"The
gala
opening
of
the
festival
with
our
film
at
Los
Angeles
was
a
smashing
success," says
Dilip
Mehta,
the
director
of
Cooking
With
Stella.
Speaking
from
LA,
Mehta
says,
"It
was
a
sell-out
screening
and
the
party
that
followed
at
the
Cabana
Club
was
unbelievably
riveting.
The
entire
venue
was
packed
to
full
capacity
with
great
India
cuisine
and
the
bartenders
kept
every
glass
brimmed."
The
response
to
the
film
at
the
Indian
Film
Festival
of
Los
Angeles
was
overwhelming.
Says
Mehta,
"The
huge
theatre
was
packed.
The
audience
was
enormously
supportive
and
so
fully
understood
the
many
layers
of
our
film.
Even
in
the
darkness
I
could
make
out
the
smiles
and
hear
the
laughter!"
After
the
screening
there
was
chaos.
"We
were
mobbed
by
strangers
following
the
screening.
This
is
always
gratifying
because
they
give
honest
opinions
since
they
don't
have
an
axe
to
grind
with
you.
The
verdict
was
that
they
loved
the
film;
they
loved
the
dialogue
and
the
fresh
storyline
because
it
was
unlike
the
usual
masala
dished
out
and
they
loved
Seema,
Shreya
(Saran)
and
Lisa's
(Ray)
convincing
performances.
The
compliments
were
many,
many,
many," signs
off
Dilip
Mehta.
Story first published: Friday, April 23, 2010, 17:18 [IST]