Vataankulak is a satirical short fiction film that follows the events occurring on an afternoon in the lives of the Yadav family. The head of the family makes a spur-of-the-moment purchase to reclaim his masculinity. As the family tries to find a place for the appliance, a deep-rooted web of patriarchy in the family is exposed.
The film opens with a tempo being brought into an apartment. The back of the tempo drops open to reveal a big box containing Yadav Ji’s precious air conditioner that he bought on a whim. Yadav Ji’s neighbour gawks at it as two young men unload the box. Outside, the neighbour jokingly asks if it was the mother’s tutoring salary that helped Yadav Ji afford such an expensive appliance and Yadavji immediately clarifies that that is not the case, her salary is not enough to get such a high-tech appliance for the house. Gloatingly, he mentions that it was from the bonus he received. The neighbour inquires about which room would the AC be put in, Yadav Ji realises that he has no idea where to get it installed. After the initial excitement, the family also realises there is no optimal place in the house to get it installed but since it was brought up with so much pride, returning it was no longer an option. The absurd solution they are left with forces the heads of the family to confront their insecurities and their archaic biases.
fiction film, patriarchy, satire, short film, the middle-class
