Ghar Ki Murgi: Who Takes Care Of The Caretaker, This Short Film Asks

While everybody sleeps, my mother wakes up early to begin yet another day living for her family. This is the story of every homemaker who works tirelessly but is often taken for granted, maybe because we are too used of things being served on a platter. Ghar Ki Murgi, a SonyLiv original short film accurately highlights how a stay-at-home mother leads her day and the ignorance she is subjected to.

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The Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari directorial opens with a whistling pressure cooker. While the rest of the household sleeps in peace, the protagonist, Seema (Sakshi Tanwar) rushes to turn off the gas. That's how her day kicks off and doesn't halt until everybody goes off to sleep at night. As for her morning routine, she cooks the breakfast for her kids and husband, serves tea to her in-laws, runs with the kids to drop them off on the bus stop and the one time she sits down and pours herself a glass of water, her husband, Sandeep (Anurag Arora) calls up and asks her to throw him the car keys that he has forgotten at home from the balcony. She never gets to drink that glass of water.

Unknowingly or knowingly, we as a society have been failing mothers and wives who sacrifice their careers to look after their families.

Seema then massages her mother-in-law's feet. The day gets only more hectic for Seema as she performs the rest of the chores like buying ration, putting the clothes out to dry, helping her father-in-law with his walk, and assisting children with their homework, oh and she also runs a parlour. In fact, the only time we see her satisfied is when she keeps her day's earnings from her parlor in a box. There's also a scene where the entire family can be seen spending time together after dinner, while Seema sits eating alone at the dining table. This will resonate with so many people in our society, be it women who eat on their own, only after everyone has finished their meals or the family which doesn't spare a thought for little sacrifices that homemakers like Seema make on a daily basis.

But it isn't just the apathy towards caregivers that this film highlights. In another sequence, Seema's husband makes fun of her in front of his friends by denying to accept that her earnings contribute in meeting the daily expenditure of the house. She goes to the kitchen and breaks down but has to contain her emotions. The next day, while talking to her house-help Malti, she compares herself to the pressure cooker, saying that it can at least vent out. This forms the crux of the story as a housewife symbolizes the dal in 'Ghar ki murgi dal barabar', who is trapped in the cooker, unappreciated, and wants to let some steam off.

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Unknowingly or knowingly, we as a society have been failing mothers and wives who sacrifice their careers and dreams to look after their families. While they devote their lives to our happiness, we do not even bother to acknowledge the hardships they face, let alone appreciate them.

The family is taken aback when Seema declares that she wishes to go for a month-long solo trip to Goa. When she expresses her desire, more so the need for a break, Sandeep says, "Tumhe break chahiye? Tum kaam thodi na karti ho, ghar mei hi toh rehti ho saara din." (You need a break? You stay at home and do nothing.) This is something that will echo with every woman. Until there is any monetary benefit, a service doesn't carry any value, one of the reasons why we do not appreciate the work women put in to manage their homes, and why they are the only ones stuck with most of the thankless jobs around a house.

Have you ever wondered how your wet towel disappears from the bed, how your messy room shines clean every evening, how the fridge is refilled with milk every morning and how the dining table gets replenished with breakfast, lunch and dinner every single day?

A stressed household sits together to discuss how to divide the tasks Seema performs. It dawns upon them that her unpaid work saves them about Rs. 31000 per month, roughly half of what Sandeep earns. He apologizes to her. The next day, she leaves the house for her flight but ends up returning back in a few hours and says, "Aap sab ke bina ek mahina kaise reh paaungi, aur phir chhutti toh family ke saath hoti hai." (How would I survive without you all for a month, besides a holiday is only that when it's with your family.)

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Have you ever wondered how your wet towel disappears from the bed, how your messy room shines clean every evening, how the fridge is refilled with milk every morning and how the dining table gets replenished with breakfast, lunch and dinner every single day? It's not magic, it's the woman of the house, perpetually working to make your lives smooth. The film pokes our society with questions we do not want to answer. How much do we value the lady in the house? Do we ask her to sit down and offer her a cup of tea to drink in peace? Or even a glass of water? Did we ever ask her about her individual ambitions? Do we ever wonder who will take care of the caretaker?

Image Credit: YouTube screenshot

Saavriti is an intern with SheThePeople.TV