Arati Kadav’s Mrs. has taken Bollywood by storm for its raw portrayal of a woman’s struggles and expectations she has to fulfil when married into a new family. The remake of Jeo Baby’s Malayalam film The Great Indian Kitchen has been lauded for its message and lead actress Sanya Malhotra’s powerful performance.
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In a recent conversation with Indian Express, Kadav expressed her perspective on the Karva Chauth celebration showcased in Mrs. and said it was “the most fitting cultural touchpoint” to portray in the Hindi film. The filmmaker said: “First of all, in today’s climate, making overt religious statements isn’t as easy. What the original did was phenomenal, but it was also deeply tied to the socio-cultural realities of the South. With our adaptation, I wanted to reflect the world I’ve grown up in — and in North India, Karva Chauth felt like the most fitting cultural touchpoint.”
She further commented on Bollywood’s portrayal of the Hindu ritual, saying, “Interestingly, the Karva Chauth scene was a last-minute addition, just 20 days before the shoot. Because I kept thinking, “How can we make a Hindi film about domestic life without addressing Karva Chauth?” Especially considering how Bollywood has glorified the ritual, turning it into something celebratory and even gender-neutral. That portrayal bothers me. Our films have normalized it to such an extent that it has come to influence entire generations.”
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When asked why she decided to do a remake of The Great Indian Kitchen, she replied, “The story deeply resonated with me. In many ways, I felt it belonged to my mother, to my aunts, my cousins, to the women whose lives I’ve witnessed up close. There was something intimate and familiar about it, and I believed I could do justice to this kind of rooted storytelling... Bollywood often leans toward hyper-sentimentalizing narratives like these, but I wanted to ground it in realism.”
Mrs.is available to stream on Zee5.
