Juice is a short film that has aptly portrayed the chaos, heat, and sexism that exists in most hoouseholds during the average dinner party. Written and directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, Juice follows Manju Singh, played by Shefali Shah, through the night as she hosts a get-together of families on a warm night.
While her husband sits amongst a group of men who are occupied with their snacks, drinks and laughter, Manju is in the kitchen with the other ladies, consumed by the heat of the stove, the demands for dinner and the ever so opinionated women. There is also a reminder of how gender roles are ultimately inherited, as a mother pulls her young daughter away from her video games to serve dinner, while the young boys are allowed to stay back and continue playing.
Screengrab from ‘Juice’
Although the short film portrays a message that has been presented many times before, the brilliance with which Juice portrays the complexities of being a woman, is in a league of its own as it remarkably expresses the suppressed emotions of a homemaker, through minimal dialogue.
The men sit in absolute discomfort as Manju joins them.
The ending drives the message home and is perhaps the strongest scene of the film . The moment Manju steps out of the kitchen to enter the living room occupied by men, there is silence everywhere as the other women gather to see what’s happening (while never daring to enter the boundaries of the living room themselves) and the men sit in absolute discomfort as Manju pulls up a chair in front of the fan and sips on her juice.
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