Summary
Only some people want to be in a kitchen with more problems and less love. What does your mind picture when I say, “The Great Indian Kitchen”?
Lip-smacking food, daunting female caretakers on the run, or a confident lady who speaks her mind?
Sound unusual, right?
Do we even know what it takes for a person to give this kind of full-time service giver to everyone in the house? They are hidden contributors to every economy across the world.
But, sadly, some care, others don’t.
Why was a movie like "The Great Indian Kitchen" made?
Believe us! Many women left their jobs during the pandemic because creches were closed, both in-laws and spouses (in some cases) became demanding, and hence, it became too difficult for them to maintain a work-life balance.
Thinking! Women must do it all, no matter what.
Similarly, in this movie, both female and male protagonists have an arranged marriage setup, and there is no problem in the beginning. But with time, the lady’s slight normal adjustments became an exponentially bigger problem later.
It starts with one regular adjustment, then another, and the progression compounds later.
Those slight adjustments were made for a few days but later became an everyday affair. Later, the workload keeps piling up with each passing day. It’s not that family didn’t know what could make a person’s life easier, but they just did it because that was their comfort zone and expected the lady in the house to be in full submissive mode.
The movie’s creators are trying to address a problem: “ Women have to do it all.” But at the cost of what?
Things start getting murkier
When the woman decides to follow her dream, she has to get the approval of her spouse and in-laws. But this is not what the family’s authority approves of; instead, they keep demanding all comforts for the entire household.
There is no problem when the authority tries to suggest a thing.
But it becomes utterly disgraceful when authority decides what you must do and should not do to save the old family legacy despite being aware that the world has progressed tremendously.
After a certain point, what was fun before feels like a burden to the lady, and one is forced to get a divorce to live a way more dignified life than her current setting.
The Story is Different
The Great Indian Kitchen perfectly captures the most annoying and dramatic part of every Indian Kitchen and could have been only captured via filmography and not random discussions.
(P.S.: You can agree with some things the creators are trying to explain here.)
But what happens to the lady after she walks out of the place?
The lady finds her new peace and follows her dreams. Although the man did get married for the second time, he now understands how responsibly he must treat his new lady.
Not Just a Story of Women
It’s not that only a woman goes through the entire saga. It is a story of the system where one has to say ‘yes’ to the authority and ‘no’ to everything unsuitable for the system. Here, Authority believes this is how the system must work, no matter how many sacrifices a man/woman makes.
At the same time, let’s not make this self-evident thing that happens in every Indian household: the world is changing, and so is India, which is at a swift pace.
So, what can you do if you are going through the same stereotype?
You need to set an example in a family by trying different things but still respecting your authority because they are meant to be respected.
Things are changing for good in India.
And now, the Great Indian Kitchen is being managed by both men and women working in the Kitchen together. There is mutual respect for their profession as well.
Yes, overnight success is impossible, but slowly and steadily, people are being educated on how women can contribute to society and why their contribution is unmatchable in this parallel world.
The Great Indian Kitchen is a 2021 Indian Malayalam-language drama film written and directed by Jeo Baby.
