Director: Jeo Baby
Cast: Nimisha Sajayan, Suraj Venjaramoodu
Language: Malayalam
The Great Indian Kitchen, streaming on Neestream, often feels surreal. But ironically, most scenes that unfold actually evoke a sense of real life nostalgia, in a not-so-good way. This is especially so If you’ve grown up in a south Indian household with even partially conservative leanings.
The lead characters in the film, a newly wed couple played by Nimisha Sajayan and Suraj Venjaramoodu, have cheekily been left unnamed. This is the story of The Wife, or as the film attempts to convey in this way, most ‘Wives’ in our country. The Wife is an aspiring dancer who’s just married into one of those ultra-conservative Kerala households where unwritten rules have been followed for generations.
Having grown up in a rather liberal family herself, she’s in for a shock. This is a household where a woman’s primary role seems to be one of servitude and submission and Jeo Baby’s screenplay does a terrific job of establishing this in a subtle, almost sarcastic manner. There’s a series of shots of food getting cooked, fried, ground and roasted in the kitchen, and before the aesthetic quality of these visuals begins to appeal, we see more images of disgusting food waste, clogged kitchen drains and dirty tables that the women of the household are expected to clean up on. These shots are repetitive and alternate hilariously with those of the men of the household practicing Yoga or just plain idling around.
But all this is just the tip of a larger problem (if there could be one). As the scenes roll, we realize how deep toxic masculinity and patriarchy have seeped into the daily functioning of this household. The Wife is denied the ‘permission’ to enroll for dance lessons. In another scene, she’s made to ‘apologize’ for calling out her husband’s repulsive table manners. The sequences where she’s ostracized and taunted while having her periods are just plain chilling.
The film also adds a real social debate into the mix as it veers towards its climax: the subject of women’s entry into Sabarimala. While The Wife tries hard to maintain her poise and dignity in the middle of this dysfunctional milieu, you get the sense that something is definitely about to give.
The Great Indian Kitchen is a great example of lived-in cinema that resonates closely with many prominent Iranian films in a stylistic sense. I think there was hardly any background score. This was instead replaced by circadian household sounds of food getting fried, clothes getting washed and floors getting mopped (an award for outstanding audiography surely incoming). The acting is top notch. Nimisha Sajayan and Suraj Venjaramoodu are in great form of course, but a surprise package is also Suresh Babu who puts in a sterling performance as the sleazy, provocative father-in-law character.
This is probably the best film in a long time dealing with themes of feminism and toxic masculinity. It is hard hitting, brutal and startling. If this film provokes you, be sure that that was the intention! It doesn’t hold back and there are no palliative touches at all. Though it comes from an Indian kitchen, this is one dish that’s served raw, and also tastes intensely bitter.
Overall rating: 3.5/5
