The Great Indian Kitchen

Recently, I saw  Nimisha Sajayan-Suraj Venjaramoodu movie" The Great Indian Kitchen", scripted and directed by Joe Baby, an OTT release . A girl with a passion for dance married to a well educated,employed boy of a ruined feudal family. She was forced to help her mother-in-law, who was a slave to the egoistic father -son duo. After a few days, the mother -in-law went to Bangalore to support her pregnant  daughter. With that, the daughter-in-law  turned into a kitchen-washbasin-laundry- bedroom machine. She was in a state of doing what one didn't like and not doing what one liked. Husband and father-in-law were male egoists and not bothered on the quantum of work she was doing and arrogant on small issues . The hatred that springs up in her, culminated when the untouchability on the menses period and the sabarimala pilgrimage of father-son coincide. There she established her feminist stand and became free by sprinkling the virtue of filth against the male chauvinists.Then, the director  showed us the emergence of   another slave  in her place. The acting of Nimisha, Suraj and the actor who performed the role of  the father were commendable. The film portrays food profanity in the kitchen and on the table in a way that is disgusting to the viewer. The film conveys the message that there may have feudal families still standing.

 I suddenly remembered my family. We were three children, a father, a mother, a grandmother, the workers who were often in the fields, the guests who came at the lunch time. Mother and grand mother had to make food for all of them, and there was another group that included cows, calves, dogs ,hens and cock.That time we never heard of a gas stove,cooking was done using firewood. Laundry  had '501' brand  soap, washing soda  and 'neelam'. (My father was wearing a white mundu and a jubba, mix of neelam and rice starch were a must to make it steady) In addition, they had to prepare food for the cattle too. Needless to say, when it rained, to add to the pain of daily labour, the firewood didn't burn. It was amazing how they handled that Great Kitchen then.

Now, the situation  has changed. We all became small families. Family members  work together to pull  the household forward. Most men  I know, are very supportive on day to day household works.However, even today, there may be people with a low end  chauvinist  character as seen in the movie. They should definitely be shown this movie. It might make a small change in them. There is no doubt that the message is great. 

 The present day Kerala is fast changing.The time is not far off in Kerala when girls will shift to better jobs and boys shifting to household chores. Congratulations to Joe Baby and team for the wonderful presentation of  inner world of a traditional family .