The recently released ZEE5 Hindi-language drama film Mrs., directed by Arati Kadav, portrays a woman's journey through domesticity and societal expectations. Starring Sanya Malhotra as Richa, the film highlights the struggles women face within marriage, particularly in traditional households.
The film is a Hindi adaptation of the Malayalam film The Great Indian Kitchen, which questions deep-rooted societal norms. While the story mainly focuses on Richa’s marital life, it resonates with women across generations, married or not.
Richa, a trained dancer and dance teacher, marries Diwakar, a doctor. However, after marriage, she is not allowed to work outside the home. Instead, she is expected to handle all household chores alone and always be available for everyone’s needs-qualities that define a 'good' daughter-in-law in many families.
A film that sparks reflection
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Despite its great response, the sad reality is that Mrs. is so deeply relatable. The film challenges outdated traditions and encourages viewers to rethink the role of women in the household. It’s a movie that forces audiences to reflect-why are women still expected to bear the burden of domestic work alone? And more importantly, why aren’t men held to the same expectations?
This movie is not an eye-opener but a reality that we all already know and witness on a daily basis. A working woman in Mumbai leaves her house at 6:00 am in the morning for work but wakes up at 3:45am to make sure her husband and kids have all three meals of the day. Not only that but when she comes home all tired in the evening, she prepares the dinner, looks after her kid's homework, socialises and does it all over again the next day!
This movie challenges this routine of women, not only in Mumbai but in every part of India where traditional beliefs still take centrestage. 'Women are homemakers', 'Only women can handle household, men will desperately fail, will make a mess' and other such excuses are laughed out about. So what if men fail? They try again and maybe learn. Women aren't born with housemaking skills. They learn it too and so can men. A great part of how this patriarchy can be changed begins at home. Right parenting plays a very vital role here.
Movie triggers sense of 'not' being selfless
Even before the movie was released, a study that went viral said how most women will chose to be unmarried and childless by 2030. Although the root cause of this Morgan Stanley study is different, it can very well be related to the fact that women are now prioritising their career and chasing dreams. According to this study, women, long after they reach middle age, women in their 30s and 40s might also file for divorce or decide against getting married again.
This change in the patriarchy will now be seen rapidly due to awareness amongst communities via social media. Women have now realised that they are an individual and their dreams matter too. Films like Mrs. only fuel every women's desire to be independent, fight for their rights and never stop standing up for themselves. Married or not women are now adapting to the true meaning of feminism. Equal opportunities, equal rights, equal respect- that is all!
