“The Great Indian Kitchen” is a Malayalam film and i don’t understand Malayalam so i watched it with subtitles and it was worth it. So even if you don’t understand Malayalam you can watch it with subtitles but please don’t miss out this masterpiece.

The Great Indian Kitchen, a Malayalam film is a very powerful film made on patriarchy in the recent times. The movie makes us question the deep-rootedness of patriarchy in our society. The film received universal critical acclaim and won Kerala State Film Award for The Best Film.

The film begins with the short of the protagonist portrayed by Nimisha Sajayan as she is happily dancing while snacks are being prepared in the kitchen. The characters in the film have no names because THEY ARE US . A few shots later she is married in renowned family. As the newly wed becomes a wife , her life becomes a monotonous routine which is seen as her duty and is taken for granted. Kitchen plays an important role in the film as she tries to juggle among multiple chores to keep the house in order and the men of the house comfortable. It looks like the story of every other Indian household where the women of the house spend their whole day working on the household chores whereas the men sit and relax. They are not appreciated for their hardwork and love.The shots of the food being prepared in the kitchen makes us wonder how lip-smackingly delicious they must be but then the shots of women preparing those dishes in the most horrific conditions is a stark reminder of the reality. The movie is a reminder of how less we have progressed in achieving gender equality. We remain so oblivious to the condition of women in our own households and we assume that the world has progressed and women are empowered and independent now. They still face subordination and oppression in their own households.