The Great Indian Kitchen Movie Wife is cutting and peeling vegetables in the kitchen. Something is grinding. Food is cooking and serving. Washing the dishes. Sweeping the floor and cleaning up. The husband is doing yoga sitting comfortably. Breathing in and out. This is the story of ‘The Great Indian Kitchen’, a low budget film made in Malayalam language.
This film has beautifully depicted the patriarchy within the Indian family and highlighted its horrors present in everyday life.
It is already being called ‘a notable film of the year’. This film ‘Izzatdar’ tells the story of the dark kitchens of middle class houses. This film is being discussed a lot in Kerala. Many difficult questions are being raised on the social media also about the gender discrimination present in the houses.
Jio Baby, the director of this film, says, “This is a story everywhere. A woman’s struggle in the kitchen is the story of almost all the women of India. Men think that women are like a machine. They do everything from making tea to washing clothes to raising children. ”
He says that he got the inspiration of ‘The Great Indian Kitchen’ from his kitchen. He narrates, “After getting married in 2015, I used to spend a lot of time in the kitchen because I believe in gender equality. Then I realized that it takes a lot to cook. ”
He says that shortly after, he (The Great Indian Kitchen Moive) “started thinking of getting rid of kitchen difficulties, monotony and repetition.”
He says, “I felt like I was stuck in a prison.” And then I started thinking about those women who cannot come out of this cycle. This feeling started bothering me. ”
Movie story
The film starts with a wedding. Like most Indian weddings, it is also an arranged marriage. It stars Nimisha Sajayan and Sooraj Venjaramudu in the lead roles of the bride and groom.
Before marriage, they only meet and interact once in the presence of the family.
Everyday struggle starts after the guests of the wedding leave. The new bride moves to the kitchen with her mother-in-law. Her job is to see that her husband eats and drinks well and is happy.
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Because that is the famous saying that the path of a husband’s heart goes through his stomach.
His life is equally bad in bed at night. It is expected from her that she will be ready to have sex at night, irrespective of her desire or not. In the Indian patriarchal system, there is very little room for the heart of women.
The film is being shown on the NESTREAM app. Netflix and Amazon refused to show it on their platform. This film is receiving a lot of appreciation from the critics especially from the women side.
Clinta PS, an English assistant professor at Christ College in Irinjalakuda city, told the BBC, “It is a very touching film. There is no violence in the film. No one is shown to be bad. It is a real depiction of the insensitivity that is deeply rooted in our homes. ”
Professor Clinta says that she has seen her mother and other women battling in the kitchen because in a state like Kerala, food is made on a “very large scale”.
“They do many things like chopping vegetables, grinding spices, garnishing and washing. it takes a long time. It can be done on a slightly normal level but we do not. Because a woman is told that her husband and family are everything to her. Their existence is only to keep them happy. He is said to be a superwoman. ”
Patriarchal in the case of progressive Kerala women
Kerala is one of the most progressive states in the country. It is often said about Kerala that it is the only state in the country where there is 100 percent literacy.
Here women work in organized areas on a large scale. But Clinta says that the society of Kerala is as much patriarchal as the rest of the country.
She says, “In Kerala, we talk about women empowerment. On a large scale, women go to work here, but at the end of the day they have to do all those household chores. This is also seen in a highly progressive and educated family. ”
Clinta says that there is no gender discrimination of any kind in her own home. Both he and his father do household chores together. But the case is different in his parents’ house. Her husband has been her school friend.
She says, “Men are aware of gender equality but it does not matter much in their own homes.” Like most Indian men, my father also has double standards. I get into a heated debate about their attitude towards their mother. He is a modern and progressive man but at home my mother does all the household chores alone. ”
There is a famous saying in Kerala that, “You may be progressive but keep your progress at the door of the house”.
Debate on gender equality in homes
Like other parts of the world in India, care work falls on the shoulders of women. They do not have to pay any kind for this.
According to the report of the International Labor Organization, in the year 2018, where women in India spent 312 minutes on unpaid care work, men spent 29 minutes on this task.
These are the circumstances that ‘The Great Indian Kitchen’ wants to change in its message.
Jio Baby says, “Women are living in prisons made by men. Men make decisions and women are laborers. They don’t even get any money for this. ”
“Through the film I want to tell women that you come out of this prison. Why do you keep on tolerating? This is your world too. Enjoy it too. ”
In fact, it will take time for change to take place, but ‘The Great Indian Kitchen’ has definitely given rise to a debate on gender equality in households.
A Malayali colleague of mine told me that all his friends and their families are talking about it in their WhatsApp group.
Feedback on social media
There is a lot of talk on social media as well. A lot of people, especially women, are talking about the film on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. She is appealing to her friends and followers to watch the film.
One wrote, “This is our story.” So another user has written. “It brings out our perspective.”
Someone has written, “The biggest feature of this film is that it does not show things exaggeratedly and does not point fingers at anyone. This film shows us how even a soft-spoken decent man can be the most poisonous. ”
Some even guessed that the director of ‘The Great Indian Kitchen Movie’ would definitely be a woman.
Some have written that the biggest success of this film is that it has created panic among men. A man has written on Facebook that after watching the film, he feels guilty.
One wrote, “I can’t write much about it because I am like the same person (husband shown in the film).” Another described it as an “eye-opening” film.
Professor Clinta says that it is a good thing that people have started talking about it, but it will take years to change this thinking that has been going on for centuries.
She says, “I discuss these issues with my colleagues and in class. I try to sensitize students through my lectures. Boys understand theoretically about gender equality, but I am not convinced that they are ready to give up their privileges. “
