I wonder how many women have crushed their dreams and aspirations entirely to comply with the patriarchal setup post-marriage. Sanya Malhotra starrer Mrs tells a similar story of a young woman married into an orthodox family and how her life turns upside down after that. And unfortunately, this is a story of many more women. Directed by Aarti Kadav, Mrs is the Hindi remake of the 2021 Malayalam film The Great Indian Kitchen. It stars Kanwaljit Singh and Nishant Dahiya in pivotal roles and will soon be released on the OTT platform Zee5. Mrs is subtle in its tone and packaging. It is a mirror of society and the harsh realities that women are living in. The film has impressive performances by the lead, however, the flawed storytelling and conventional climax leave you feeling disappointed. Read our review here.
Plot
Richa Sharma (Sanya Malhotra) is a professional dancer and also has a dance group. However, Richa’s parents arrange her marriage to a man (Nishant Dahiya) who is a doctor by profession. Richa finds herself attracted to the simplicity of this guy and within a few days of knowing each other, they get married. Richa’s married life kicks off on a sweet note. She enjoys some romantic moments with her husband while also learning the household chores from her mother-in-law. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law mostly spend their time in the kitchen and the former is always on her toes to cater to the needs of the men in their house.
Only when Richa’s mother-in-law leaves for a few days to attend to her pregnant daughter, does all the responsibilities fall on the young woman’s shoulders. Richa’s passion and love for dancing seem like a far-fetched dream amid tons of household chores. The patriarchal and orthodox in-laws and a husband gradually make her life a living hell but does she break away from these chains or submit to the marital life? THAT is the question!
What Works?
Whether it’s a daily routine, a family function or even a get-together, women are mostly seen working in the kitchen, cooking meals while the men have a blissful time together. Well, this film shows the monotonous life of a woman inside a kitchen, 24*7 dealing with the mess, dirt and filth that comes along. The film sheds light on even the smallest aspect that women are subjected to in a patriarchal setup. For example: the father-in-law (Kanwaljit Singh) only expects things to be done in a traditional way which also involves using grindstone instead of the food processor. The fact that Richa’s mother-in-law has set these expectations by silently catering to the unrealistic needs of her husband, the daughter-in-law is expected to do the same.
The film also talks about the mechanical s*x life of a young couple that eventually becomes frustrating and like a task for one of them. Mrs deals with the silent battles that a woman fights each day and no one cares to notice, not even her mother. Through Richa’s character, Mrs shows how a woman gradually starts to forget her own identity in the confines of the four walls. The film gives attention to little details that might not even cross our minds.
Hard-Hitting Dialogues and Scenes
Well, from a distance, Mrs looks like the usual story of a tired housewife but as you go closer, you will discover the darker sides to it. There were some hard-hitting scenes and dialogues from the characters that left you with an afterthought. One that still haunts me is when Richa’s husband tells her that she smells like the kitchen and it’s the best smell in the world. Wow!
The film shows how husbands gaslight their wives in ways they wouldn’t even realise. In some scenes, Richa’s frustration and how she maintains distance from her husband is also dealt with beautifully. While I will not reveal all of it, it’s recommended that you notice the little signs and metaphors that this film is made up of.
Also Read: What To Watch From February 3 To February 9: Loveyapa, Thandel, Mrs, And More!
Performances
Sanya Malhotra as Richa Sharma delivers an honest and impactful performance. She is loving, caring and sweet as the young newly married wife who has dreams to lead a happy life with her husband and in-laws but as her life progresses into becoming one of her biggest nightmares, Sanya Malhotra smoothly adapts to this transition as an actor. Sanya understands the subtle nature of the narrative and is very controlled in the way she expresses her emotions. Her eyes speak a thousand words, especially during the scenes when Richa just takes a moment to realise the atrocities that are happening in her life. Sanya Malhotra is the star of this show!
Kanwaljit Singh as the flag bearer of patriarchy has done a very convincing job. I found myself hating him when he judged Richa’s cooking skills like some Masterchef judge. He nailed the character of the annoying and dominating father-in-law while keeping the act very organic.
Nishant Dahiya Richa’s husband was impressive too. The manipulative nature of the husband and the subtle changes to his character were beautifully handled by the actor, especially when he delivered similar dialogues in two different situations. One can see Nishant’s range as an actor.
What Fails?
Mrs is nothing new and by now, we have seen more impactful and mature stories that revolve around patriarchy and women’s issues. The storytelling is quite predictable and does not attempt to surprise you with it. The pace of this film is very slow and at times tiring too. Due to this flawed nature of storytelling that lacks fresh perspectives and follows the conventional pattern to evoke sympathy for the lead character, Mrs fails to create the desired impact in the end.
There have been movies that make women feel empowered and have a strong recall value, however, Mrs is not one of them. The film progresses in such a way, that one will know where it leads to. One cannot help but constantly make comparisons to other female-led films that we have seen over the years. It feels like the film makes redundancy a part of it just to build on the lead character’s frustration.
The themes that the film deals with are not something new and that makes it very surface level too. The characters are written in the most basic way possible and there’s hardly any surprise element to them!
Mrs: An Honest Attempt!
Mrs by Aarti Kadav starring Sanya Malhotra is a story that many women will find relatable. The film is honest in its attempt with decent performances by the cast but it all boils down to, does it have anything new? I would say no! The film needed a more mature approach to a story that’s a reality for many women today and for ages. Mrs is a film that can be watched to remind oneself about the hardships of a woman in the patriarchal setup but it does not create any kind of impact and escapes your memory the next minute. Mrs will stream on Zee5 from February 7.