If you know Malayalam, you are better off reading Joshina Ramakrishnan’s review which captures the whole essence of the movie and places it smack in the middle of the collective conscience of Malayalis.
The first thing that appears on the screen after CBFC certificate is not a 2D Ganesha idol. It is the words “THANKS SCIENCE”. What follows is 100 minutes of silently violent, nauseating, sensitive, beautiful modern cinema.
There are a million things said without saying and to spoil them in a review would be a disservice to the movie. I suggest that you head over to neestream and get a week’s pack to watch this movie ASAP. English subtitles by 1″ barrier will help non-Malayalis catch the subtle dynamics between characters.
But to appreciate the brilliance of this movie you don’t need to know Malayalam, because many important dialogues in this movie are the sounds made by the kitchen in response to the woman who is forced to converse with it against her wish.
But don’t for a moment be under the impression that The Great Indian Kitchen is about the kitchen. It is also about the bedroom. And the rest of the house. And the entirety of the society.
The characters in this movie are all of us. The movie is thus a mirror. What we see in it is what we should see in ourselves. But who has ever looked in a mirror and decided to change their life?