"My whole life has been about food. It has been my reason to cross the borders and travel the world," says Khanna, explaining the rationale behind the film.
"I am not a professional filmmaker but I simply had to put on the screen the concept that selfless sharing of food is the common denominator in every religion of the world," he adds.
Amritsar-born Khanna, 44, picked up the ropes of cooking from his grandmother, who frequently took him to the Golden Temple langar where he rolled rotis as a boy.
He has since taken his profession beyond not just the boundaries of his own culture but also food as a means of mere physical sustenance.
The New York-based chef is in the process of setting up a comprehensive museum of utensils at the Manipal College of Hotel Administration. "I studied there and this is my guru dakshina to my alma mater," he says.
Khanna, who relocated to New York in December 2000, has committed a sum of USD 1 million to help street children across India.
"Working with the NGO Smile Foundation for four years now, we have taken over 20,000 children off the street," the Michelin starred chef says.
As part of the nutrition programme, Khanna will, on June 3, release a cookbook titled Utsav. It is devoted to traditional festival cuisines from around the country.
"There will initially be only 12 copies of the book, each of which weighs 15 kg. It is the largest cookbook in the world," he says. "The book is not for sale. It will be auctioned to fund the USD 1 million programme.
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