Mrs. review: Sanya Malhotra's The Great Indian Kitchen remake offers a stirring yet diluted take on patriarchy

3/5

Mrs. Story:

A young woman named Richa (Sanya Malhotra) is followed in Mrs. on her journey as she is married into a traditional patriarchal family, putting her aspirations of becoming a dancer on hold. Suddenly, an endless mountain of housework appears, and her in-law's words, "the kitchen is a woman's domain," echo in her mind. Something changes within her as she fights the crushing burden of expectations and watches her ambitions deteriorate. Will Richa take a daring action that shocks her loved ones and herself, or will she keep submitting to a system that only brings her oppression? Can a single lady start a revolution in the comfort of her own home?

Mrs. Review:

After much struggle, Jeo Baby released The Great Indian Kitchen, a film that shocked audiences with its eye-opening nature. The film paved the way for several remakes, but the charm, which showed ingrained patriarchy, was questionable, presumably. Now, the Hindi remake of the film, titled, also gave a glimpse prior to the release that it's a fluff piece and not being taken seriously as the subject it dealt with in the original Malayalam film. Mrs. has been watched, so let's find out if it did justice entirely or not...

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The film opens with Sanya Malhotra's character Richa dancing passionately with her troupe while we witness scenes of women in the kitchen, preparing delicacies. In no time, she is set in an arranged marriage match where she meets Diwaka (Nishant Dahiya), a gynecologist by profession; his father is also a retired doctor. On the other hand, his mother is a homemaker. The initial impressions and subsequent encounters are filled with romance, leading Richa to believe that her life will be filled with happiness and prosperity. Little did she know that those are nothing but deceptions, which will take the shape of a storm that will turn her life upside down.

The day after their marriage, Richa observes her mother-in-law managing the kitchen while remaining silent throughout. She only speaks when she needs to guide her daughter-in-law with household chores or scold the house-help, who is also juggling between the clinic. Furthermore, her husband frequently asks her to arrange his clothes and belongings on the bed, a task she finds frustrating as it doesn't require any assistance.

This begins the battle she was not ready for, not being able to accept what's happening while also going with the flow, leaning towards her responsibility as a woman towards the house. The film, directed by Arati Kadav, evokes discomfort through its portrayal of the female gaze. While doing so, there are moments that will make you squirm, like having a male gynecologist and a highly educated family and your thoughts being so regressive that no men in the house bend to take stuff from the floor..

The filmmaker incorporates a commercial element into the narrative, depicting a patriarchal bungalow in a metropolis. However, Sanya Malhotra's performances, which delve deeply into the character and tell the story through her lens, do not overshadow it. There are glimpses where we see now and then that dance as a passion does make her go to extreme lengths to seek permission from her in-laws, which she doesn't need to. However, the actor's dilemma arises when she demonstrates her talent and overcomes regressive rejection.

But where the film drops down is in the male lead played by Dahiya, who just couldn't match up to the benchmark set by Suraj Venjaramoodu in The Great Indian Kitchen. The actor makes a concerted effort to portray a menacing husband who, despite being modern, adheres to his father's beliefs that women belong in the kitchen.

When a woman joins a new household, both partners expect things to change equally. But when it doesn't happen from the men's side even for an inch, that's when patriarchy storms inside the room and is here to stay.

There do come moments before the marriage, like when Diwakar asks for the WiFi password at Richa's home when he comes to see her during an arranged marriage. It's actually a charming scene that drops a major hint that the prospective groom is highly educated, lacking common sense, as he is totally homebound. The actor, later, also reveals that he likes home-cooked food rather than eating from restaurants, but his charm and soft-spoken nature win her over and she neglects everything easily.

The female gaze effectively illustrates how Diwakar's sexually charged approach reduces him to a mechanical individual seeking sex devoid of emotion. The scenes are quite disturbing and heartbreaking to watch, particularly when Richa seeks intimacy, not just sex for the sake of having a baby, and he quickly tells her that she smells like a kitchen sink and should be attractive enough to engage in intimate relations.

Although the scenes are powerful in setting a base for a strong reaction, they just lack then and there. The film shows the pushing buttons to make Richa scream at the top of her voice, but suffering is all she takes in.

While watching The Great Indian Kitchen, the daily routine, which keeps on happening, makes one claustrophobic, as it shows a mirror to what millions of women go through in this country. It's the discomfort that makes the film worth watching. However, here, the pattern breaks subsequently, and the efforts are visible, but the effects take a little time to overturn.

Although Malhotra and Dahiya hold their ground with their approach to the character, having Kanwaljit Singh as the patriarch Papaji of the house takes the cake. The actor is always seen as a charming father to a daughter he can spoil to lengths, but this antithesis works absolutely, as his glance is enough for women to go back to their molehills and only come out as a compulsive duty.

Mrs. does try to bring its unique charm but it's the effect where it lacks as feeling empathized comes with total limitations and not helping the film have that aggressive discussion that The Great Indian Kitchen brought to the table.

Mrs. Verdict:

Mrs. sets the table with a simmering commentary on patriarchy but serves a diluted version of the fiery original. Sanya Malhotra stirs emotions with a compelling performance, yet the film often feels like a half-baked rebellion rather than a full-course revolution.

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