomes a victory of culture. I know it sounds very flashy, but mujhe lagta hai ki when you open something like this, and that becomes a victory, it's a victory of 1.4 billion people. Not an individual victory. 

MW: What are some of your places to eat favourite places to eat globally?  

VK: There's a restaurant in East Village called Veselka. It's my favorite spot because when I was studying in New York, that place used to be open 24 hours, and they were the first ones to offer free WiFi. Thirty years ago, you couldn’t get free internet anywhere, but this place had it. At least I could do all my homework after the rush. I used to work in the morning in the restaurant and at night had to do all my work there. And I was living with somebody, you know, they didn't want any light or noise at night. So, typical New York life. But I used to go to Veselka. Then there’s Katz's Deli, which I love. There's also a restaurant called Gupshup. They've figured out how to do Indian food casually and reach out to all new demographics of younger kids. Love their work. In Surat, I love the restaurant called Sasumaa (Gujarati Thali). In Amritsar, Kesar Da Dhaba is my favourite. Puri guide bana dunga main, matt puch. 

MW: Is there something you avoid eating? 

VK: I still avoid eating beef. I've had pork once, but I avoid including it in my menus. I don't touch beef or pork. I've been very conscious about this, and sometimes it's a deliberate choice not to feature them on the restaurant menus. Baaki sab toh khaana hi padta hain survival is the name of the game. I am more inclined towards vegetarian options. However, chicken and fish are always included in the staff menus. 

MW: Why do everything? 

VK: I feel we should be able to do everything a heart says what is the worst that will happen? We'll fail. Fantastic. Failing has given me more friends than success. Every time I've failed, I've had better-quality people come into my life to hold my hand and say you know what? Just remember, Satyajit Ray had the worst review for Pather Panchali. So what you're doing, people are not understanding, but that should not discount your time.