New Delhi, Aug. 31 -- A young woman is visiting her in-laws for the first time. She's eager to impress them. She cooks, cleans, runs the house. She's hurt by their jibes but tries not to show it. Her husband is mild-mannered but thin-skinned; she has to apologise for pulling his leg. Their lovemaking is awkward. She puts her interests on hold but it isn't enough. Slowly, she comes to a boil. She's played by Nimisha Sajayan. The film is The Great Indian Kitchen.

Or is it Babita Singh Reporting? It's a little strange to watch Sajayan, of the best actors in India today, undergo similar trials and humiliations to those she endured five years ago, in her most celebrated role. Ambiecka Pandit's Hindi film is a world removed from Jeo Baby's Mal...