Imtiaz Ali at the table

In North India, a meal doesn't have a separate starter or dessert course: everything arrives together on a large round platter, the thali. Around a mound of rice or a stack of hot breads, small bowls (katoris) of dal, vegetables, yogurt, and a little sweet dish are arranged. You eat with the fingers of your right hand, mixing as you like. Street drinks and sweets are enjoyed standing up, along the way — just as Imtiaz Ali captures them on location.

A foundational technique of North Indian cooking: cumin, asafoetida, garlic, or dried chili are sizzled in ghee or smoking oil, then the fragrant cloud is poured over the finished dish. A hiss, a swirl, and the entire meal changes its voice — much like a song that enters at just the right moment in an Imtiaz Ali film.