After her debut with the sci-fi film “Cargo,” writer and director Arati Kadav recently helmed “Mrs.,” the Hindi remake of Jeo Baby’s acclaimed Malayalam film “The Great Indian Kitchen.” Starring the exceptionally talented Sanya Malhotra in a career-defining role, “Mrs.” has since become a global sensation, earning the distinction of ‘The Most Searched Film On Google.’
The film—which is available on Zee 5’s streaming platform—presents a thought-provoking narrative that challenges traditional gender roles and delves into the complexities of personal freedom, societal expectations, and modern womanhood.
Arati Kadav Returns to The Movie Buff
Following the release of the film, Arati Kadav has agreed to an interview with The Movie Buff. In this interview, Kadav shared her insights on remaking the movie for the palate of the North Indian audience and the original’s themes. She also talks about the pivotal roles of studios/streaming platforms like Zee 5 Global in uplifting indie creatives and thus bringing timely Indian stories to a global audience. Not to forget her past, Kadav further talks about making the jump from sci-fi to character-driven dramas with “Mrs.,” and also collaborating with Sanya Malhotra to bring the layered character of Richa (the titular Mrs) to life.
Vidal D’Costa for the Movie Buff: Firstly, congratulations on the success of “Mrs.,”‘ which has received much deserved recognition from viewers on the OTT space ever since its release on Zee 5. Some time ago, one of my colleagues, Arpit Nayak, interviewed you for our outlet regarding your debut feature “Cargo,” but I feel a reintroduction is still necessary. Could you refresh our readers’ memories by sharing about your filmmaking journey, your creative process, the filmmakers who influence your work, as well as any lessons that you may have learnt/unlearnt since your first directorial venture?
Arati Kadav: I’ve been a filmmaker for around 10-12 years, but before I entered filmmaking, I was a software engineer. I studied at IIT Kanpur and also worked for a few years before finding my calling. I enrolled in the Whistling Woods International film school in Mumbai to study film direction around the same time (12 years ago).
Since then, I started writing my own scripts, initially working on music videos and ads, before transitioning to short films—which I enjoyed making. This led to starting an underground collective called “Short Film Window,” where I screened a lot of short films for fellow filmmakers. This initiative caught on, expanding to 200-300 short films being screened, and it was immensely popular among the filmmaking fraternity in India. My first film, “Time Machine” was 40 minutes long. The rest is history, as this short venture eventually resulted in my feature debut “Cargo” too.
Following that, I picked up the mantle of making “Mrs.,” which has become my most personal work yet. While other movies required me to put in research or read books, draw from fiction, etc., “Mrs.” reflects my own reality and what’s already happening in kitchens all around or in one’s own backyard too. I’ve seen my mother undergo a similar reality, and felt personally motivated in telling this story in a language that was more accessible. Also, I wanted to tell it in a way that connects to young girls in India, while also bringing in my nuances.
I like to tell stories with a lot of sincerity and lots of love, and there’s nothing more to it. I don’t have any tricks of the trade so to speak, but rather try my best to stay true to the emotion of the story and bring it out the best I can. So, that’s my filmmaking journey.
D’Costa: You’re no stranger to indie cinema and bringing niche concepts to the big screen with limited or moderate budget. Since “Mrs.” has gained popularity as one of the most searched films online, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the current state or the future of Indian cinema. Is it important to understand/know your audience, and how has streaming affected distraction?
Kadav: I think we as filmmakers are very confused since we’re competing with so many things. We’re competing with the onslaught of a lot of international content and short viral reels, which people are more intent or busy in watching nowadays. So, due to the competitive nature, as a filmmaker you don’t know where your films stand, especially determining what’s the attention span of your viewers, or whether they’ll connect to the story you’re telling.
“I knew if I was going to go ahead with the remake, it would have to retain the essence of the original. Because it’s such a powerful story nonetheless.” – Arati Kadav
Another big worry is whether the audience will even notice that your film has released, or whether it has come and gone. We are in such a society where there is so much content to binge, but also a lot of it tends to get ignored too. But I still believe in creating something with sincerity, even if only a small set of people will be able to see it or are moved by it. I also feel that Indian films have to start becoming more ambitious in terms of the stories, and filmmakers need to start experimenting instead of playing it safe. As filmmakers, we should not be afraid of failure since that’s the only way we can fly high. We should try different genres, unusual stories and see where they land.
These are tough times as even independent creatives are questioning their existence due to a lack of funding for these experimental films. [However], there’s still hope if big studios offer chances to independent storytellers to tell their stories or appoint smaller departments (like many studios have departments dedicated to research and development of independent films and scripts) to handle the same and thus reward these efforts.
D’Costa: Eyebrows are usually raised whenever the word ‘remake’ is mentioned nowadays, and the original (“The Great Indian Kitchen”) is considered ahead of its time in the Malayalam film industry. However, in my opinion, Mrs.” is one of those rare remakes that managed to retain the tone, authenticity, and themes of the original. What were your motivations behind helming this remake? Were you hesitant/anxious over people comparing this film to the original?
