Unravelling The Power Conflict In Institutionalised Marriage In The Great Indian Kitchen And A Kitchen In The Corner Of The House

Abstract

This article argues that equity in societal roles should be established irrespective of gender and the marital bond should not be a means to establish gender-related bias. A case study is provided to compare the book by Ambai, A Kitchen in the Corner of the House and the film, Jeo Baby’s The Great Indian Kitchen which is based on it. Points of view are divided on the basis of societal, ethical, philosophical and timely comparisons of the film in the first part. Symbolism and unconventional portrayal of the events (with respect to other films sharing the same theme) and scenes are judged free of bias in most areas. Expansion and preservation of normative power and treatment of one particular gender as the ‘other’ are reached through discussion on the portrayal of the base structure of patriarchy. The final section of the text deals with the critical study on the book and an emphasis on the deep structure of images.