What Is the Story About?
The story is something we are all aware of. Other than the names of the characters and the language, everything remains the same. Richa is a young, ambitious girl who gets married to Diwakar. The family of Diwakar, which had just him and his parents, seems decent.
But an extreme form of patriarchy was waiting for Richa. She is scared but just like most women, she agrees to adapt. Diwakar’s mother goes to see her daughter and the entire household falls on Richa. When things go extreme, then Richa starts her rebellion against the brutal patriarchy she was a victim of.
Performances?
Sanya Malhotra is a good actress who has given some good performances in films like Pataakha and Pagglait. Good for her; she got a lead role in such a sensitive film and she does the justice. The way she transitions from an unmarried girl to a compromising woman to someone who rebels to follow her dreams is incredible.
Nishant Dahiya and Kanwaljit Singh are very apt in their roles. After a while, you start feeling a sort of disgust from them and that says enough about the strong performance they delivered.
Analysis
The film is slap. There are so many things that happen around us and we have normalised it to an extent that doesn’t even seem problematic.
For instance, a typical aunty nagging about the rules of a good married woman, especially near young brides. A PhD-holder woman never pursues any career except homemaking, which doesn’t even give her financial autonomy and respect.
Old uncles murmuring or dismantling 3-4 words to a dinner that took 3-4 hours to make.
Women expect to forget their hobbies and passions as soon as they get married.
All this seems normal to an extent that we forget to appreciate how toxic that is.
For instance, there is a scene where Richa is asked to delete her old dance videos that seemingly can cause disgrace to the family.
The whole film stays very true to the original Malayalam film “The Great Indian Kitchen.” The movie has tweaked some cultural references and thankfully it doesn’t look like Sanya Malhotra’s unintentionally funny Meenakshi Sundareshwar.
One remarkable thing is the way it makes the audience extremely uncomfortable without any violence or skin show. It is a result of excellent storytelling and we must appreciate the original writers.
Music and Other Departments?
Let’s talk about music first. Yes, it is not a musically heavy film but it is such a wasted opportunity. No song is always better than bad songs and this film falls in the latter category.
Remember Drishyam (2015)?
There was no big role of music but the way “Dam Ghut ta Hai” plays accentuates the story. A similar job is done in Mary Kom by the song “Adhure.”
The internal struggles of the protagonist could inspire immensely powerful music but it is such a missed chance.
But let’s talk about how the makers have used food in the narrative. The scenes involving food (practically half of the film) are accompanied by remarkable cinematography and the visual metaphors just hit you hard if you are careful.
Highlights?
Storytelling
Performances
Cinematography
Drawbacks?
Music
Gets slugging in the middle.
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes
Will You Recommend It?
Yes
Mrs Movie Review by Binged Bureau
We’re hiring!
We are hiring two full-time junior to mid-level writers with the option to work remotely. You need to work a 5-hour shift and be available to write. Interested candidates should email their sample articles to [email protected]. Applications without a sample article will not be considered.
