The world has moved on. Humans have reached space, are making innovations in science, working on extraordinary projects and are also using artificial intelligence (AI) to make life easier. But do Indian women, not the privileged ones, the vast majority, from the poor to the middle class, fall into the category of humans? This question has been asked several times in the past given different circumstances or contexts, but has anyone ever thought about it deeply to seek the answer? Probably not, and this is the only reason why the same question has once again been raised with a recently released film called “Mrs.”, starring actress Sanya Malhotra.
The film, which released on February 7 on OTT platform Zee5, is a remake of the original Malayalam film called “The Great Indian Kitchen,” starring actress Nimisha Sajayan and actor-comedian Suraj Venjaramoodu. Unapologetically, it takes viewers through the lives of Indian women who are promised a happy married life, without the slightest clue that they will not be marrying a man, but will be married to their family's kitchen.
Director: Arati Kadav
Writers: Harman Baweja, Anu Singh Choudhary, Arati Kadav
Stars: Sanya Malhotra, Nishant Dahiya, Kanwaljeet Singh
The film stars Sanya Malhotra as Richa, the new wife of Dr. Diwakar (played by actor Nishant Dhaiya). It makes viewers feel sorry for Sanya's character and hate Dahiya to the core, forgetting that she is just playing a character on screen, a character so normalized in millions of households that it takes time to realize the terrifying reality behind it. Notably, Mrs., which has marked one of the biggest releases on the Zee5 platform, has also topped the career growth chart of Dahiya, who had already appeared in Bollywood films like Kedarnath, 83, Meri Pyaari Bindu and more.
'Mrs.' It begins and ends with some dance sequences of Sanya as Richa, who has a great passion for her art and wishes to make a career out of it. However, in both sequences one can notice a huge expressive difference, given the loss of Richa's innocence. From a young girl full of dreams, she has matured into a strong and confident woman, a solid "prime number", as her character says in the film.
At the beginning of the 111-minute-long reel, Richa is introduced to viewers as a trained dancer, dancing with her troupe outdoors on the streets, when her parents prepare her to marry Diwakar, a wealthy gynecologist. The families marry the two and the routines begin.
Diwakar goes to the clinic every day, attends to the patients, returns home, eats and goes to bed, always making sure that he has performed the task of sex with the sole intention of getting his wife pregnant as soon as possible, without even stopping to observe whether the wife wants it or not. He simply assumes that since she is the wife, being the object of sex is her duty, without any questions or objections. A duty like kitchen duties, tidying up her closet, and laying out her freshly ironed clothes ready on the bed for her to wear the next morning.
Her father, Ashwin Kumar, played by renowned actor Kanwaljit Singh, sits at home, demands various types of typical Indian dishes from his wife, and tends to slack off in his life after spending years in the medical field. The patriarch father-in-law has some questionable beliefs and habits, and expects the women of the house to live up to his expectations, to the point that he doesn't even bend down to look for his own shoes. His wife does it for him, perfectly timing her activities to meet the moment when he needs shoes with scientific precision.
Meanwhile, the confused newlywed Richa watches the comforts and luxuries adopted by the father-son duo in the name of living normal lives. Richa chooses to remain silent throughout the film and strives to be a “good” daughter-in-law even as her father-in-law and husband humiliate her for not knowing how to make chutney or cook meat the traditional way. They criticize her for using a food processor while cooking, unintentionally delaying lunch times, demanding a maid for basic cleaning duties, etc. The male duo of the house doesn’t stop there as she expresses her desire to resume her dancing career.
“Do these things even pay? What need is there to go out and work for money? Careers like dance groups or arts don’t suit the texture or image of the family,” Richa is told by her husband and father as she repeatedly, but politely, asks for permission to resume dance rehearsals with her group. She even feels guilty for having her time to herself once, while in the kitchen.
As the directed film progresses, Richa is told by her husband and father as she repeatedly, but politely, asks for permission to resume dance rehearsals with her group. She even feels guilty for having her time to herself once, while in the kitchen.
As the directed film progresses, Richa is told by her husband and father as she repeatedly, but politely, asks for permission to resume dance rehearsals with her group.
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