The Great Indian Kitchen - Review

A few weeks ago a friend recommended a Malayalam movie called "The Great Indian Kitchen". I had a quick glance through reviews on the internet and I knew I had to watch this one with complete attention. There are movies that tell stories through stunning visuals, dialogues, music, makeup and melodrama - and there are ones that tell stories very effectively without any of this. These are the movies that are creations inspired by something that has touched the maker far deeper beyond the intellect.

The onion peels, the rusty knives, the hard beetroot, the soaked dal, the dosa being spread over the greasy tawa, the coconut grater...

The hand ground chutney, the rice bubbling away on firewood, the never ending soiled vessels, the sink overflowing with dirty water, the dripping pipe, and the paint bucket below it, the makeshift wooden lid of the stinky bin, the spices and condiments stored in boxes and bottles of all shapes and sizes strewn all over...

The absence of any meaningful human conversation beyond what's cooking...

The little girl - the only real human connect...

The post graduate lady from the prestigious family who sits indifferently in complete filth to eat her own meal...

The steaming hot dosas that are served to the menfolk, and the bunch of cold sticky dosas that are nonchalantly divided between the two ladies...

A suitcase filled with food and a murukku mould being packed off to another destination...

The last moment of the day when the chores seem to be over, and the water starts dripping... The putrid cloth thrown away in the corner for tackling tomorrow morning - a courageous woman conceding defeat in the face of never ending drudgery...

The forced smiles between the helpless frowns...

The sounds of the kitchen...

The unedited long camera shots whirling around the house just as confused and disturbed as she is...

The insufficient lighting...

The absence of makeup...

Symbolism - the cars leaving the house in reverse gear, the endless photo frames of "happily" married couples, the toothbrush, the lamp offered to the goddess...

The women who see nothing amiss...

And... the men.

Nothing much is said, nothing new happens frame after frame - to the point of boredom - and that is when the message sinks in! Watching it is so boring... how would it feel to do it minute after minute for years!

"The Great Indian Kitchen" - a complete masterpiece that talks about much more than the kitchen.