Sanya Malhotra on Mrs criticism: Problem is not that she did not want to cook

Actor Sanya Malhotra was last seen in the film Mrs, which is currently streaming on Zee5. The film is the Hindi remake of the Malayalam film The Great Indian Kitchen. The film sparked several debates and discussions on the patriarchal conditioning of society. It was also criticised by the men’s rights group Save Indian Family Foundation (SIFF), which accused the movie of promoting a one-sided feminist narrative. However, Malhotra said she was not affected by the criticism.

Sanya Malhotra on Mrs criticism

Sanya Malhotra explained that the criticism arose because the film reflects the reality of women in many households where they are still not allowed to work. Talking about the backlash in an interview with CNN-News18, the actress said, “Problem yeh nahi hai ke khana nahin bana chahti hai. Woh khana bana rahi thi. Woh to saja ke bhi de rahi hai, with zero appreciation from the family. The problem arose when she wanted to do something, and she showed that family that I am capable of doing ghar ka kaam, and I want to go out and do something that I love to do. Aur woh usko karne nahin diya jaa raha, woh freedom nahin diya jaa rahi (The problem isn’t that she didn’t want to cook. She was cooking, even serving it nicely, but getting zero appreciation from the family. The problem started when she wanted to do something else and showed the family that she is capable of managing the household and also wants to go out and pursue something she loves. But she wasn’t allowed to do that — she wasn’t given the freedom).”

The Jawan star further said that the film has reached the intended audience. “Jinke paas story pahunchni thi, wahan pahunch chuki hai (The story has reached the people it needed to reach).”

What the men’s rights organisation said

Ahead of the release of Arati Kadav directed Mrs earlier this year, the men’s rights organisation SIFF — Save Indian Family Foundation — accused the film of being toxic and of not representing the struggles faced by men. They took to their X handle and wrote about how men work 8–9 hours at construction sites, railway stations, airports, factories, courts, police stations, restaurants, and at the country’s borders. The group added, “A happy young woman cooking food, doing dishes, and pressing the clothes of her father-in-law is oppression for her.”

SIFF also said that men should never share “50% housework, because 70–80 percent of material, clothes, furniture, and gadgets are craved by women and enjoyed by women.”