<p> <em>Today's Special </em>is a good example of what indie films do best: a human-scale story, especially about people or situations usually ignored by Hollywood. Co-written by the “Daily Show's” Aasif Mandvi, who also plays the protagonist, <em>Today's Special</em> is the story of a young man of Indian Muslim descent who had long ago distanced himself from his heritagebut not his family. He dreams of becoming a gourmet chef and works toward that goal, but when dad suffers a heart attack, he finds himself back in the kitchen of the family's Tandoor Palace, trying to keep the rickety operation from coming to pieces. </p> <p>Falling somewhere between comedy and drama, <em>Today's Special</em> wears its themes lightly and makes the everyday entertaining with a solid grip on ethnic communities, family businesses and what goes in restaurant kitchens. The character who tilts the scenario gently left of expected is the hipster cabdriver-raconteur-master Indian chef (Naseeruddin Shah) who sprinkles a touch of magic on the curry and shows the rather uptight young protagonist how to tune into the cosmos rather than the cookbook. Perhaps the best recipes are made up on the spot? </p> <p><em>Today's Special</em> is out on DVD. </p>
