There are quite a few number of Malayalam movies which 'tastefully' captured the significance of food in our culture. One such film was the Mohanlal starrer Mithunam, which utilizes food and dining room situations to subtly depict the transformations that happen in the protagonist. One of the most amazing scenes in the movie is the one in which the character, lineman KT Kurup, played brilliantly by Innocent happily enjoys his lunch while his wife Subadra serves him delicious home-cooked food. Gobbling up balls off rice mixed with curries he says, “This is one job I am never tired of.” This hilarious scene aptly describes the nature of that character in the movie.
Actor Sreenivasan, who prepared the script of Mithunam may not have consciously included food as a major factor in the narrative. In fact the theme of the movie is protagonist Sethu's struggle to open his biscuit company named Dakshayani biscuits. Though Sethu is not able to open his biscuit company, the audience sure gets a taste of it on their palette.
The sweet and rich halwa becomes a matter of quarrel between the two families as the policeman played by Jagathy feeds halwa to his son while Innocent's son watches on.
Sethu loved the taste and flavour of sambar made by Sulochana (Urvashi) while he wooed her. However, he begins to find problems with everything that Sulochana does after their marriage. It was at the dining hall where the family was eating lunch together that Sethu chides Sulochana saying that her sambar doesn't taste as good. This shatters the simple-minded Sulochana as Sethu had criticized her cooking skills while everyone else was enjoying the dish made by her. This scene clearly portrays the change that has taken place in Sethu's character, and also Sulochana's realization that marriage wasn't as rosy and lovely as courtship. However, an interesting fact is that Sulochana was 'abducted' by Sethu and his assistant Preman (Sreenivasan), by draping her in a mat, while her own mother was preparing fish for lunch.
To make Sulochana happy, Sethu has planned a honeymoon trip to Ootty. However, to her utter shock, he has invited every other member in the family for the trip, making it a grand family tour. Next morning, at Ootty, Sethu and Preman somehow manages to buy a bunch of bananas and some packets of bread for breakfast. The good old combination of bread and banana may have been enjoyed by everyone at least when we were financially broke.
Another interesting trivia is that Mithunam which was released in 1993 was produced by actor Mohanlal, who is a self confessed foodie.
