WATCH! EXCLUSIVE | Netflix ‘Aap Jaisa Koi’ actors R. Madhavan & Fatima Sana Shaikh on Kolkata food: 'Binged on puchkas...'

Recently R. Madhavan and Fatima Sana Shaikh were seen in Netflix’s ‘Aap Jaisa Koi’. The film was mostly shot in Kolkata and part of it in Jamshedpur. The film has shown a lot about Bong food and culture.

In an interview with Firstpost, R. Madhavan who has spent a major part of his growing up years in Jamshedpur, has a huge connection with Kolkata culture. “I grow up in Jamshedpur and there is a huge Bong community there. I have celebrated Durga Puja and Saraswati puja. It was a very integral part of my growing up.”

Madhavan adds, “Food in Kolkata is not only a part of nourishment. It is a part of the culture. Including the bhog that we eat after the pujas that too is so tasty. In fact, food is an integral part of their existence.”

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To this Fatima says that in many places like Kolkata, food is a huge part of one’s culture. “Like in Mumbai we eat whatever we get. We don’t put much thought into it because there are a lot of other pressures.”

Madhavan mentions, Lucknow too takes a lot of pride in their cuisine. “Another cultural difference is that when you go to a Punjabi house, they will never be short of food even if you go to their houses uninvited. In south India, it’s not like that. If anybody just drops in, we have to keep them waiting and then make the food.”

Fatima believes that food is very important to people because they show love through food. She further adds, “Whenever I go to Jammu, my hometown, to visit my relatives, they make sure that eat in everybody’s house.”

WATCH the full interview here: 

About the film

_Aap Jaisa Koi_’ reimagines and repositions family drama. Set across two distinct worlds of Jamshedpur and Kolkata, the film follows Shrirenu, a man shaped by habit and tradition, as he begins to re-examine long-held beliefs about masculinity, companionship, and emotional expression. In Madhu, a spirited woman who refuses to shrink herself to fit societal moulds, he finds not just a romantic partner, but a mirror to his own conditioning. As the two navigate family expectations, emotional baggage, and the weight of societal conditioning, Aap Jaisa Koi becomes a story not just about romance, but about reclaiming a woman’s agency.

Marking Madhavan’s much-awaited return to the romance genre, Aap Jaisa Koi pairs him with Fatima Sana Shaikh in a story that defines what inner liberation and “barabari wala pyaar” (equal love) truly mean. Directed by Vivek Soni (Meenakshi Sundareshwar) and produced by Dharmatic Entertainment, the film is brought to life by a powerhouse ensemble cast including Ayesha Raza, Manish Chaudhari and Namit Das, each adding nuance to this honest, heartfelt exploration of family, identity, patriarchy, and the emotional truths we often hide — even from ourselves.