Bollywood actress Sanya Malhotra on why 'Mrs.' is more than a remake of Malayalam hit 'The Great Indian Kitchen'

Dubai: On the surface, Mrs. starring Sanya Malhotra might seem like a more sanitised version of the provocative 2021 Malayalam film The Great Indian Kitchen, but its lead actress insists that it isn’t about dilution—it’s about perspective.

Unlike the original Jeo Baby directorial starring Nimisha Sajayan and Suraj Venjaramoodu, which positioned viewers as silent witnesses to a woman’s suffocating reality in a marriage, Mrs. is told from a distinctly female gaze.

In director Arati Kadav's Mrs. out on ZEE5 Global now, Sanya plays Richa, an aspiring dancer who isn't chuffed about spending her life in kitchen and being just a dutiful wife and daughter-in-law.

“The original film was voyeuristic in its approach, but Mrs. is more about seeing the world from Richa’s [her character’s] point of view. It’s an intimate look at her journey, her struggles, and the silent battles she fights every day," said Malhotra in a zoom video interview with Gulf News.

At its core, the film -- just like its South Indian original -- is about how casual sexism, patriarchal norms, and the unspoken weight of expectation shape women’s lives—often in ways that are so normalised they go unquestioned.

“We’ve been normalising, even romanticising women sacrificing their dreams for too long. It’s time we stop,” she says, referencing a pivotal scene in the trailer where a father-in-law praises his wife for giving up her PhD for the sake of her family.

Even when The Great Indian Kitchen was rolled out during the COVID lockdown, the film exposed how even educated women are reduced to glorified maids after marriage, expected to serve as dutiful wives and daughters-in-law while their agency is quietly stripped away. It resonated because it wasn’t just one woman’s story—it was a collective reality.

Mrs. hopes to continues that conversation, shifting from detached observation to a personal lens, asking: Why must a woman’s worth be tied to service, and when will duty stop being her burden alone?

From small, seemingly insignificant demands to life-altering sacrifices, Mrs. unpacks the layers of silent endurance that women are expected to carry.

“There’s a scene where Richa is told not to use a mixer but to grind spices on a stone because her father-in-law doesn’t like the taste otherwise. It’s such a small thing, but it speaks volumes about how women’s time and labor are taken for granted.”

Unlike the original, which took an observational approach, Mrs. brings audiences inside the protagonist’s mind, allowing them to feel the psychological toll of her reality rather than just witnessing it from the outside.

“Mrs. lets us step inside her mind. You see what she’s going through on a psychological level, not just the physical labor and unspoken expectations.”

At its core, Mrs. is also a story about how women are often expected to adapt overnight to new environments, traditions, and expectations—especially within arranged marriages.

This internalised conditioning—where women must always be accommodating, self-sacrificing, and resilient—is a theme that resonates throughout the film. The character’s journey is not just about breaking free but about recognising the power dynamics that have been long overlooked.

Sanya, who made her Bollywood acting debut in 2016 with Dangal, kept a journal during the movie's filming. She also told this journalist that she didn't re-visit the original once this project came here way, but enjoyed watched it thoroughly when it released during lockdown.

“In my journal, I wrote about how Richa must have felt when she first met her husband-to-be. She was probably enamored by his looks and status—he’s a doctor, after all. But did she really know him emotionally? No. And then, when he took a week to respond to the proposal, she must have agonised over what went wrong. That power dynamic is something we don’t often question, but it’s very telling.”

Bollywood has long been criticised for sidelining female-led narratives, but Mrs. reflects a growing shift in the industry.

“The fact that audiences are receptive to stories like this is encouraging. Producers and filmmakers are willing to back projects that challenge gender roles, and as an actor, I feel a responsibility to be part of that change.”

Ultimately, Mrs. is more than just a film—it’s a reflection of the quiet battles that women fight every day, says Sanya.

“I just hope it’s a film that stays with you—one that makes you think long after you’ve left the theater.”

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Mrs. is out on ZEE5 Global on February 7