I would have almost missed watching Mrs. when it was released but for the innumerable memes dropped on all social media platforms. The memes were mostly making fun of the movie and the protagonist and a lot of these hurt people were men. So I saw the movie to see for myself what this was all about.

A Hindi remake of Malayalam movie, The Great Indian Kitchen, Mrs. stars Sanya Malhotra in the lead role. A dancer by profession, Richa gets married to Diwakar, a gynaecologist. Soon after her marriage she realises that the family is very regressive and over time we can see the bubbly Richa slowly become a shadow of her former self, much like her mother-in-law who is never seen smiling.

The movie shows how every delicious meal put on the table is meticulously prepared by a woman who has her own identity other than mother, wife or daughter-in-law. Never has it been shown that Richa doesn’t want to cook for her family. In fact, she painstakingly learns from Internet what she doesn’t know and makes a variety of dishes for her family. All she expects from them is a kind word, some appreciation which never comes. The father-in-law, who is always ready to point out the flaws in her dishes not once has anything good to say to her.

How many times have we seen this in our homes too? How many times have we not bothered to commend our mother’s or grand mother’s hard work and culinary skills? A lot of people will say that their mother cooks for them out of love. This maybe true but do you show your appreciation for this love? If your Mom’s love language is food, then you can at least say that you loved it and then see how her face lights up. Same is true for your wife or daughter or daughter-in-law too. A little appreciation goes a long way in building strong relationships. Lend a hand sometimes, say something nice, eat with her and you see how life at home becomes beautiful.

I have seen this a lot of times that while eating, people are very quick to point out if there is less or extra salt but rarely say that the food is delicious. Thankfully, I never see this in my family. Every tasty meal is appreciated and if there are any flaws, they are either ignored or pointed out very kindly so as not to hurt the feelings of the maker of the food.

If those who are busy making fun of the movie and the protagonist try and put themselves in her place for one week, they will understand what it is all about. Just imagine working on a presentation with all your heart and nobody appreciates it. All that your colleagues do is point out that one spelling mistake or font error and your boss doesn’t even bother to comment on it. How would that make you feel? This is exactly what Richa was going through every day. The leaking tap, the kitchen smell from her, the constant criticism, the orders of “shikanji” from men enjoying party as she is stuck alone in the kitchen; she had to break one day. Personally, I would have rebelled a long time back.

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