'Unfortunate that so many women related to Richa's struggle in Mrs'

There is no exaggeration,” says director Arati Kadav about her film Mrs , adding that the casualness of misogyny and patriarchy – not just from men but also other women – is shown in the film exactly as it is. The film, starring Sanya Malhotra in the lead role, highlights the story of an average Indian family that doesn’t realise the burden of invisible labour women carry every single day. From ‘ghar ka khana’ to ‘ silbatte ki chutney ’ – phrases used casually, and even fondly – Arati points out how loaded they actually are. Both Sanya and Arati say that working on the film made them realise how they also have taken their mothers’ invisible workload for granted. “I told my mom, if I calculate the labour you put in making chips at home, instead of buying chips, suddenly that ₹200 will seem like nothing. But this labour is invisible because we’re conditioned not to see it,”Arati says.

Since its release, the film has sparked a debate, as many women have found the casual misogyny shown in the film very real and triggering. Arati says that women from all age groups have told her how deeply they related to the story, but it wasn’t a surprise to her – because this was a film where the research started from her own home.
With Mrs, an adaptation of Malayalam film The Great Indian Kitchen, Arati’s thought was simple: Society and families need to stop treating women like a ‘function’ – homemaker, cook, caretaker – and start seeing them as individuals with their own dreams, their own identities.

People associate pride with women doing free labour. They try to give scientific reasons jo humne iss film mein daalne ki koshish ki hai. Silbatte se chutney nahi hai toh enzymes nahi hote, masala ghar mein grind hota hai toh chemical free hai - Arati Kadav

THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT STORY, KYUNKI YE GHAR›GHAR KI KAHANI HAI: ARATI
Arati says that the research for this film started from her own home before speaking to other women. “When Sanya and I came to Delhi, we had conversations with many women. It was such a cathartic experience. There was one woman who was from an extremely privileged household. She was a housewife, same age as Sanya’s character, going through the same journey. When I heard her story, I got goosebumps. I realised then that this story had to be told with honesty, sincerity, and love, because it is the story of so many women. You can’t be casual about it. Mujhe lagta hai ye bahut important story hai kyunki ye ghar-ghar ki kahani hai. In the entire film, the camera is only in the kitchen and rarely anywhere else.”

The director says that she wanted to make it a very personal story of a girl who has ambitions, which are being crushed. “In the film, she actually makes an effort to impress. She has the excitement of a freshfaced girl in a new job. Gradually, her morale deflates. My idea was that if a woman is respected for who she is, she will also be a good provider in the house.”



THE TEAM BROUGHT THEIR PERSONAL EXPERIENCES TO THE FILM: SANYA

Sanya adds that Arati and she interviewed many women for the film, which is why many find it so relatable. “A friend of mine, who has faced similar challenges, was gracious enough to share her therapy notes with me. Arati and Anu (Anu Singh Choudhary, writer of the film) worked on this script for almost a year, bringing their own personal experiences to it. That’s why the story resonates with so many women. I have heard people say to my mother, ‘Pura din toh ghar pe hi baithe rehti ho. Kya hi hota hai kaam ghar ka?’ I have seen Richa in my mother, my sister, and my married friends. I have not personally experienced her struggles, but of course, when you’re playing such a character, you have to have empathy. I think I have a natural empathy for women going through similar struggles. It breaks my heart, but at the same time, I’m hopeful that a film like this will bring some change. People will become more aware of these everyday struggles that often go unnoticed.”

‘LADKI KO KHANA BANANA NAHI SIKHAYA?’ THIS IS SUCH A COMMON LINE: SANYA
Sanya says how serving the family is an “everyday reality for so many women – waking up early, cooking for the entire family, going to work, and then coming home to cook again.” “Our mothers have been doing everything selflessly for so long. Now, when I see my mother, she’s tired of stepping into the kitchen. And she feels bad about it because we put our mothers on a pedestal – ‘Maa ke khaane ki toh baat hi kuch aur hoti hai.’ In the film, Richa’s husband tells her mother, ‘Agar aapne nahi sikhaya toh meri maa ise khana banana sikha degi.’ This is such a common thing to hear – not just in the film, I have heard it around me. ‘Ladki ko khana banana nahi aata? Aapne sikhaya nahi?’ Yes, cooking is a life skill – but everyone should know it. Not just women.” Arati adds, “Even I am guilty of treating my mother like a function. We grew up without understanding this invisible workload our mothers carried day in and day out, quietly, with no day off. It is important that we don’t look at women as a function – doing laundry, keeping the home in order. We see the father as someone bringing value to society and not the mother. But the truth is, women bring immense value – to those fathers, to the families and the society.

Women also need to realise that they are individuals who deserve their own passions, hobbies, and dreams – and not just keep serving others. We can’t change everything with one film, but at least we can start a conversation through Mrs.”



I wanted to map subtle heartbreaks throughout the story: Arati
Arati says that when she was discussing the film with a friend, he spoke about how “marriage is sometimes a series of subtle heartbreaks.” Arati wanted to map these heartbreaks throughout the story. “I thought, let me start it with chai. On the first day after their wedding, the husband pours half of his tea into another cup and offers it to her. The next day, she takes out a teacup for herself (hoping for the same treatment), but he just leaves with his own cup. We have mapped such small moments across the film – the moments that turn Richa from a young, new bride into a person who has lost her smile.”