EXCLUSIVE | 'Mrs' actor Kanwaljit Singh reveals receiving 'a lot of hate' for his character: 'It was Sanya Malhotra who was wrong because...'

Sanya Malhotra’s Mrs is a film that has triggered a massive debate on social media about the way it narrates the story of a housewife trapped inside a kitchen. Men are definitely triggered. It’s a social drama that attempts to slap the toxicity of patriarchy. It’s not easy to describe the two men in the film. They could be old-school, they could be orthodox, and they could also be absolutely regressive. One of these men is played by the ever reliable Kanwaljit Singh.

In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, the veteran actor spoke about his character, the world showed in the film, and takeaway from acting in it.

Edited excerpts from the interview

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What is the response you have received for the film so far?

Hate, hate, hate. Cognizantly, people who know the craft have been very appreciative. My style is little different. It could have been a cliched performance had anybody else attempted this. I wanted to be different. They wanted me to watch The Great Indian Kitchen, but I refused because it remains in your subconscious.

This is a character that is not likable at all. Since you have not seen the original, how did you prepare for it?

I was aware of the story. I created a backstory for my character that my father would have been the same, his grandfather also would have been the same. This is in our blood, the patriarchy. This is a behavior pattern of their family. Humko samajh tab aati hai when we get to know the reaction of other people. We never got to see her reaction to what we were saying. That always happened when she was alone. We finally got to see her reaction in the end when she threw gutter water on my son. But we got a new wife for her. This is a vicious circle of patriarchy.

When Sanya’s character throws gutter water at your son, we see his second wife going through the same fate. Nothing has changed about you and him.

Nothing will ever change. She was the one who was in the wrong for our characters. How dare she throw gutter water at my son? So we decide to get another wife who is very docile. We will bring a third wife if the second also runs away.

How would you describe the character that you have played? Is he toxic, is a problematic, or patriarchal?

The first rule of an actor is to empathize with the character he plays. I don’t think I was doing anything wrong as a character. My father was a great liberal man who used to make 2 cups of tea for my mother and then go to the office. So I had to create a backstory for my character because I had never seen this palette in my real life.

Have you seen cinema change or evolve ever since the boom of OTT?

The one thing I don’t like about OTT is that too much liberties are taken. Every character seems to be abusive. Every person is abusing these days on OTT. So it was really surprising when Sony asked Rajshri to make a series for them, which is an absolutely clean show which you can see with your entire family and children.

Mrs is a story about the challenges faced by a housewife. But what do you have to say about the struggles that men face in their personal professional lives?

When we came to Bombay, the struggle was to stay in a small room with two other people. But when God gives you basic amenities, enjoy them, why not? You have worked hard enough for that. You then buy a fridge, a car. People keep changing.