Actor Sanya Malhotra wasn’t fazed by several men’s groups, such as the Save Indian Family Foundation (SIFF), criticising her film Mrs, accusing it of promoting one-sided feminist narrative. She noted that the backlash stemmed from the film’s reflection of reality.
Sanya reacts to backlash
Sanya spoke about the film getting slammed by men’s rights organisation, claiming that it comes with ‘toxic feminism’, during a session at CNN-News18 SheShakti 2025. She shared people kept criticising the film because they showed the reality of women’s condition in some households where they are not even allowed to do work.
Sanya 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 Dangal actor added, “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. Jinke paas story pahunchni thi wahan pahunch chuki hai (The story has reached the people it needed to reach).”
Men’s rights org slam Mrs
After the release of the film in February, a men’s rights organisation, SIFF – Save Indian Family Foundation, criticised the film vehemently, accusing it of toxicity. On X (formerly Twitter), SIFF wrote how men work 8-9 hours at construction sites, railway stations, airports, factories, courts, police stations, restaurants, and country’s borders. It added that “a happy young woman cooking food, doing dishes and pressing clothes of her father-in-law is oppression for her”.
In a series of tweets, SIFF also said that “women inherently believe workplace means a comfortable air-conditioned place. They do not consider work at construction sites or at train stations etc. potential workplaces”.
It also questioned what stress women go through while doing household chores. SIFF also said that men should never share “50% housework, because 70-80% material, clothes, furniture and gadgets are craved by women and enjoyed by women”. Several fans came forward to defend the film at that time.
About Mrs
A Hindi adaptation of the acclaimed 2021 Malayalam film The Great Indian Kitchen, the film features Sanya in the role of an Indian housewife. It is directed by Arati Kadav. The film narrates a tale of a talented dancer whose life takes a dramatic turn after she gets married into a male-dominated household, and aims to put a spotlight on the disparities between men and women present in society. Sanya-starrer Mrs released on the OTT platform Zee5 on February 7.
The film also stars Nishant Dahiya and Kanwaljit Singh. It was lauded by both critics and audiences for its powerful narrative, stellar performances, and emotional depth.
