The lady with the cooker

Pallavi Joshi spoke to Kritika Dua about how the short film, Pressure Cooker, draws a parallel between marriage and the utensil

The story starts with a woman gazing at a young couple from her balcony and smiling while a melodious song — iss badal ke paani me jab tum ghul jati ho is playing on an old radio set reminding us of the bygone era. Swati’s husband asks her to switch it off, which is interrupted by the pressure cooker’s whistle. Pressure Cooker, a 15-minute film directed by Heena D’Souza depicts a simple yet sweet relationship of a husband and wife, weaved in a myriad of emotions — a man who is careless about everything that goes around him while his loving wife takes care of him, without asking anything in return. Non the less, he keeps on nagging her instead of being considerate.

The silence between the two is often broken by the old pressure cooker’s constant noise. Irritated, Swati nudges him, “kaam kam karta hai, shor zyada karta hai.” Ironically, the phrase is equally applicable to the stingy husband who replies that he will get it repaired on his way back. Tired, she decides to take the matter in her own hands, only to discover that she has become habitual of surrounding as much as she is of her husband.

Pallavi Joshi who is tailor made for the role of Swati believes that the film “tries to draw a parallel between a marriage that is mundane and going around a loop, exactly like the pressure cooker. The pressure of that cooker is somewhat felt in their relationship as well. Swati tries to break free from things that are weighing her down, trying to get away from the monotonous life. It’s only when she buys a new cooker, does she realise that she is going to need help in opening and closing it. But this is not what she is looking for. She goes and returns it and later reconnects with her husband. He still cribs about the fact that she spent Rs 50 on repairing the old one and could have waited for him. But she smiles, holds his hand, accepting him with all the flaws, jaisa bhi hai mera hai. This inturn lightens up her husband who then warps his arm around her.”

The short film brings forth the nostalgia of simpler times — if something stopped working, people tried to fix it and make do with it. The piece of utensil is used to symbolise a relationship whose edges can be smoothened out and relevant adjustments be made. Said Joshi, “We live a world where everything has an expiry date, we use it till it pleases us. And without a single thought we abandon it.

“When I was growing up, the electronic items be it radio, refrigerator or television worked fine for 10 to 12 years. But in contemporary times, nothing lasts beyond three years and everything is disposable. So, in times like this, this film gives one a peek into the 90’s era and highlights the need to conserve the leftover. A pressure cooker and husband, both not it their best attitude, unnecessarily increase pressure on the woman but towards the end, she mends both.”

It was the simplicity and honesty of the film that Joshi decided to be a part of it. “D’Souza called me and said that she wants to make a short film and narrated it to me. And I fell in love with it instantly.” The film is told in a straightforward manner with soothing pieces of music and doesn’t have any unnecessary frills.

She was always open to doing webseries and short films but was not approached for it earlier. “I didn’t want to enter the digital space just for the heck of it. If the concept is fascinating then I am willing to work in any format. I have dabbled in various mediums all my life — was doing serials while working in films alongside. And also did theatre in between. I would like to continue experimenting with art.”

The actress also conceptualised Easy Hai video series with an aim to simplify complex issues in which she explains current issues in under 5 minutes. She looks forward to doing new things, gaining fresh experiences.

This was her first time working with D’Souza for which  she took charge like a pro. “She knew what she was doing and everything was under control. She was quiet particular about the little nuances that was added in the film and that it should to do justice to the period it depicts which is 1990’s,” said Joshi who will next be seen in an untitled finite series and is also producing a film revolving around the mysterious death of Lal Bahadur Shastri whose shooting process will start next month.

Pressure Cooker has been nominated for Filmfare Short Film awards this year. “It’s one of the better short films that I have seen this year honestly and I believe that it stands a good chance.”