Latest news with #TheGreatIndianKitchen
Mint
28-05-2025
- General
- Mint
Marriage changes women's lives—men's, not so much. The data shows it.
For 28-year-old Reena Khoda, a mother of three, the day kicks off at 4 am. Before heading out for her house-help job, she has to ensure all the day's cooking and cleaning is done. Tamanna Setia, 33, a cabin crew member with an Indian airline and a mother of two, usually starts her day by 6 am, or earlier if her job demands. As she flies to different cities and countries, she juggles everything at home - from house help and nannies to the endless needs of her four- and two-year-olds. Khoda and Setia, and several Indian women, would have seen parts of their lives play out in the recent Hindi film Mrs. and its 2021 Malayalam original, the critically acclaimed The Great Indian Kitchen. The remake was an internet sensation, particularly among women, for its rather intense take on the realities of household management. Both Khoda and Setia acknowledge that their husbands and in-laws provide necessary help, yet both feel managing the home remains primarily their responsibility. For Khoda, her job is a financial necessity; for Setia, it's about independence. Both worry for their kids when away; both feel somewhat overwhelmed. This is not just the story of two young married women with kids. It is a reality shared by millions of Indian women, as revealed in the Time Use Survey, a nationally representative government study that covered over 167,000 respondents. The data shows how marriage, motherhood, and household responsibilities reshape a woman's daily life -- dramatically and disproportionately -- compared to men. It helps sketch what a day in the life of the average Indian looks like, and why, despite greater educational access, women still struggle to translate learning into earning. Part 1: The unpaid burden: For Indian women, degrees don't ease household chores Post-marriage, her world shifts A Mint analysis of the survey's data shows that marriage changes a woman's life drastically, saddling her with unpaid household work. She spends about a fourth of her day on domestic duties - cooking, cleaning, caregiving, and more. That's a striking contrast from the lives of unmarried girls and women, who spend only 6% of their time on such activities. Now compare this with men. Unmarried boys and men spend 1% of their time on household work, which rises to just 3% after marriage. Read this | Where are the women? Why India's trading floors remain a male domain While unmarried women spend a significant share of time (23%) on 'employment' or 'learning' (i.e. earning and preparing to earn, respectively), this effort doesn't translate into time spent on actual formal work after marriage. For men, the total time spent on employment and learning remains unchanged before and after marriage. For married women who do go out to work, their 'double shift"—one at work and then at home—is unmissable. All kinds of work—paid (employment and related activities) and unpaid (domestic labour for family)—together take men roughly 7 hours and 15 minutes in a day, while women spend 7 hours and 48 minutes. Remember, paid work usually comes with weekly offs and vacation time, while domestic chores can be a daily task without breaks. Another shift happens if a marriage ends, through widowhood, divorce, or separation. While married women spend 388 minutes (6 hours and 28 minutes) on unpaid household chores, it comes down to half for widowed/divorced/separated women. For men, the opposite is true—as household burden strikes, the time spent on such tasks rises from 47 minutes to 79 minutes on average. The kitchen's gender gap The old saying 'The way to a man's heart is through his stomach" is seared in reality, underlining how women can earn appreciation or love by cooking delicious meals, something both the films mentioned above highlighted. As it turns out, women do dedicate the maximum of their waking-up hours to food management and preparation. (The first part of the story covered this; read here.) Married women spend 219 minutes (3 hours and 39 minutes) on this; men spend just 4 minutes. The gender gap also exists for other activities under the 'unpaid domestic and caregiving work' category. On 'childcare and instruction', a major task, married women spend 66 minutes a day and married men 19 minutes. Read this | On the gender scale, business schools still don't measure up Employment is a significant activity where women lag men in time spent. The gap is 307 minutes. But if traditional gender roles require women's work at home to balance men's earning endeavours outside, it doesn't play out that way: for the broad category of unpaid domestic and caregiving services, the gender gap is higher, tilted towards (rather, against) women (340 minutes). Learning paradox: from studies to domestic chores All figures in this analysis are averages covering all individuals, including those who do not engage in the said activity at all. When we zero in on only those who actually engage in these tasks, the story gets starker. About 82% of women engage in domestic chores, and about a fourth in caregiving work at home. This, of course, is higher for married women, with a 98% and nearly 50% participation rate, respectively. In comparison, only a third of married men participate in either of these activity categories. The participation rate in domestic chores is high (46%) even among single women and girls—for such boys and men, it's 18%. Also read | This women farmers' network envisions a feminist future for agriculture But here's where the break happens. Among unmarried girls and women, the participation rate in learning or studying is quite high (73%), even higher than such males (58%). However, this does not translate into a higher participation rate in employment post-marriage: 25% for women, against 82% for men. To sum up, married women show near-universal participation in unpaid domestic work, and their early investments in learning rarely translate into earning opportunities. This underscores how women are yet to break many barriers—or rather, how they still lack a conducive environment to bridge the gap between education and the labour market. Shuja Asrar contributed to this story.
