Mr Jeo Baby, the esteemed Director of the much-debated Malayalam movie -The Great Indian Kitchen has touched the lives of the majority of Indian women with his real-life narrative. This movie has evolved to become a revolutionary trigger causing both men and women to reassess their life. Indeed this movie has taken the Malayalam movie industry to yet another level of excellence by its simple, yet deeply profound storyline.

Let us take a peek into what the movie is about, the cast and where to watch this game-changer film online.

The plot of the movie

The plot of the story is best described in the Director’s own words.

“It’s a universal story. A woman’s struggle in the kitchen is the story of almost all women in India,” says Joe Baby, the sensational director. “Men think women are machines for making tea and washing clothes and raising kids.”

“After I got married in 2015, I started spending a lot of time in the kitchen since I believe in gender equality. That’s when I realized that cooking involves a lot of heavy lifting.” He said.

“I felt like I was trapped in a jail. And then I started thinking of all the women who can’t escape and it troubled me.” And thus a great movie bringing harsh realities to light was born.

The story revolves around the life of a well-to-do middle-class family where the men are the Lords of the house and the women are expected to toil in the kitchen.

The wife peels, cuts, cooks, washes, cleans the drainage, sweeps, mops endlessly daily. The husband breathes in and out, performing Yoga, drinking coffee, and leaving all his mess for her to clean after he leaves for office.

She is expected to comply with the rules and traditions of the house silently as that is what makes a good wife, according to society. Leaving her self-respect behind, the young bride who was once an active and bubbly dancer falls into the trap of being a good wife.

Until one day, when she decides that life is much more than drudgery and household chores. Gathering her courage, she walks away into her newly found freedom and pursues a passionate career as a dancer cum dance teacher.

Cast and crew involved

Nimisha Sajayan, the heroine, and Suraj Venjaramood, the hero, both have excelled in their performance in the lead roles.

The movie cast has been mentioned below.

Release dates of the movie

Where to watch The Great Indian Kitchen

The Online streaming of The Great Indian Kitchen was a question mark initially. The Malayalam movie, now streaming on the OTT platform Amazon Prime, has been an instant hit as it was widely accepted by the female community across the country. The great Indian kitchen carries a controversial theme and hence was rejected by many OTT platforms, including Netflix. They claimed that the theme revolved around the sensitive topic of women entering Sabarimala Temple, other age-old customs followed during a lady’s menstrual cycle, etc. Another controversial debate was regarding the hardships faced by a Keralite woman in a patriarchal society.

Even before Amazon Prime, this movie was streaming on a Malayalam OTT service known as Neestream. And because they solved the problem of which platform to watch this movie during the pandemic, Director Jeo Baby wholeheartedly expresses his gratitude. In fact, Neestream was the only means of keeping the movie running for the initial two months.

Why The Great Indian Kitchen is so popular

The Great Indian Kitchen is the story of so many Indian households. From long ago, the Indian society has been considered to be a patriarchal one. It is a common sight to see the ladies of the house waking up early to start their preparations in the kitchen. The Indian cuisine is spectacular, both in terms of taste and appeal. However, the struggle that goes into preparing each one of these dishes is humungous.

In the movie, it is clearly shown how even a simple meal in a Malayalee kitchen takes an immense toll on an inexperienced young wife. Not only does she have to spend long, endless and tiring hours doing all the housework, but she also has to go ahead and clean the mess left by the men of the house.

The Director, Jeo Baby, has portrayed the feelings of repulsion each woman experiences when she has to keep her self-respect and pride tucked away within herself. Doing these mundane activities daily and then being treated like a nobody humiliates the heroine further.

It is not only the attitude of the men that are being highlighted. The tragedy lies in the fact that some of the elderly women of the family have gracefully accepted their fate and compel the younger generation to follow in their lead.

Being kept aside from all the homely activities during menstrual cycles and being treated as an untouchable is yet another heart-breaking emotion that Nimisha has brought to life so well through her character. While the concept of allowing a woman to rest during her periods was a mindful thought by much older generations, somewhere along the lines, the custom lost its dignity and women started being treated unfairly.

There is yet another version of this movie that has made it highly popular. The courage of the young wife to break free from the chains of patriarchy and follow a path of self-discovery has been applauded by many. The silent support her mother-in-law gives her is also heart-touching. Somewhere along with the movie, we see women, be it the brave housemaid, the little girl who comes to deliver milk, and the young bride, coming together to support each other.

Packing up

The Indian female audience has taken this movie to their hearts as they can see themselves in it at some point or the other. Even their male counterparts have come open saying that they have not thought about what goes behind the walls of the kitchen. Indeed The Great Indian Kitchen is an eye-opener movie for the younger generations. Let us hope that soon the upcoming generations will realise the concept of equality and sharing household chores so that marriage becomes a blessed partnership and not a dictatorship killing the dignity of Indian women.