Packing the Kitchen

The bait and switch of marriage

- Pearl Sandhu

MRS. is dividing audiences. Some see it as a harsh reflection of Indian marriage; others dismiss it as exaggerated. But it is timely and unsettling, especially as many urban Indian women are questioning the very institution of marriage. This shift should be expected to cause deep anxiety in a society where conjugal families are almost completely built on the silent sacrifices of women.

Closely based on the Malayalam film The Great Indian Kitchen (TGIK, 2023), Mrs. adapts its themes for a Hindi-speaking audience, adding glamour while toning down some of the regional specifics that made TGIK bolder in what it challenged (Brahmanical patriarchy). TGIK was set in an upper-caste Hindu household in Kerala, where patriarchal customs tied to the Sabarimala pilgrimage reinforced the film's critique of gender roles. Mrs., in contrast, avoids clear regional markers, presenting a more generalised north Indian setting where the family speaks Hindi and eats mutton. While menstruation remains a topic in both films, Mrs. addresses it with more subtlety, making the family’s traditionalism feel broader and more relatable.

Many recent films have critiqued the institution of marriage. Thappad (2020) sparked heated debates on whether a single slap justified divorce, with some defending marriage at all costs and others demanding dignity for women. But Mrs. delves deeper, into the kitchen—the heart of domestic labour—where the imbalance of a traditional Indian marriage is most evident. It exposes how, while the bait of marriage is love and companionship, it quickly switches to a power hierarchy where the wife gives everything and receives nothing in return.

Richa, the protagonist of