The Great Indian Kitchen smashes patriarchy right in the face, the Malayalam movie might as well be one of the best portrayals of the patriarchy, in recent times that never ceased to exist and found a place in every corner of the country. The poster of the movie shows a man hugging a woman, from behind, in a kitchen while she is busy cooking. Now, if one looks at the film, it has delved much deeper into an Indian kitchen and taken a note of everything that happens inside its four walls.
The film never mentions the name of the two leads, maybe because this one story has been used to represent so many other stories and a condition that is so universal in nature. The overhead shots of two meals being cooked at the same time, the dirty table being cleaned, and the used dishes getting accumulated in the kitchen one after the other, shows the condition of the place from where the mouth-watering dishes come out from and how after everything is done it automatically falls on the women of the house to clean them as some default duty.
A scene in the movie where the men take the responsibility for cooking and leave the kitchen in a messy way, questioning in a later scene about what work might be left in the kitchen since they have done everything, laughing it out symbolizing the least idea they have of the kitchen’s condition after everything is done with.
The film also exploits a fragile side of masculinity that gets infuriated just by being asked about basic table manners. There are occasional intercuts of shots of women of the house cooking or cleaning, while the men are seen doing yoga, watching videos on youtube, playing cards, or just complaining. To some extent, the film reminds of Neeraj Ghaywan’s short, ‘Juice’ that portrayed a similar condition. The film is powered by an even more powerful climax that holds up the beauty a free and independent woman is capable of producing and also how just a few women are able to break free from the shackles of patriarchy, while most others remain in its clutches, adapting it for ages.
Text by: Sreyoshi Sil, IBTN9
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