Food For Thought review: A reminder that old habits die hard

The year may be 2020, but for some families, modern thinking is limited to their appliances. The rest is stuck in ideals dating back at least a few generations. The short film Food For Thought by Tania Deohans captures this quite well, with a humorous hand.

Zenobia (Aban Bharucha Deohans) and her daughter Simran (Rashi Mal) prepare for a visit from a prospective groom for the latter. We have seen this seen many times before; however, the conversation that follows is more refreshing. Over snacks and tea, the two families get to know each other as they list out their offsprings' accomplishments.

At one question, though, the whole conversation takes a turn. Do you know how to cook? Obviously, this is directed at the young woman. Simran, a cardiologist, answers in the negative. So does her mother. The family has focused on her work and career over learning how to cook and tend to the family. Both of Simran's parents are professors and, like their daughter, they prioritize work over home. They have a maid to cook and take care of the household chores.

The visiting family takes it as an affront. Their daughter-in-law must know how to cook and take care of the family members at home. The rishta (alliance) is called off. Until a late-night distress phone call from the would-be mother-in-law Seema (Alka Amin) asks for help with her husband Suraj (Micky Makhija). They require a consultation from the cardiologist at home, Simran.

The ten-minute short, written by Aban Bharucha Deohans, confronts outdated gender issues which dictate that only women are saddled with the care of a household, especially the kitchen. While Simran's progressive parents state that they have raised their daughter to be herself with good values, I wish the question of cooking was also directed at the passive groom-to-be. Now that would have been some food for thought.

The cast enact their roles well and the atmosphere of Simran's half-Punjabi, half-Parsi home is firmly established with nice touches among the family members. The production design by Juhi Talmaki and the costumes by Kamlaxi Gupta give the short film a nice lived-in feel, too.

Food For Thought begins to tackle an important subject amongst many families going in for arranged marriages these days, but just when it begins to crack upon a surface, it ends abruptly. Though the end is appropriate, I just felt there might have been a little more to be said.

Food For Thought is available on Zee5. The film was shortlisted for the Filmfare Short Film awards 2021. Click to watch the film.