Tarla Hindi Movie
It is said that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. This idea may seem nice at first glance, but a deeper analysis reveals a case of casual sexism and gender stereotyping. It signifies a world where a woman must confine herself to the kitchen while forsaking her ambitions to keep her man happy. When Tarla Dalal (Huma Qureshi) tells her culinary students that she does not know whether it is good to spend a large part of one's life cooking, you sense the anguish of a woman who could not explore other opportunities in life. Sure, she says that cooking is an art, but what good is it if one cannot enjoy it to the fullest? Director Piyush Gupta's movie is based on the life of food journalist and chef Tarla Dalal.
Young Tarla dishes out a carrot pudding with a sprinkling of chilli powder to the man who comes to see her with his family. It seems our lady does not believe in the aforementioned idea. She wants to somehow evade the early marriage, but unfortunately, Sharib Hashmi's Nalin Dalal agrees to the relationship. In an early scene, Nalin tells Tarla that he will support her in any life decision she makes.
Years later, Tarla is a housewife, and Nalin is a successful engineer. This alone indicates that she has been living without a choice, whereas he stays the sole breadwinner of the family. But their fortunes change when Nalin's factory closes its operations, while Tarla's food earns her a growing number of followers. A bit like in Anu Menon's "Shakuntala Devi", Tarla makes us wonder whether a woman can pursue her ambitions and build a successful career without the envy of her man and his family.
Tarla becomes so famous that a media company even hires her for a cooking show, but ironically, her own child suffers from malnutrition. Like all housewives, much of the blame goes to Tarla, while the man in the house remains an innocent spectator. It is easy to wince at the political incorrectness of the movie. Today's generation is sure to have certain reservations about its story elements. But it is important to note that Tarla takes place at a time and place where political incorrectness and casual sexism were the only norms in Indian society.
Tarla is such a subtle film, for the most part. With his cinematographer, Salu K. Thomas, Piyush Gupta stages scenes and moments that tell a lot without much dialogue. Take, for instance, the scene where Tarla and Nalin speak about each other's days at the office. Neither of them is listening to the other as they speak, serving as a metaphor for the ego-driven divide between the characters. Thomas places the camera at and around the door as the characters speak, giving us a sense of listening to them like a fly on the wall.
This subtle quality is not there throughout the movie, though. The climax, in particular, is a bit too revealing and in-your-face. However, the performances from Huma and Sharib Hashmi keep the film grounded and real. You may watch Tarla on Zee5.
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