Rahul Ravindran: It was my responsibility to do The Great Indian Kitchen

It is both a rarity and a blessing for artists to be able to be a part of a creative venture whose core values and beliefs align with their own. When such compelling vision knocks on the door, artists feel liberated and perhaps even obligated to be part of such endeavours. For actor-filmmaker Rahul Ravindran, The Great Indian Kitchen (TGIK) was an obvious film to say yes to.

Speaking to us, a few days after the release of the Tamil version, headlined by Aishwarya Rajesh, Rahul recalls that halfway through watching the Malayalam original, he decided he wanted to be a part of the remake. "A few days after the Malayalam film was released, director Kannan sir asked me to watch it. He also mentioned that he had acquired the remake rights and asked if I wanted to be part of it. We were contemplating the remake even before the original had become popular," says Rahul, who remembers hearing the film's title and assuming the film would be a 'rom-com about two chefs'. "I wasn't expecting such a film at all. It evoked a strong response in me and I felt it was my responsibility to do this film."

The original, directed by Jeo Baby, was a scathing commentary on patriarchy and its many manifestations within the Indian household. The remake is a faithful reproduction, with Rahul observing how he's able to relate to the suffocation the wife's character is subjected to. "During the first few minutes, I was perplexed by the monotony and repetition of scenes depicting women doing household chores. But then, it occurred to me that if watching this was as uncomfortable, imagine living it."

Rahul further reveals that the film made him think about how he could have been a bit more helpful to his mother in his teenage years, and how it got him wondering why men don't take up an equal share of domestic responsibilities. "Luckily, in my early 20s, I began reading a lot of books and watched a wide variety of films. It opened my mind and I became a better person. And when I got the opportunity to do TGIK, I thought doing a remake would be my way of saying sorry to my Amma," he shares.

Rahul, incidentally, has been pretty vocal about his views on patriarchy and equality. "I believe and uphold these values that are similar to the crux of the story. And I think this might have encouraged Kannan sir to approach me because I could easily connect with the vision. He gave me a lot of freedom to process ideas and reciprocate them through performance. He intervenes only when he does not get what he wants and also provides a clear explanation. That's why he is an actors' darling," says the actor who believes this role gave him the opportunity to play a well-written and nuanced character and hone his acting abilities.

Given that TGIK is an adaptation, Rahul accepts that comparisons are par for the course. However, he does mention that the Tamil version is mounted on a different pitch, so he had to tune his performance accordingly. Rahul regards Suraj Venjaramoodu, who played his role in the original, as one of the most elite acting talents and admits that he was aware comparisons would be inevitable--and that's perhaps why he's eager to point out that the Tamil version has him playing a slightly different interpretation of the character.

"If we had shown an overtly aggressive person, there are chances that a portion of men will easily disassociate. Some men are good in other facets of life, but they may not treat women properly. It is because of bad conditioning. Even as adults, they are unable to rise above such conditioning. So to play this role, I first analysed the character and put myself in his shoes and understood how he would react. I tried to humanise this guy. The intention was to make the men relate to him," he explains.

All such challenges and suffering dissipated in the face of the kind responses he has been receiving since release. Rahul shares that people who had not watched the Malayalam film, appreciated him for doing it in Tamil. "The fact that the film bothered them to feel compelled to argue and have a discourse about such topics is itself a win for me. On the other hand, many women told me they found the story to be relatable. I feel that if the film made the lives of at least five women better, that's our success."