I am a big fan of south Indian movies. My most favorite amongst them are NTR-kathanayakudu, Mahanati, Drishyam2 and the list goes on. Today I saw “The Great Indian Kitchen” on prime videoand it totally stirred me. I could not hold myself from writing about this movie. Not able to get over the hard-hitting storyline of this movie.
From the promos you won’t be able to judge the subject of this movie. Initially I thought it’s about food, chef or some catering business. For initial half an hour you will not understand what exactly is the story about. There are close up shots of all the south Indian dishes. Chopping of vegetables, dosa being made, sambar, sizzling sounds in the kitchen everything is truly tempting and mouthwatering. There are repetitive scenes or breakfast, lunch, dinner and household chores that are drilled into your mind. Eventually you will realize this movie is beyond food.
When you watch the scene for the first time you are amused. Second time, you will develop inquisitiveness about the storyline. Third, fourth time it will irritate you. But that’s exactly what the director wants from you. The monotonous scenes which might look boring are shown with a purpose. The director demands that anxiety from the audience. Viewers should go through that frustration of being locked inside the repetitious life and should feel that desperate need for the correct step to be taken by the protagonist.
The movie focuses on various issues like gender stereotyping, orthodoxy and regressive customs. It also highlights the issues related to generation gap. This movie is highly disturbing. It won’t allow you to sleep and all the scenes will revolve in your mind. There is no fight in the whole movie. You will not find any shouting scene or domestic violence anywhere. But then it will hurt you.
Looking at the performance, excellent acting by all the actors. The actors are so natural in their roles that you will feel, some cameras are fixed inside a house. Nimisha with no make-up looks so convincing in her character. Her expressions of a wife, while doing different chores and getting adjusted in a patriarchal set up are exceptional. Director Jeo Baby has done perfect detailing in all the scenes! Even in the repetitive kitchen scenes you will find various dishes if you observe carefully. He has also shown contrast situation where Nimisha’s friend invites her for the dance performance. The friend’s husband is shown to be very supportive. Some scenes may get boring. There was a scene where the lady gives toothbrush and chappals to the senior most member, which is hardly seen in today’s era. One interesting thing about the movie is that there are no names given to any of the characters. The film has very few dialogues. The suffocation of the protagonist is not communicated through sad music or monologues but through actions and that itself is far more touching. One scene where the husband is giving lecture about “family” in his class is intensely shot. You are bound to hate Suraj in this movie. Wonderful performance by him.
The climax of the movie is highly appreciable. Last movie that I watched with the similar subject was Thappad which was again a multi-layered movie. This movie reminds me of another stunning movie English Vinglish. The Great Indian Kitchen stands special for its execution. Being highly realistic it will compel you to ponder on many issues which are still unresolved in some parts of our society.