"The Jungle Book" director Jon Favreau got a whiff of 'desi' flavours and aromas as the film's lead star Neel Sethi's mother prepared a "home cooked Indian feast" for him. The director says if he plans to make "Chef 2", he would love to include Indian cuisine in it.
Neel, an Indian-American boy with roots tracing back to Punjab, essays the role of Mowgli in the fantasy adventure film, which opened in Indian theatres on Friday.
Favreau, known globally as the "Iron Man" and "Chef" director, took to Instagram to share his experience and shared a photograph of the sumptuous meal.
He captioned the image: "A gracious gift from the Sethi family. A home cooked Indian feast brought to my hotel. If I ever make 'Chef 2', this will be on the menu. Neel's mom is an amazing chef! #JungleBook".
The Indian spread for Favreau included biryani, naan and aloo gobi.
With Disney's "The Jungle Book", Favreau has re-imagined the world of an enchanting Indian jungle, the story of which was first told via Rudyard Kipling's 1894 timeless classic and then brought alive in the eponymous 1967 animated movie.
The film is supported by a stellar cast including Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong'o, Scarlett Johansson and Christopher Walken. And its Hindi dubbed version for the Indian audience is voiced by a string of popular Bollywood stars, including names like Priyanka Chopra and Irrfan Khan.