Arati Kadav on reimagining The Great Indian Kitchen as Mrs: 'Wanted to go beyond retelling the original'

Arati Kadav’s Mrs is a personal and cultural reinterpretation of The Great Indian Kitchen.

Sanya Malhotra in a still from Mrs; Nimisha Sajayan in a still from The Great Indian Kitchen

The weight of obligation is enormous when adapting a critically praised film. However, one can also view it from a different angle. According to filmmaker Arati Kadav, it can also be a chance to include more real-life events in the plot, which will make it more relatable to more people. That's how she approached Mrs the official remake of the Malayalam masterpiece The Great Indian Kitchen (2021).

Arati Kadav's perspective on storytelling

In an interview with Mid Day, Kadav said that an individual's unfiltered, real experiences are what storytelling has always been about, in her view. The filmmaker relocated her Sanya Malhotra-starring film to the outskirts of Delhi, whereas the original film, starring Nimisha Sajayan, took place in Kerala. The character of events shifted in tandem with the environment. The filmmaker spoke with working women, young girls, and stay-at-home moms to incorporate their stories into the film. Instead of meticulously rewriting the story, she was able to incorporate fresh nuances into the narrative.

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Kadav revealed to the tabloid that she had conversations with women who were reimagining their identities while juggling work and family responsibilities. Going beyond a simple recounting allowed her to delve further into the cultural subtleties and unseen hardships of this region. Mrs. offers a unique and intimate look into people's lives that are frequently overlooked, according to her, who has previously helmed Cargo (2019).

Universal themes explored through cultural specificity

While women do, in fact, go through distinct experiences, Kadav learns through the ZEE5 film—which also features Kanwaljit Singh and Nishant Dahiya—that there are universal challenges. She asserted that the unacknowledged labour, quiet endurance, and balancing act bind women across all sections. The filmmaker included those common themes throughout the story. The culturally unique cinema seeks to reflect these universal truths.

ZEE5 (OTTplay Premium) is yet to announce the premiere date of Mrs. On the other hand, The Great Indian Kitchen is available to stream on Prime Video.

ALSO READ: Mrs. finds its OTT partner: Here's where you can watch Sanya Malhotra's award-winning performance in long-awaited drama

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