Check out 16 Return-To-Work Programs In India For Ambitious Women Like You!
Kuler Achaar, directed by Sudeep Das, is a ‘feminist movie,’ from Tollywood’s tinsel town about a bahu who refuses to change her surname after marriage.
A recent ‘feminist movie,’ in Tollywood’s tinsel town happens to be Kuler Achaar, directed by Sudeep Das, is streaming on Hoichoi.
Kul is also known as jujube or ber or boguri or Indian plum, and its pickle is a favourite condiment of the Bengali community. And sometimes life of a bride is just like pickle — sweet, sour and grinding!
The theme of the movie though hackneyed, still remains the bête noire of a vast chunk of Indian bahus even in these changing times.
Yes, changing a newly-wed bride’s surname after marriage is still a hot and highly debatable point, especially among urban, affluent, (but retrograde) Indians today.
In the majority of Indian households, it’s as important for the bahu to adopt her husband’s surname as wearing the trademark mangalsutra, or smearing the forehead with sindoor.
Any dilly-dallying or blatant refusal to comply may turn out to be disastrous (as Yours Truly discovered through her own first-hand experiences).
Kuler Achaar revolves around the harrowing experiences of Mithi and Pritam, newly-wed honeymooners who are arrested by the police, when the hotel they are lodged in, is raided following complaints of nefarious activities.
The cops refuse to believe in the authenticity of their marriage, since the duo’s identity cards display divergent surnames. Even though they manage to scrape through, ultimately, trouble continues to chase, Mithi.
Be it her domineering dad-in-law, neighbours or acquaintances, everyone seems to be nettled by the fact that she refuses to change her maiden name. Even her mother persuades her to switch over to her new identity.
Then, all of a sudden, there appears a twist-in-the-tale. The viewers are taken aback.
One fine morning Mitali, Mithi’s mum-in-law, announces that she would revert to her maiden surname! After nearly four decades of harmonious conjugal life, she decides to reclaim her name!
All hell breaks loose; pandemonium ensues. However, Mitali refuses to buckle under pressure and moves ahead with the legal formalities. Throughout her struggles, her sole companion is Mithi with whom she develops great camaraderie and an invisible bond.
Spoilers
By a quirk of fate, Mitali dies before all the formalities get over and are done with. The movie ends on a poignant note: Mitali’s renewed Adhaar card is delivered while her funeral is underway. Mithi hands it over to the deceased’s husband, who is visibly moved and bitterly repents having misunderstood and mistreated his wife.
He waives all embargo heretofore imposed on Mithi, exhorting her to live life in her own way. Then he gently places the card besides Mitali’s framed photograph (anointed, garlanded for the occasion) thus symbolically recognizing her new identity.
Regarding the significance of the name: this quintessentially Bengali condiment is sour/tangy, hot and sweet all rolled into one; it is akin to a medley of human experiences.
Phew! I wish my late papa-in- law (PBUH) had also been condescending. Unfortunately he wasn’t. For an entire year he raved, ranted, growled bullied, blackmailed and browbeat me till I yielded.
All in all, despite a smattering of melodrama and idiosyncrasies, the film is certainly worth a dekko for women who have undergone encounters of this kind.
Image source: Still from the trailer of the film, edited on CanvaPro
Am a trained and experienced features writer with 25 plus years of experience .My favourite subjects are women's issues, food travel, art,culture ,literature et all.Am a true feminist at heart. An iconoclast read more...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
If her home and family seem to be impacted by her career then we expect her to prioritize her ‘responsibilities at home as a woman’ and leave her job.
The entrenched patriarchal norms have always perpetuated certain roles and responsibilities as falling specifically in the domain of either men or women. Traditionally, women have been associated with the domestic sphere while men have been considered the bread winner of the household. This division of roles has become so ingrained in our lives that we seldom come to question it. However, while not being questioned does give the system a certain level of legitimacy, it in no way proves its veracity.
This systematic division has resulted in a widely accepted notion whereby the public sphere is demarcated as a men’s zone and the private sphere as belonging to women. Consequently, women are expected to stay at home and manage the household chores while men are supposed to go out and make a living with no interest whatsoever in the running of the household.
This divide is said to be grounded in the intrinsic nature of men and women. Women are believed to be compassionate, affectionate and loving and these supposedly ‘feminine’ qualities make them the right fit for caring roles. Men, on the other hand are allegedly more sturdy, strong and bold and hence, the ones to deal with the ordeals of the outside world.
Who are these people who decide how a married woman should pose? Women do have a life and career outside their marriages!
Last week, a picture kept popping up on my FB feed, of a man and a woman standing close. I didn’t pay much attention, they looked like any other celebrity couple.
It was when I accidentally saw a derogatory term about the woman as the title of a post, that I read.
The woman in the pic was Dhanashree Verma, a Youtuber, choreographer, Jhalak Dikhla Ja participant and wife of cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal. The man was another choreographer, Pratik Utekar.
Please enter your email address