Dance is the common thread that binds together Sanya Malhotra and her character Richa in Arati Kadav's "Mrs", and the actor says the film was the perfect project where she got an opportunity to pursue both her passions.

The Delhi-born actor, who is a trained dancer in contemporary and ballet dance forms, participated in the popular dance reality show "Dance India Dance" before debuting in films with 2016's "Dangal".

"Mrs" is the Hindi-language adaptation of Jeo Baby's critically-acclaimed Malayalam film "The Great Indian Kitchen" (2021), about an aspiring dancer who is married off in a patriarchal family where she is reduced to doing household chores but ultimately resists her oppression.

"This is what I was looking for. I love acting and I am extremely passionate about dancing. Brinda Gopal ma'am has done the choreography for the film and it just blends with the story so well. Richa is really passionate about dancing, she is a professional dancer. When she gets married she is trying to love what her life has become after marriage but also doesn't want to lose herself.

"As an actor, I am constantly looking for characters where I don't lose any of my passions. I love acting, I also like dancing. When I found such a beautiful blend... I was grateful to get the opportunity with such a film ('Mrs')" Malhotra told PTI in an interview here.

"Mrs", presented by Jio Studios in association with Baweja Studios, is produced by Jyoti Deshpande, Pammi Baweja, and Harman Baweja.

The film recently had its gala premiere at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which commenced in Goa on November 20.

Kadav said her previous works, including the acclaimed sci-fi film "Cargo", were all about "discovering" herself.

"But when it comes to 'Mrs', it is in a way a dialogue between me and so many people. I feel that film is like that. It's the story of all of us right now.

"For me, if it (the film) is not speaking to everybody in the audience or people at large, then I would be really disappointed. So, I want it to speak to a lot of people. I think it is reaching a lot of people right now (through film festivals like IFFI)." Harman Baweja, also an actor, said patriarchy is a "generational" issue.

"I believe I am a liberal guy. At every stage you feel you are that person till you watch yourself from a different perspective and you realise, 'Okay, wait a minute.' "There is still a long way to go for us because it (patriarchy) is deeply ingrained in us. It's not something that's going to happen overnight," he said, adding he has "evolved" as an individual during the making of the film.

"Mrs" also stars Nishant Dahiya and Kanwaljit Singh in key roles.

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