In today's time, when female-oriented films simply mean women being modern, innovative, and living on their own terms while either consuming alcohol and smoking cigarettes or having a confused heart along with stressing on having this privilege, here's a film that not only shatters each norm of pseudo-feminism but also speaks volumes about what it means to have a 'right to choose' and highlights the suffrage when one cannot exercise this simple way of living. Based on the critically acclaimed Malayalam film 'The Great Indian Kitchen,' Mrs is no less than the original movie and does not compromise on the quality of writing as well. The Bollywood remake beautifully portrays the unresolved stories of human relationships, betrayals of thoughts, patriarchy being the soft poison, and the severe expectations from a newlywed in the name of family building. Unfortunately, Mrs is the story of most Indian women!
Story
Zee5's Mrs can be contained in just two sentences. A newly married woman, Richa (Sanya Malhotra), gets tired of trying to adjust to her husband Diwakar's (Nishant Dahiya) house and finally leaves him. While she becomes a school dance teacher and fulfils her dream, her husband remarries. But all that the lead character has to live between these two circumstances is the story of Mrs. This 1 hour and 40-minute-long film has been shot in a UP-based house. Barring one or two shots, the entire film has been indoors, and 90% of that too are kitchen scenes.
Every shot in the film has a pivotal role to play, and not a single scene is a wasted opportunity. Within the first 15-20 minutes, one gets to see a middle-class wife and bride being asked to take over the kitchen and entire household as wedding festivities get over and relatives go back. Not only is the mother-in-law automatically responsible for teaching her, even the unwarranted rules of this typically toxic household leave everything on the new bride to live with her pregnant daughter, but the father-in-law and husband, instead of helping the poor woman, make her life tough each day. One must not get any wrong ideas; there's no yelling, domestic violence, extra-marital affair, or abuse added to it, but only the mental torture, killing of dreams and aspirations, lowering of standards, and even undesired lovemaking.
One watched a solo female of the house dusting, washing vegetables, cutting, peeling, preparing chutney on grindstones, tempering, rolling chapattis, marinating meat, then serving food, cleaning the table, and serving her food, then scrubbing and arranging the kitchen so that the same can be repeated during evening breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There are small instances that are created big in the name of family traditions, and several of these shots scream of patriarchy while the lead stays numb and heartbroken. Moreover, even after being the wife of a gynaecologist, Richa is not only alienated during the menstrual period but is also brutally judged when she speaks about her physical desires in front of this supposedly educated medical expert. The film highlights so many key moments of frustrations and suffering of middle-class women along with showing a doorway out.
Writing and Direction
The writing of Mrs is the USP of the film. The crisp, emotional, and at the same time, logical writing of this film makes it a worthy remake of such a good original film. The dialogues blended well with the background music and the brilliant acting in the film, making one feel the agony of Richa. From vibrant to gloomy, the set directions and designs set the tonality of the film well and approach the much-awaited climax in the most organic way. The direction of Mrs is top-notch, and kudos to Arati Kadav for putting forth a realistic portrayal of most Indian married lives.
There are many scenes beautifully directed and presented that show patriarchy in the name of traditions, despite the changing times and optionally ignored modernity. Moreover, the filmmaker has rightly showcased the audacity of the family to expect the bride to manage the entire kitchen, obey the elders, warm her husband's bed, be proficient in all household tasks, and respect guests according to the rituals, but she should not have her own ideas, opinions, or even aspirations for a career.
Acting
The film is entirely led by Sanya Malhotra; she gets good support from her on-screen husband Nishant Dahiya and father-in-law Kanwaljeet Singh. All three have done a commendable job, while one can end the film being a fan of our Dangal chori. Without yelling out her frustration or crying her eyes out, the actor has beautifully played a bride who ends up being miserable after marriage. The way Sanya plays Richa makes one feel for the character while getting reminded of several household examples from our very own lives. Two scenes stand out for me just because of Sanya. First, when she sighs in disgust after a piece of meat gets stuck in her hands while cleaning the clogged sink. The second, when she wants Savi to validate that she's also a prime number (watch the film to understand the reference) while keeping the emotional roller coaster going inside her in check on the Karwa Chauth night. While it is Sanya's show, Kanwaljeet Singh comes every now and then, elevates the frame, and leaves.
Verdict
This film must be watched to understand how to weave a powerful story based on feminism without being stereotypical. Sanya Malhotra and Arati Kadav's film is a slap hit on the face of the patriarchal society and its promoters. It is about time that such subtle stories are not only watched but also discussed. Watch the film to also understand why the film received a standing ovation at the Melbourne Film Festival and also premiered at IFFI Goa and MAMI. Nonetheless, deserving of four stars, Mrs will be released on Zee 5 this Friday.
