Ahead of Mrs release, Sanya Malhotra says, ‘Never shied away from calling myself a feminist’

Sanya Malhotra

Greedy is how Sanya Malhotra would describe herself as an actor. She is self-admittedly greedy for stories that empower her as well as her audience. And it is this trait that has led her to Mrs, an official adaptation of the acclaimed Malayalam film, The Great Indian Kitchen (2021). "I love the original. I have seen this happening around me," says Malhotra of the story that probably most women in India would identify with.

A still from Mrs

Directed by Arati Kadav, Mrs tells the story of Malhotra's character Richa, a dancer whose life becomes confined to the kitchen after marriage. As the protagonist's days become all about dicing vegetables and dusting, about cooking and cutlery, the director shows us how patriarchy plays out in unsuspecting ways. Having seen women around her subjected to such unspoken patriarchy became another trigger for the actor to say yes to the ZEE5 film. She elaborates, "I have seen my friends go through similar challenges. Often, we think this is mundane and aren't even aware of [how it is actually a patriarchal practice]. I feel [showing it in] this film can empower someone watching it."

In less than a decade, Malhotra has built a filmography with women-centric, thought-provoking movies. It's not incidental, asserts the actor. She says that through her film choices and off-screen image, she has never hesitated in underlining her identity as a feminist. It's refreshing in an industry where some female actors tip-toe around feminism, misconstruing it as male-bashing. Agreeing that female actors are discouraged from being perceived as feminists and told that it might alienate their male audience, Malhotra says, "If I had felt any hesitation towards [establishing my identity], I wouldn't have done a Pagglait [2021] or Kathal [2023]. I didn't have the confidence to do Pagglait. I told Guneet [Monga Kapoor], ‘I don't know if it's the right time for me to pick a film like this, whether I'll be able to shoulder this film.' But she and Umesh sir [Bist, director] had confidence in me. These are my core values. I have never shied away from calling myself a feminist. I'm proud of all the characters I've played till now. I've got a good platform as an actor. I feel empowered doing films like Mrs and I want little girls to feel the same way when they watch me. These are small steps, but somebody has to take them."