Salt N’Pepper as a new generation

movie
Malayalam movie “Salt N’ Pepper” directed by Aashiq Abu which got
released on 2011 is considered to be one of the path-breaking movies
which started the new wave of new generation model of storytelling in
Malayalam Film Industry.It is widely regarded as one of the defining
movies of the Malayalam New wave.
The film has an original score by Bijibal, with three songs composed
by Bijibal and the song "Aanakkallan" written and sung by Malayalam
rock band Avial. The film was produced by Lucsam Cinema and
released by Lal.
Salt N' Pepper is a 2011 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy
film directed by Aashiq Abu and produced for Lucsam Creations. The
film stars Lal, Asif Ali, Shwetha Menon, and Mythili in the lead roles,
while Baburaj ,Kalpana and Vijayaraghavan play supporting roles.
The film follows the love stories of two couples. The main characters
are: Kalidasan, an archaeologist; Maya, a dubbing artist; Meenakshi, an
IELTS student; Manu, a happy-go-lucky management graduate; and
Babu, Kalidasan's cook. Food plays an important role in the story, and
the tagline of the film is ഒരു േദാശ ഉണ്ടാക്കിയ കഥ - oru Dosa
undaākkiya kadha ("A story made by Dosa", or "A story of making a
Dosa").
Evoking the inevitable paradox of existence by catering to the reality of a post
liberalized and globalized world, these films have played a poignant part in the
revival of Malayalam film industry, now dubbed as Mollywood. The appellation
‘New Generation’ refers, not just to the young, new and apparent amateur
participants both on-screen and off-screen, but also to the novel ways in which
these films approach everyday reality - technically and thematically. Though,
they have impacted Kerala society on multiple levels, invoking a new
consciousness, a poignant change is reckoned in the way they have
revolutionized food culture, revamping the rich culinary legacies. For instance,
the film ‘Salt N Pepper’revived the interest in alternative local fast food chains/
food joints -‘thattukadas’,which produced the famed regional delicacies of
Kerala. The trend of heroes donning the role of chefs or food enthusiasts,
showing off their culinary skills, culminating in the attainment of love,
problematised the stereotypical gender roles portrayed in films. Thus, cuisine
and food ways which act as a catalyst of love and appetite is connected not just
to the act of eating but also desire.
 A breath of fresh air after the 90's
Much of the late 90s and the early 21st century was a terrible period for
Malayalam cinema. Mammooty, Mohanlal and Suresh Gopi were trying to outdo each
other in terms of the number of mediocre films they acted in. Shaji Kailas and his
imitators had run Malayalam cinema into dust. This period was also marked by
regressive portrayal of women in movies.It was people like Ashiq Abu who helped
revive Malayalam cinema. Salt n Pepper was like a breath of fresh air when it came
out. Ashiq was probably the first filmmaker to give us a good look around Kerala's
cities. He (or maybe it was the writers) also set this film in an interesting milieu. The
male lead in Salt n Pepper works in an archaeological department. The female lead is a
dubbing artist. The two of them bond over food in a case of mistaken identities. Baburaj
was hilarious as the cook who provides moral support to the lonely and hard drinking
hero. The film also features scenes where the female characters drink beer and have
fun, a welcome change from the regressive nineties.The writers Dileesh Nair and Syam
Pushkaran packs it in with interesting, humorous and poignant scenes and references.
So a lot of the credit goes to the writers as well.
 Major Themes

1.De-tangling the skeins of food and film

Salt n Pepper is one among the films that have contributed
significant debates to the definition of the entity now known as New Generation Films. Films
have been part of lifestyle of Kerala since its inception in the early decades of 20thC. But this
new group of films which came on screen at the fag end of the first decade of the 21st C was
like a breath of fresh air. Even though they are a far cry from their immediate precursors the
subtle shades of the influence of the early movements can be discerned. A brief overview of
its evolution is imperative here. Though the presence of cinema in Kerala dates back to 1908
with the establishment of the first cinema theatre, the first film in Malayalam J.C.Daniel’s
‘Vigatha Kumaran’was produced and released only in 1930 and it was only in the 1950s that
the regional film industry gained momentum. Largely an offshoot of the progressive theatre
movement, in the 1960s, these films struck a unique chord with the people because of their
skillful delineation of reality. This tradition slowly evolved into the genre of art/ parallel films of
the 70s, the 80s took the mid path which while catering to the commercial and popular
 demand stuck to the treatment of reality in the Art films mode. 1990s saw the emergence of films, a considerable
portion of which were largely a far cry from the earlier periods and were produced taking advantage of the
popular appeal of the heroes and banking on the widespread and quite influential fandom base in Kerala.
(Formation of fans association and welfare groups for almost every actor is a prominent part of the film industry
and they play a crucial role in establishing the reign of these so-called stars, even having powers to decide the
fate of a film). The New Generation Malayalam films slowly entered the scene in the late 2000s imbibing many
elements from their ancestors yet questioning and redefining them. A striking feature of this new group lies in their
approach towards defining existence in the present times. As is seen, an engagement with reality has been part of
the Malayalam film industry since its inception, but these films chose novel ways to express it both in themes and
techniques used. If the everyday reality of any person is examined, food is an essential ingredient, as it plays a
crucial role in deciding our existence and sense of body and self. So, it is not surprising that food becomes one of
the thematic concerns in these films. Interestingly, here the engagement with food moves beyond the idea of it
being a mere means of survival and accounts for the ways in which it is enmeshed into the larger economic and
social narratives. Even though there were references to the culinary legacies of Kerala in the early films mainly
through certain popular song sequences, it is only during the advent of New Generation Films that food donned a
new role a significant role. Among the films that have evoked this powerfully is ‘Salt N’Pepper ’ as is evident from
the titles of these films.
‘Salt N' Pepper ’was released in 2011 under the direction of Aashiq Abu, one among the
stalwarts of New Generation films. It is clear from the tagline of the film ‘Oru Dosa Undakkiya Katha’the story born
out of a Dosa -- that it revolves around the gastronomic legacy of dosa which can be conceptualized as a
fermented crepe made from rice batter and black lentils, a staple diet of Kerala. The protagonists Maya– a
dubbing artist and Kalidasan–an archeologist, accidently meet over phone when Maya tries to place an order for a
special Dosa– ‘thattil kutti dosa’.
Instead of reaching the food outlet she gets Kalidasan on line. Even though they start off on bad note their
mutual love for food takes their relationship to a new level. The film apart from highlighting the importance
of food in the life of Keralites focuses on an unconventional love story. The protagonists of this film are in
their 30s and unmarried which is akin to a taboo in Kerala, is
delineated in a poignant manner in the film. When it is time for them to meet in person they
bank on their younger friends -Manu ,Kalidasan ‘s nephew and Meenakshi, Maya’s roommate.
Though, it has a clichéd ending, where through a strange twist of fate they are brought together, the film
demands our attention to certain other aspects such as the unconventionality of the love story be it the
characters or the medium of food used as a catalyst of love and desire.

