Sanya Malhotra’s film Mrs is praised for portraying patriarchy. Kangana Ranaut indirectly criticized it on Instagram, urging not to generalize Indian joint families or compare homemakers to paid workers.
Kangana Ranaut has indirectly called out Sanya Malhotra’s Mrs.
Sanya Malhotra’s Mrs is earning a lot of appreciation for its portrayal of patriarchy in the society. The film follows Richa, a newlywed dancer, as she struggles against the stifling patriarchy of a traditional Indian joint family while confronting the challenges that come with an arranged marriage. Now, Kangana Ranaut has indirectly criticised the film by penning a long note on Instagram where she urged people to stop generalising Indian joint families and demonising elderly people.
The actress also rejected the idea of comparing homemakers to paid workers, saying that the fulfilment of building a home and raising children should not be equated with forced labour. Without mentioning Mrs, Kangana Ranaut took to her Instagram story to write, “Growing up, I never saw a woman who didn’t command her household, ordered everyone when to eat when to sleep and when to go out, asked her husband about every penny that he spent and he obligated. Only conflicts were his boys outings and frequent drinking evenings with friends. Whenever papa wanted to eat out with us she scolded us all because cooking for us was her joy. This way, she could control many things including the hygiene/ the nutrition of the food. Elderly folks worked as nannies to her kids and emotional support system. Women of the house dadi, mumma, chachi are our ultimate queens and we hope to be like them. Of course there can be case of devaluing women but let’s stop generalizing Indian joint families and demonizing elderly people. Also, let’s stop comparing women of the house with paid labour.”
Kangana further said that marriage is not about seeking attention or validation but serves the best interests of the most vulnerable—particularly the elderly and newborns, who rely on others for care. Quoting the shastras, she pointed out that previous generations dutifully cared for their parents and elders without question, simply fulfilling their responsibilities as a way of life.
“Too many Bollywood love stories have distorted the ideas of marriages, marriages should be how it has always been in this country, it always had a purpose and the purpose was Dharma which essentially means duty. That’s it, do your duty. That’s it, do your duty and move on, life is too short and fast, if you try to get too much validation or footage you will end up alone with your therapist,” she added.
The actress urged people not to endorse divorce. “Shashtras says there is no joy in other human being, there is no joy in success, wealth, marriage/in being single or in any other worldly pleasure, they never said these things can satisfy a human being, true joy lies in being united with paramaatma, if you seek joy look for it in the right place, rest every where else do your duty don’t try to extract joy, trust me it’s not even there but by limited perception let’s not dismantle social institutions like marriages, our biggest strengths our joint families, let’s not endorse divorces, let’s not encourage younger generations to abandon older parents, or not have babies.”
Mrs is the official remake of the acclaimed Malayalam film The Great Indian Kitchen. Directed by Arati Kadav, the film features a stellar ensemble cast, including Kanwaljit Singh, Nishant Dahiya, Aparna Ghoshal, Nitya Moyal, Viraj Mundkar, and Varun Badola, among others.
