Mrs REVIEW: Sanya Malhotra starrer will boil your blood in this slow-cooked patriarchal drama

Film:
Mrs

Director: Aarti Kadav

Writers: Harman Baweja and Anu Singh Choudhary

Cast: Sanya Malhotra, Nishant Dahiya and Kanwaljit Singh

Runtime: 111 minutes (1 hour, 51 minutes)

Platform: Zee5

Mrs Review

A remake of the 2021 Malayalam drama film The Great Indian Kitchen, Sanya Malhotra led Mrs is a harsh reality check of what women face when wed into a misogynistic household. The film tells the story of Richa – a trained dancer and dance teacher, who has an arranged marriage to Diwakar, a well to do doctor of the ‘female anatomy’. As in any arrange marriage, the duo meet for the first time in the presence of their parents where Richa impresses her soon-to-be husband with her simple but smart wifi password – A1B2C3D4E5F6. After several other meetings and dates, the duo tie the know in a grand manner.

But after marriage, her life takes a couple U-turn when she is expected to wait on her husband Diwakar (Nishant Dahiya) and father-in-law (Kanwaljit Singh). With dialogues such as, “You’re mother-in-law has a PHd in Economic but family was always her first priority,” “After kids you will have to leave your job only then why do you want to work now,” “a mixer chops vegetables while making chutney on a grindstone crushes it and releases the enzymes properly”, and, “wash this kurta by hand, the washing machine doesn’t remove sweat stains properly,” the patriarchal bullying a new bride faces in her in-laws home soon after marriage is beautifully established. Aside from being criticised by her ‘daddyji’ for not cleaning or cooking properly, she’s also subjected to her husband – who’s a gynac, only having sex with her in order to get her pregnant without caring about her feelings or comfort.

Does Richa or Ricchu – as she’s ‘lovingly’ called through out the film, live up to societal expectations of a wife who prioritises her husband and in-laws happiness over her own? Well, as seen in the trailer is drains the life out of her as she struggle to be a dutiful daughter-in-law and still be a ‘prime number’. Scroll below to read our Mrs review to know if you should watch this remake film this weekend.

Technical Analysis

Story

Based on Jeo Baby’s The Great Indian Kitchen, the story of Mrs is written for the Hindi audience by Harman Baweja and Anu Singh Choudhary with a screenplay penned by Neha Dubey. The writing is slow but never once will it make you want to pause the film and take a loo break. The engaging narrative will trap you with it’s simple writing that beautifully incorporates complex feelings and emotions.

Direction

Aarti Kadav has done a good job when it comes to making sure Mrs touches the hearts of the audience. From capturing the routine of the mother-in-law to making sure the audience feel the confusion and guilt Richa experiences as she tries to adjust to her new family’s rules and patterns, Kadav has been successful. However, the story isn’t something new – we’ve seen it several time in the past in films and tv shows.

Editing

You may question editor Prerna Saigal and his editing skill during the film’s first 15 minutes as the film seem pretty slow and dragged. However, he maintains the same pace through out and manages to capture you attention.

Cast

Sanya Malhotra’s dedication to bringing Richa to life is clearly visible on screen. The actress proved her acting capabilities by making us feel her pain and frustration through her eyes and body language with out actually having to open her mouth. Nishant Dahiya and Kanwaljit Singh as Diwakar and his retired doctor father, respectively, are glaring red flags that you will want to keep your daughter, female friends or female colleague away from.

Conclusion

Aarti Kadav’s Mrs will pull at your heartstrings with its raw but 100% true narrative. Sanya Malhotra’s portrayal of Richa will touch your soul and make your blood boil as the life drains from her eyes and she becomes just a machines spending her days cooking and cleaning and the nights being under her husband as he tries to get her pregnant.

Do watch Mrs for a glimpse into what the life of some women turn into post marriage into a patriarchal. We give the film 3 stars. (PS: The reviewer hasn’t watched the original Malayalam film.)

Watch the trailer of Mrs here:

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