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Sanya Malhotra’s Mrs might not be a box-office film, but it is definitely a conversation starter. From influencers talking about how the movie brings unnoticed nuances of patriarchy into the spotlight to women relating with the character Richa (or a few aspects of her life), this is one of the few art pieces that has struck a chord with the audience.
Arati Kadav/ Instagram
While it is an ode to Indian home chefs creating lip-smacking delights to feed their loved ones and friends, it also showcases the burden of unpaid labour on Indian housewives. The majority of scenes in the film have Richa cooking something or the other in the kitchen. From an amateur cook to learning how to make petha, dal pitha, and even dum pukht biryani, she became an exceptional cook who realised her self-worth and decided not to let her husband and in-laws clip her wings.
The film is much more than just a display of how patriarchy works in layers. It is also about how people find solace in cooking or how they enjoy feeding their loved ones (though in this case, preparing food was an obligation for Richa). As a foodie and home chef, the author could not keep her eyes off of some of the popular delicacies that Sanya’s character cooked in the film and how it beautifully featured familiar foodscapes.
Patra
A Gujarati delicacy that is often enjoyed in the rainy season is patra, and it was featured in the opening scene of Mrs It is prepared by coating colocasia leaves with a spiced gram flour batter, steaming them, cutting them into thin pieces, and deep-frying until crispy. The dish is accompanied by green chutney and masala chai.
Arati Kadav/ Instagram
Sooji Halwa
It’s almost ironic that the father-in-law tells Richa that she will be their daughter post-marriage, and the next day, she completes the ritual of pehli rasoi (cooking the first meal in the new home) by making sooji halwa. Amid this, she also makes tea for her husband and adds almond slivers to it.
Laung Lata And Gatte Ki Sabzi
When Richa and her husband visit her maternal home, her mother cooks a feast amid which laung lata and gatte ki sabzi shine through. Laung lata is a sweet dish popularly prepared in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, and Odisha, while gatte ki sabzi is a Rajasthani gram flour-based delicacy enjoyed with roti. She argues with her husband that people prepare a feast for their daughter when they invite her for pag phera, and “daamad ji (son-in-law) does not prefer dishes ordered from restaurants.” The feast was a reminder of how differently daughter-in-laws and son-in-laws are treated in their in-laws’ homes.
Hand-Churned Butter & Sil Batta Ki Chutney
While it’s true that traditional stone-grinding is healthier and yields tastier chutney, pastes, and dips, modern appliances offer the ease of cooking the same delights in a few seconds. Richa’s mother-in-law was shown churning butter with her hands and asking her daughter-in-law to use sil batta to prepare chutney because her father-in-law prefers it. In the later part, the father-in-law also points out that a woman should not opt for ease over preparing food with patience and traditional methods. Along with India, many Asian kitchens still use traditional equipment to prepare dishes from scratch, but they have all the time in the world to do that.
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Bharwan Karela
Bharwan Karela is a side dish that can be prepared in advance and stored in the refrigerator for a week. Bitter gourd is stuffed with a spiced besan mixture and shallow-fried until the crust is crispy. When you are short of supplies at home, it can be served with parathas to complete the meal, not to mention the spicy kick it adds to a plate of dal and rice. It was the first dish Richa prepared when her mother-in-law left her to be with her pregnant daughter.
Dum Pukht Biryani
Dum pukht biryani is an Awadhi dish often prepared with marinated mutton or chicken. When Richa cooked it for the first time with mutton, she struggled with cooking the meat to perfection, hence, she prepared it in the cooker which her father-in-law pointed out was not the right method. The next day, she watched a video, and followed it through from slicing the onions to layering rice with marinated chicken and cooking them in a sealed pot. This preparation is close to every foodie’s heart and can make you instantly drool.
One-Pot Breakfasts
The film takes an interesting turn when Richa starts menstruating. She is asked to relax while her husband and father-in-law are okay with outside food or the maid cooking one-pot meals like upma, pulao, poha, bread toast, and omelette. These dishes are crucial to the existence of working professionals. They can be prepared in jiffy and are wholesome and nutritious.
Dal Pitha
Dal pitha is a Bihari dish that Richa’s mother-in-law used to prepare for her family. In her absence, she learns the recipe from YouTube and cooks it for her husband and father-in-law to impress them and seek permission to work. Prepared with lentil mixture stuffed in rice flour shaped into gujia, this dish is a source of protein and a healthy version of dumplings. You can enjoy it with coriander chutney or serve it as a starter to guests.
Arati Kadav/ Instagram
Shikanji
Shikanji is a refreshing dish that is often savoured in summer. Sugar, black salt, and lemon juice act as electrolytes and keep the body running amid heat waves. The first time when Richa makes it, her brother-in-law mansplains the recipe in a condescending tone. Later, it is shikanji who turns the tables around as Mrs decides to serve leaking water from the sink and throws it at her husband as an act of showing him his place.
Mutton Gravy
When Richa’s brother-in-law visits her house with his wife and kid, he says with pride that the men of the house would cook mutton gravy. He asks his wife to marinate the meat and instructs Richa to slice the onions. In the end, when men are done, the kitchen is left in a mess. Mutton gravy is another rich and creamy Awadhi preparation, and it is often relished with naan and rice, but in the film, it served a lesson that flag bearers of patriarchy can downsize a woman’s role in the kitchen but they cannot fill even a centimetre in her shoes.
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These dishes were not all. The table spreads across the film featured more dishes like bhindi, dal dhokli, gajar ka halwa, gajar matar ki sabzi, matar paneer, amroot ki sabzi, sabudana ki khichdi, gud tamatar ki chutney, puri sabzi, petha, mathri, kachori, and more.
While cooking as an obligation was handcuffing Richa’s dreams, the kitchen also became an important part of her where she could hide, tune out the world, think clearly, and discover herself. Did you take cooking and life lessons from Mrs or are you still entangled in the toxic web weaved by patriarchy?
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