Kadav: Yes, you’re right. I was completely hesitant to take it up because there is no way to ‘win this,’ especially remaking a film that’s so loved by so many. People are obviously going to be opinionated and pose questions like why are you remaking something that we’ve already seen and loved?, so I was very worried about the same. But simultaneously, I knew if I was going to go ahead with the remake, it would have to retain the essence of the original. Because it’s such a powerful story nonetheless.
Since it’s a treatment-based film rather than plot-driven, it was even tougher to remake it. To reinvent certain shots or recreate the location itself—or the characters—it’s a challenge. On the contrary, if it was a simple murder mystery, it would have been much less of a challenge to redo. But in case of “Mrs.,” even a slight tweak or mistake in the treatment means the film wouldn’t work, so that was a possibility I fretted with. While anxious, I also took inspiration from the fact that this is a lived reality of many women, and telling this story thus required a lot of responsibility, so I went in with this mindset. For me, the game-changer was meeting women from North India who experienced similar situations firsthand. That empathy translated on-screen and enabled me in the retelling of the story (especially from a newer North Indian perspective as well).
D’Costa: I’ve noticed that “Mrs.” is also one of the few non-sci-fi outings in your filmography. Was the transition from the sci-fi to the drama genre a smooth one? What are some similarities and/or differences while directing in both these genres?
Kadav: I treated the look and feel of “Mrs.” much like a sci-fi film. I was fussy about the color scheme of the kitchen, every kitchen tile and teacup, and instructed the crew to assume it’s a sci-fi film. You can’t put just any teacup, any plant, etc. randomly. I think having worked in the sci-fi genre previously, I have this filmmaking muscle that allows me to control [a films]look and feel, and this helped me in visioning and creating the location (the house) for “Mrs.,” too. People can [become restless]watching a single location movie, so the film was heavily dependent on design. All that stems from my sci-fi background—especially in crafting a design that’s both vibrant and strong, and holds the [audience’s] attention for the one and a half hours. I didn’t have any other narrative or storytelling device to hide behind apart from that.
“Sanya really soaked in the character very well and from the start, working with her on every scene became a very beautiful collaborative exercise.” – Arati Kadav
With regards to non-sci-fi films or character dramas, you’ve to ensure that the character’s pitch, and their respective POV is correct and the performances of the actors also must align with the same. I really worked hard to extract performances on the acting aspects during rehearsals. We did a lot of readings, and even during filming we would do entire takes so the actors could get into the rhythm. This was the first time I’d tried this technique, so it definitely took me out of my comfort zone. Especially in a film where I’m not cutting away to anything and just focusing on the pitch of the performance. It was such a good learning experience though.
D’Costa: You’ve previously collaborated with two extremely talented but overlooked actors in the past: Vikrant Massey and Shweta Tripathi (the leads in “Cargo”), and this time around, you worked with the versatile Sanya Malhotra, who is a show-stopper as the titular Mrs (Richa). Could you delve into your experience working with her, and whether she or the rest of the cast offered any creative input during filming?
Kadav: Yes, in fact, Sanya really soaked in the character very well and from the start, working with her on every scene became a very beautiful collaborative exercise. That’s why her performance grew to be so transcendent, in my opinion, because we both put in a lot of love, and I could sense that she too felt the battles of Richa. Just like Vikrant Massey, who similarly feels every emotion authentically as he acts, so does Sanya. She didn’t pretend. If she’s crying or sad on-screen, she’s actually crying/feeling sad.
It was especially hard on me to see an actress going through so much and pouring so much of her soul into the character. And she also offered a lot of nice creative input, and every one of them I ensured to plant into my story. There’s a shot where she’s dancing in front of a 3-way mirror while locked in her room alone, so that was her idea to do that. Even though we didn’t have scope or time for it at the time, I worked on it the next day since it was a valuable input that came directly from my leading lady herself.
D’Costa: Could you share details about any upcoming projects you’re working on?
Kadav: Right now, it’s too early to talk about, so I won’t divulge much. But we are working on [two]very strong scripts and both fall under the sci-fi genre and are character dramas as well, so both my strengths in directing “Mrs.” and “Cargo” will once again combine and come into play in these new ventures, too.
D’Costa: Lastly, “Mrs.” leaves viewers with sound advice on ‘being a prime number.’ What is a piece of advice you’d like to share with budding filmmakers who dream of leaving their own mark in the industry?
Kadav: I have only one [piece of] sound advice—don’t wait for anybody to make your first film. Nobody will give you permission, so you’ll have to fight to get your own way. And right now, there is so much technology out there to even use your phone to make a short film. [Additionally], you can write stories on locations available to you, enlist your friends as actors too… but stay artistic and stay unstoppable. And of course, keep making films!
This interview has been edited for clarity.