Deccan Herald
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Deccan Herald
Tovino Thomas-starrer 'Narivetta' to hit big screen on May 23
Written by Abin Joseph, 'Narivetta' is directed by Anuraj Manohar. The film also stars Suraj Venjaramoodu of 'The Great Indian Kitchen' fame.
Express Tribune
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Mrs actor Nishant Dahiya opens up on backlash for his role: 'Go Eat Rat Poison'
Listen to article Indian actor Nishant Dahiya, who played the role of Diwakar Kumar in the film Mrs., revealed that he received intense hate messages after the film's release. The film, which premiered in February 2025, explores themes of gender roles and patriarchy, focusing on the character Richa (played by Sanya Malhotra), whose aspirations as a dancer are crushed after her marriage to Diwakar, who represents the patriarchal system. While Mrs. received positive reviews, Nishant's portrayal of Diwakar, a toxic and unsupportive husband, sparked strong reactions, especially from men. Nishant admitted in an interview that some men sent him disturbing and violent messages, such as "Go eat rat poison" and "Die somewhere, you mother****er!" These extreme responses were unexpected for him, particularly because they came from men. He speculated that these reactions might be due to something in Diwakar's character that struck a nerve with them. Despite the harsh backlash, Nishant also received messages from women who expressed their dislike for Diwakar's character but praised his acting. He acknowledged that his character was not inherently bad, but rather, he was a product of a patriarchal system that shaped his beliefs and actions without him recognizing the harm he was causing. Initially, Nishant had refused the role after watching the original Malayalam film The Great Indian Kitchen, in which Diwakar's character also represented toxic masculinity. However, after conversations with the film's director and casting team, he reconsidered and took on the challenging role of portraying a character many would see as unsympathetic. Mrs. has sparked discussions about its portrayal of patriarchy and women's freedom to make choices, whether in their careers or domestic roles. Some critics labeled the film as promoting "toxic feminism," but Nishant defended it, emphasizing that the film was about respecting women's choices and not imposing societal expectations on them.
The Independent
24-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
How a film about women's ‘invisible' labour in marriage sparked a debate in India
A Hindi-language film that explores the complexities of marriage and patriarchal traditions that exploit women's labour has sparked a debate in India. Mrs, starring actor Sanya Malhotra, traces the journey of a newlywed woman in her husband's house, where her life seems to be limited to the domestic drudgery of fulfilling the needs of the men in the family through cooking food in the traditional method, cleaning the household, or being forced to endure bad sex at night. The protagonist is routinely reminded by her gynaecologist husband that he works 12 hours attending patients, while her labour in the house goes unacknowledged and under-appreciated. Mrs, directed by Arati Kadav, is a remake of the 2021 poignant Malayalam-language film The Great Indian Kitchen, which at the time received praise for highlighting the domestic abuse of a section of women in their marital life. While the film received accolades, due to its language barrier, the conversation around the unfair distribution of labour was limited to the mostly Malayalam-speaking audience. The Hindi-language film was released on the OTT platform Zee5, reached a wider audience in northern India, and triggered a debate on the subject. A section of the film's male audience was quick to jump on the conversation, calling the film "too feminist", whereas Mrs resonated with many women in India, where more than 470,000 cases are pending before the court under the Domestic Violence Act. Men's advocacy group, Save Indian Family Foundation, accused it of being a "feminist" propaganda film, adding: "Women's issues are eating 80% of the cake when it comes to policies for protection of millions of vulnerable people." The film's director this past week responded to a barrage of criticism, saying she doesn't believe the film portrays "toxic feminism". "We didn't depict men as evil, rather, we showed them as being blind to her struggles, unaware of her humanity." "We've become so accustomed to treating women as 'functions' rather than full, independent humans that it has been normalised. This isn't toxic feminism," Kadav added. A social media user shared a post that claimed the "cringe film" was made on a "weak woman", who was "crying over cooking for two members". 'Cooking and maintaining a home aren't patriarchal. Stop pushing the same old narrative,' lamented another man on X, adding that the film felt '20 years outdated'. Author Rujuta Diwekar on X said people were triggered by the film because "for the first time they are discovering that most girls who stay silent, smile and serve are seething with anger inside". "And if the opportunity presents itself, will throw a bucket on your face and escape the hell hole they are in." "The movie 'Mrs.' doesn't even come close to explaining all that an average housewife in a joint family goes through. Their entire existence is subject to criticism and emotional abuse. It's so normalised that older generation women won't even find anything wrong with the movie," wrote a social media user on X. Author and journalist Nilanjana Bhowmick said it was not enough to just debate the film and move on. "Educate yourself, look in your homes, examine your families, the things you take for granted, and do better," she added. 'I'm glad that the movie Mrs is revealing the real face of some men on this app,' said author Anjuli Rajprasad. 'A movie comes along and they expose themselves openly.' "I had already seen the (original) film when it came to me. The idea was to make the film more palatable for the north Indian audiences,' Malhotra told news agency PTI. '... the thing is that this story is so relevant... So many women have related to (the trailer),' she added. Jeo Baby, the director of The Great Indian Kitchen, said 'these discussions have always existed'. 'Even when The Great Indian Kitchen was released, my film faced a lot of criticism from people in Kerala who claimed that the film was anti-men. What is important is that such issues are discussed,' Baby said, according to The Week. The film was later adapted in Tamil language under the same name.
