A story of home, homecoming and food is how debutant director Sameer Sharma described his Punjab set family entertainer.

The story follows a runaway who returns to his village in Punjab when thugs in England threaten him with fatal consequences if he doesn’t repay his debt promptly.

Omi Khurana (Kunal Kapoor) comes home planning to steal more money (he stole a decade ago when he ran away to the UK) from his grandfather who runs a successful dhaba.

But grandpa is unwell, and no one else knows the secret recipe to his superhit ‘chicken Khurana’. The film is about Omi’s realization that the secret recipe in any great dish is love, and that family is paramount.

Unfortunately the screenplay takes a long time to cook, slowly simmering on a low flame and when the dish is finally ready it still lacks that certain something.

One of the tricks in making a great food film is the way the food is shot – you should leave the cinema hungry and craving butter chicken at least. But this one of the disappointments of Luv Shuv – the feeling of a love for food is missing and the few food and cooking scenes are poorly shot.

The film feels low budget and small – sticking close to its milieu, but it delivers few laughs and often feels stolid.

Of the cast, Huma Qureishi as Omi’s childhood sweetheart is most impressive. In the scenes with her Kunal Kapoor sparkles the most. Rajesh Sharma as the pile-on uncle is awarded the funniest lines.

Mostly the film is like a filling dish but one you are unlikely to remember the taste of for long.

Rating: **1/2