No one is ever (willingly) born into this world with preconceived roles to be fulfilled in their lifetime, whether that be decided by their gender or any other social classification. Despite this, the brunt of this harsh expectation is mostly faced by women –– take a peek into your typical Indian kitchen, and you’ll see.
Jeo Baby’s ‘The Great Indian Kitchen’ aptly puts across this message. In the long-standing Indian belief, it is assumed that a wife is responsible for keeping her husband happy, fed and satisfied. All her chores cater to her ‘other half’ and barely ever to herself.
Helping out in the kitchen by cooking and cleaning is not a glorified ask from a man, it is simply a shared responsibility –– unfortunately in India, this is an ‘ideal’ situation. The film does not resort to sensationalism or male-bashing, which we highly appreciate, and simply portrays the Indian kitchen as it is.
The film, after being rejected by Netflix and Amazon is streaming on Neestream App and has received acclaim from far and wide. It has, however, caused a debate surrounding the gender roles portrayed and proves just how patriarchal our society still is. Many believe that this is the way the world works –– but it is important to understand that the world, too, sometimes functions incorrectly.
The Great Indian Kitchen is a simple film with a simple story –– even though it is fiction, it speaks the truth of almost every household in the country and sheds light on the plight of women living in them. This patriarchal form of society is far from gone, but it is films like these that bring its shortcomings to the fore.
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