The Independent
23-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
How a film about domestic abuse sparked a debate about women's ‘unseen' labour in India
A Hindi-language film that explores the complexities of marriage and patriarchal traditions that exploit women's labour has sparked a debate in India. Mrs, starring actor Sanya Malhotra, traces the journey of a newlywed woman in her husband's house, where her life seems to be limited to the domestic drudgery of fulfilling the needs of the men in the family through cooking food in the traditional method, cleaning the household, or being forced to endure bad sex at night. The protagonist is routinely reminded by her gynaecologist husband that he works 12 hours attending patients, while her labour in the house goes unacknowledged and under-appreciated. Mrs, directed by Arati Kadav, is a remake of the 2021 poignant Malayalam-language film The Great Indian Kitchen, which at the time received praise for highlighting the domestic abuse of a section of women in their marital life. While the film received accolades, due to its language barrier, the conversation around the unfair distribution of labour was limited to the mostly Malayalam-speaking audience. The Hindi-language film was released on the OTT platform Zee5, reached a wider audience in northern India, and triggered a debate on the subject. A section of the film's male audience was quick to jump on the conversation, calling the film "too feminist", whereas Mrs resonated with many women in India, where more than 470,000 cases are pending before the court under the Domestic Violence Act. Men's advocacy group, Save Indian Family Foundation, accused it of being a "feminist" propaganda film, adding: "Women's issues are eating 80% of the cake when it comes to policies for protection of millions of vulnerable people." The film's director this past week responded to a barrage of criticism, saying she doesn't believe the film portrays "toxic feminism". "We didn't depict men as evil, rather, we showed them as being blind to her struggles, unaware of her humanity." "We've become so accustomed to treating women as 'functions' rather than full, independent humans that it has been normalised. This isn't toxic feminism," Kadav added. A social media user shared a post that claimed the "cringe film" was made on a "weak woman", who was "crying over cooking for two members". 'Cooking and maintaining a home aren't patriarchal. Stop pushing the same old narrative,' lamented another man on X, adding that the film felt '20 years outdated'. Author Rujuta Diwekar on X said people were triggered by the film because "for the first time they are discovering that most girls who stay silent, smile and serve are seething with anger inside". "And if the opportunity presents itself, will throw a bucket on your face and escape the hell hole they are in." "The movie 'Mrs.' doesn't even come close to explaining all that an average housewife in a joint family goes through. Their entire existence is subject to criticism and emotional abuse. It's so normalised that older generation women won't even find anything wrong with the movie," wrote a social media user on X. Author and journalist Nilanjana Bhowmick said it was not enough to just debate the film and move on. "Educate yourself, look in your homes, examine your families, the things you take for granted, and do better," she added. 'I'm glad that the movie Mrs is revealing the real face of some men on this app,' said author Anjuli Rajprasad. 'A movie comes along and they expose themselves openly.' "I had already seen the (original) film when it came to me. The idea was to make the film more palatable for the north Indian audiences,' Malhotra told news agency PTI. '... the thing is that this story is so relevant... So many women have related to (the trailer),' she added. Jeo Baby, the director of The Great Indian Kitchen, said 'these discussions have always existed'. 'Even when The Great Indian Kitchen was released, my film faced a lot of criticism from people in Kerala who claimed that the film was anti-men. What is important is that such issues are discussed,' Baby said, according to The Week. The film was later adapted in Tamil language under the same name.
