Nimisha Sajayan recalls impact of ‘The Great Indian Kitchen’, says men told her they started washing their own tiffins

MUMBAI: Actress Nimisha Sajayan revealed that the impact of The Great Indian Kitchen went beyond the women who connected with its story.

The actress, in an exclusive conversation with IANS, said she received messages from men who told her that they had started doing their own household chores after watching the film.

Speaking about the response to the 2021 Malayalam film, Nimisha said she received messages from men telling her that they had begun washing their own tiffin boxes before heading home.

“I think in today's society, women are independent, strong, they keep taking care of themselves. So I think after the release of Great Indian Kitchen, I got many messages from men saying that ‘listen, now we wash our tiffin after going home’, you know, because after the film, you know, I can see that shift,” Nimisha said.

The actress stressed that the film was never simply about portraying women as victims, but was instead intended to make audiences question the way women are treated and how their efforts are often taken for granted.

“It's not about bechari women, it was more about the way men treat women, how you take things for granted,” she added.

Nimisha was speaking about the film's impact when she was asked if she had watched its Hindi remake, Mrs, which starred Sanya Malhotra in the lead. The actress said she had not had the opportunity to watch it.

The Great Indian Kitchen was released directly on OTT in January 2021 and starred Nimisha alongside Suraj Venjaramoodu. The film revolved around an educated woman who enters an arranged marriage and gradually finds herself trapped in a deeply patriarchal household, where domestic chores, cooking and serving the men are treated as her unquestioned responsibilities.

Nimisha has now moved into another woman-centric story with Babita Singh Reporting, which premiered on August 28.

The film follows Babita, an underestimated police officer who becomes involved in investigating the murder of her childhood friend while simultaneously dealing with complications in her personal and marital life.