Film Review Mrs. – Patriarchal Thinking and Today’s Woman"

By Shantiswarup Tripathi

• Rating: 2.5 Stars
• Producers: Jyoti Deshpande, Pammi Baweja, Harman Baweja
• Writers: Anu Singh Chaudhary, Harman Baweja, Neha Dubey, Jio Baby, Arati  Kadav
• Director: Arati Kadav
• Cast: Sanya Malhotra, Nishant Dahiya, Kanwaljit Singh, Aparna Ghoshal, Gulistan, Mrinal Kulkarni, Girish Bhai Dhamija, Shikha Goyal, Varun Badola, Neelofar Khemka
• Duration: 1 Hour 43 Minutes
• OTT Platform: ZEE5, Streaming from 7th February

After the sci-fi film Cargo, director Arati  Kadav has taken a step towards bringing The Great Indian Kitchen—a Malayalam film from South India—into a new form. She has infused this remake with issues from the '50s and '60s, while mixing themes relevant to today's youth, mobile phones, and social media. The result is Mrs., a movie that feels entirely outdated.

Interestingly, the film has been produced by actor-turned-producer Harman Baweja, in collaboration with Jio Studios. However, the perplexing part is that Jio Studios chose not to release it on their own OTT platform, JioCinema or Disney+ Hotstar, but instead opted for ZEE5, which will begin streaming the film from February 7th. This decision is beyond my understanding.

Story

Richa (Sanya Malhotra), a talented and enthusiastic dancer, marries Dr. Divakar (Nishant Dahiya), a gynecologist. Initially, Richa is happy in her marriage, but soon she starts facing the reality of her husband's family. Dr. Divakar follows in the footsteps of his father, Ashwin Kumar (Kanwaljit Singh), and soon Richa realizes that she is living in a patriarchal environment. In this family, the woman who manages the house 24/7 is not considered as hardworking as the men who go out to work. The wife’s value is reduced to just taking care of the house and bearing children. In her desire to become the "perfect daughter-in-law," Richa starts losing her identity, leading to an inevitable explosion.

Dr. Divakar, a doctor specializing in gynecology, knows exactly when a couple should have intercourse after a woman's menstrual cycle to ensure pregnancy, but he doesn't care about his wife's desires. This is a family of doctors where men expect their food to be prepared in a traditional manner rather than using modern kitchen appliances. Ashwin and Divakar both constantly showcase their patriarchal mindset. Divakar's father refuses to let the woman of the house enter the kitchen during her period, as he believes that a woman's place is only in the home. Divakar has an issue with Richa's presence on social media, as he feels it tarnishes the family’s reputation. Meanwhile, when the kitchen sink leaks, the men have no time to fix it. Over time, Richa, once a talented dancer, finds herself reduced to ordering lemonade and cumin water. Disappointed, Richa decides to take a firm stand instead of remaining silent.

Review

The storyline of Mrs. unfolds in a very flat and slow manner. While it’s known that Malayalam cinema focuses more on storytelling than glamour, the story here feels extremely outdated. There’s no real excitement or ups and downs in the plot. The film revolves entirely around patriarchal thinking, with no new depth to the narrative. Dr. Divakar, a supposedly educated man, tells his wife, "You smell like the most sensual scent in the world — the scent of the kitchen," and considers dancing just a hobby, not a profession. Unfortunately, he believes his wife is only good for two things — cooking and sex. Director Arati  Kadav uses Divakar's character to raise some serious questions, such as: Why is cooking considered a woman’s responsibility? Why is dance only seen as a hobby and not a career? Why can't men handle household chores? Shouldn’t marital sexual relations be consensual? When will society start appreciating the amount of work done by homemakers? Why do women have to seek permission to work after marriage?

The creators must be applauded for portraying a North Indian setting on screen in a very authentic way. However, this story doesn't seem to fit into the modern era as well as the original Malayalam film did. Unlike the original, this remake doesn't have the same emotional depth.

Acting

Sanya Malhotra, portraying Richa, does a remarkable job of portraying the challenges a newlywed faces in a patriarchal household. Her performance stands out, especially when Richa struggles to manage the entire household, causing the audience to feel her anxiety and discomfort. Nishant Dahiya’s portrayal of the misogynistic husband is decent but lacks consistency at times. Kanwaljit Singh, as Ashwin, gives a somewhat repetitive performance, reminding the audience of his previous roles. However, his portrayal of a father using subtle manipulation to impose patriarchal views on Richa is well done. Aparna Ghoshal as Meena does an acceptable job in her role.

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