How,in the 21st century, the everyday life is constructed and negotiated around food
and more importantly the way the oft-silenced counter narratives are brought to the fore - be it
the struggle for holding on to a legacy or fighting for one’s belief, from the peripheries.
 Representation of gender in culinary narratives
There are various parts in the film which are a breaking of the traditional stereotypes
One of the main aspects which can be seen in the movie is the aspect of a male being a foodie and a
person who likes to cook and eat food. This can be seen through the character of Kalidasan. The
Kalidasan is a foodie and he knows how to make food properly and he also identifies various types of
food just by having the taste of it. The first scene in the movie is the starting of this aspect. In the first
scene when he is with the Archaeology head the head brings appam and he identifies that it's made of
alcohol instantly just by eating. The other instance of his foodie attitude is seen in the scene in which
he goes for his engagement. In the engagement instead of focusing on meeting the girl instead as he
is a foodie he tastes the unniyappam and finds that it is made in a Kottarakara style. He suddenly asks
if she made the food, she tells yes at the first instance but when he stresses the question she tells that
the cook made the unniyappam. Then he asks the route for the kitchen and meets the cook who tells
that he made the food and he is from Kottarakara. Then he goes on to tell the cook to whether he could
come with him and he comes. This is a revolution to the aspect of traditional engagement wherein he
gets the cook instead of the girl. This is another mark of the foodie Kalidasan. Another example is
his childhood wherein his teacher teaches about the food chain and in the end he says that we should
eat food to live. In this case the young Kalidasan contradicts by saying that “Alla sare Namal
bakhshanam kazhikkan vendi alle jivikunathu” which translates to “No sir, we are living to eat food sir”.
This shows other aspect of a foodie who believes that food is one of the important things in his life.
This is contradictory to the gender role associated with men who are considered to be just
The next aspect seen in the movie is the aspect of a relationship created through food. The relationship between
Kalidasan and Maya is a perfect example of this is type of relationship through food. This can be seen the various
scenes of the movie. One of the examples is the scene wherein the Kalidasan tells about the story of the Juan's
Rainbow cake and she also hears the story and start making the cake according to his instruction. This itself
shows how food can be the medium for gender relations. The other scene which can be connected to this aspect
is the scene wherein the Kalidasan asks Maya about where he will get thattilkuttu dosa as their relationship
started through the wrong number of thattilkuttu dosa. This aspect can also be connected to the previous
aspect of the love of food by men and also the gender deconstruction of men who likes and makes food.
The other scene which can also be connected is the scene wherein Kalidasan asks Maya on how she got
interested in cooking. She tells about the memories of her mother cooking and also her love for her mother. This
scene again reinstates the fact of their relationship.
The other aspect which this movie repeats as any other movie is the aspect of women being the
homemaker which is considered to be the traditional gender role of women. The scene told above also tells the
fact of her mother being a homemaker that inspired her to be a foodie. This shows how the traditional role of
women remains the same even though there is a change in the society. This can also be seen in many scenes of
the movie wherein Maya is mostly seen in the kitchen and in the home maker space more than in her professional
space as a Dubbing Artist.
The last aspect in connection this in the movie is the new generation getting to know about the
old food styles and also the gender stereotypes. Manu and Meenakshi are best example of this. In many scenes
in the movie the Manu shows an interest in learning of the traditional food. One of the scenes is where he and
others go to a restaurant wherein they eat the thattilkuttu dosa and he is enjoying the dish and saying that the dish
is very tasty. This shows his interest towards tradition. There are also other scenes which tell about this aspect in
the movie.
 Conclusion
There are a lot of points which can be inferred from this movie. Some of the points is
being mentioned above. The first point is how the movie represents the gender roles in
the culinary narratives. The second point the new concept that the movie introduces
which is revolutionary to the traditional thinking of gender and food. The third point is
the aspect of the traditional gender roles of the women which is explicitly shown in the
movie throughout.

But, in contradiction to this aspect the movie also shows how men have become the
representative of the culinary discourses through the character of the film Kalidasan and
also his cook and his nephew who are men but in contradiction to their constructed gender
roles goes on to be a foodie and also people who makes food. The last point is the new
thought on the changing perspective of the culinary narratives which is explicitly shown in
the movie.
Thank you