Exclusive: IFFI 2024: When Sanya Malhotra Realised Her Mother’s Job Is Not “Easy”

Sanya Malhotra‘s Mrs premiered at the Indian International Film Festival (IFFI) in Goa. The film, directed by Arati Kadav, is a Hindi adaptation of Malayalam blockbuster — The Great Indian Kitchen. The plot revolves around a married woman who finds her identity amidst navigating her life in the kitchen. The film also stars Nishant Dahiya and Kanwaljeet Singh. Now, in an exclusive conversation with NDTV, Sanya shared her experience of working in the film. She also spoke about the time when she realised what her mother (a homemaker) does is not easy. The actress said, “I came to Mumbai around 10 years ago. And when you start living alone, you realise the value of home-cooked food. You start respecting your mother more. You start realising what she does as a homemaker is not easy. We used to ignore the smallest of things my mother used to do. Back then, we used to hear our father telling our mom, ‘You were in the house the whole day.’ But I realised 10 years back that what my mother does is not an easy job. You only realise when you have to do it all alone.”

When asked if her father extends a helping hand, Sanya Malhotra added, “Yes, at times. But he makes sure that everyone gets to know what he did. It becomes a topic of discussion.”

Mrs earned a standing ovation at the IFFI premiere. Sharing her joy for such a warm reception, Sanya Malhotra said, “Day 2 at IFFI for “Mrs” gala premiere. Feeling overwhelmed and humbled by the incredible response and love. Grateful for this unforgettable journey! #Mrs.”

Talking about the storyline, Arati Kadav told The Indian Express, “Mrs is not the story of one woman but yet is a lived experience of so many women. I also felt that our mothers have lived and understood life so much more and there are nuances they have navigated and I was keen to capture them.This was the first time I was noticing my own life, life of our aunts, my friends, life of men, life of so many people and trying to see how I could bring unique and meaningful moments of the film and still not even once try to be ‘on-the-face’ preachy. I wanted the film to be the story of this girl and I wanted to be authentic to her personality.”