Hindi remake of the critically acclaimed Malayalam film ‘The Great Indian Kitchen’, ‘Mrs.’ directed by Arati Kadav premiered earlier this month on Zee5 and the film has generated highly contrasting and varied reactions from the audience.
‘Mrs.’ is a film about a woman named Richa, played by Santa Malhotra, whose life changes after marriage when she is forced to be within the confines of her house and is limited to household chores. While initially it all feels ok slowly she starts to suffocate when she isn’t recognised for her efforts and rather disregarded and disrespected every step of the way.
While many have appreciated the way ‘Mrs.’ deals with issues faced by several women in our society as it paints a relatable picture for them. They like the fact how subtly and without much words the reality is expressed more through situations and expressions.
On the other hand many claim ‘Mrs.’ is a propaganda driven film highlighting woke feminism and is insulting towards men. Some even went on to say how cooking two meals a day is a woman’s job, after all the man is toiling hard to earn money and he deserves it.
Both these points may feel too extremist to the opposing groups. But we have to understand that ‘Mrs.’ is not trying to say who is wrong and who is right. It is just trying to use cinema as an art to put forward a story where no one’s a victim.
The film is more about finding one’s own voice and identity in times you feel lost the most. If any relationship, in this case marriage, makes you limit yourself in unwarranted ways, it is toxic and it’s better to get out of it.
It’s not concerning that ‘Mrs.’ sparked such debates but how even in today’s world and age we haven’t evolved enough as a society to accept art as it is rather than trying to set it straight or for that matter even justify it.
Flawed or not, art is meant to be as the artist wishes it to be and that’s where the beauty lies. It’s time we stop judging cinema and just enjoy it for what it is.
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