Mrs writer Harman Baweja on the movie's success and how 'it was always Sanya Malhotra from the word go' as Richa - Exclusive

Harman Baweja has been praised for his writing of Mrs.

Bollywood actor Harman Baweja, writer and producer of critically acclaimed film 'Mrs' running on Zee5, spoke about the film's success - what worked in its favour, his personal approach to writing, and the changing landscape of the film industry.

In an exclusive chat with Money Control, Harman Baweja expressed his gratitude for the overwhelming response to 'Mrs', stating that the film's ability to spark conversations and resonate with audiences was their main aim.

He also said that while writing the script of Mrs, there was no other actress than Sanya Malhotra for the role of Richa.

Harman attributed the film's success to collaborative efforts of the cast and crew, particularly the film's co-writer Anu Singh Chaudhary, director Arati Kadav  and actress Sanya Malhotra who played the role of Richa.

When asked about his approach to writing, Harman Baweja said he believes in balancing the theme and keeping the entertainment value in mind. He further added that his focus as a writer is always on building strong characters and creating an honest storytelling.

Harman Baweja also reflected on his own journey as an actor in the film industry, which has spanned over two decades now. He acknowledged the challenges he had faced at the beginning of his career, including setbacks and failures, but stressed on the importance of learning from those difficult days.

During the interview, Harman further said that his production house Baweja Studios Ltd. aims to be 'genre-agnostic" and focus on producing high-quality content that resonates with audiences.

When we asked him about what part of film making he loves the most - actor, writer or producer - he expressed his desire to be recognized as a producer who makes good films, regardless of genre.

Finally, when asked does he believe that had 'Mrs' released in theaters rather than on OTT it wouldn't have got the same response, he humorously replied that he is waiting for an 'AI model to provide guidance' on such decisions.

He acknowledged the unpredictability of the film industry and expressed his gratitude for the love and appreciation 'Mrs' has received.

Excerpts from the exclusive interview: 

Gratifying to see the love for Mrs.

Harman: I think for me, for a film like this, I think what's most important, is, whenever I'm writing anything or working on anything even as a producer, love to kind of put down what is the theme of the film. What is it that we're really trying to get through the film? And I think the most crucial part of it is to kind of balance that with making sure it's an engaging film, an entertaining film. Once you get that balance, right, is when it has the potential to travel and, hopefully start a conversation, which was the very essence of why I wanted to make this film in the first place. And today, when I see the amount of chatter that the film has created and the conversations that I have around it was the very essence of why I wanted to make it in the first place. It's very gratifying to finally see that happening today.

Was never in two minds before writing Mrs

Harman: You know, absolutely not, to be honest. I remember when I had seen the original (The Great Indian Kitchen). It was with my wife and my sister. We kind of three of us sat down, and and we saw the film. And as the film finished, I was like, you know, the essence of what this film stands for, you know, dramatic is strong. But I think from the onset, I was very clear, when we were in the writer's room with Anu Singh Chaudhary and, she's done a phenomenal job as a director. The idea was that, let's look at the source material as an adaptation. And, let's see how we can adapt it so that it can be presented to a Hindi speaking audience, which actually cuts across so many different states. And the idea was to make it more palatable to even cut across all strata of society as well. So the whole idea of kind of, setting it up in Delhi, making sure that it is a doctor family, those kind of nuances were kind of brought in just so that, it's not like, oh, this story doesn't, it's only for those people who are probably not belonging to a certain set of society. That, not all of it because, obviously, this is Richa's story and, this is Richa and Deepakar and that household. But I think everyone who's watching it can pick on parts of the film with their late you know, saying, okay I've seen my mother do this, or I've seen my sister. Hey. I've watched this. And, you know, that same goes for, you know, for for the men as well. Right?

You know, for them to understand, you know, and and relate to it more than anything. So I think, you know, the initial idea was to create a beautiful adaptation and and drive it forward. And, I'm very thankful that's how it's being reviewed as an adaptation of what the original material stood for.
Sanya Malhotra was the only choice for Richa

Harman: On this one, it was Sanya Malhotra from the word go. And, you know, she absolutely, you know, I think, was on board from the word go, loved the material, and, you know, that kind of very smoothly for us. Mhmm. Because I I think she's, you know, she's obviously done phenomenal work in the past. But, I've always very candidly told her that post Mrs, you'll see a whole new wave of love and appreciation for your craft, which is what's happening today. And, all kudos to her. She deserves that and more because she's, not only a very fine actress, but she's also very jovial to work with and even socially interact with. She's a lovely girl, got a head on her shoulders, and, she was so focused on the craft, rather than any the paraphernalia that comes with, you know, being a star, if I may. She always looks at herself as an actor, and that's the most amazing part.

Return to acting with Scoop - love the process of making movies

Harman: Firstly, thank you so much for Scoop. That was a surprise for me also. But, honestly, I would say, I love this whole process of making movies. I genuinely love it. I think amongst all of them, acting seems like it has its challenges. But you're happy because you get all the love in the world. But if they don't like what you do, then you get the bashing and trust me, I've been through both those cycles now. But I think, on the flip side, I think being a producer has its own challenges.

It takes a lot of effort, a lot of team management, literally from the inception of a story to, till this very point when I'm actually doing this, you know, call with you. So it is very challenging to produce, I feel. You know, amongst the three, I think, is the least gratifying job as well. But, you know, I enjoyed I enjoyed writing, probably the most of everything that's out there right now. You know?

I enjoy writing the most

Harman: Between the three hats, if I was to choose a hat which I enjoy the most is writing. I think it's it's a lot of fun to dive into psychology, to dive into great storytelling, you know, play with, you know, storytelling structures, to find those amazing stories and characters and, you know, kind of present them to the world. And I think on missus, you know, got very lucky with having Anu Singh Chaudhary, you know, co write this, you know, having RT on board. So, you know, it it I think just, you know, you you kind of pick the right team, hopefully, and then, you know, you kind of sit together and you're all in sync. And, I think that's what came about when we were writing, Mrs.

As a writer - focus is to build characters

Harman: Talking about the writing aspect of what you said - Not really. I think for me also, whenever I'm writing anything, I think the focus is always on building that character. And I feel that's what makes it more organic and honest to the story that you're telling. So, you always end up writing on a good character bio. You kind of write the character out, kind of try to delve as deep as you can inside that character to see how that character would react in certain situations. Because that's what you're trying to create. And I think that's the beauty of writing, and that's the beauty of great actors who come into that part and then become that character. And I think that's when, you see magic happening. That's the goal.

Talks about failure and success

Harman: I personally feel it's been a great journey. I think, where I am right now, more so now post Mrs, I would say, a very happy space, very, content space. Obviously, once the euphoria kind of settles down, then you start thinking, okay, what next? And, how do you constantly push the envelope to make sure that you're, you know, consistently making good films. And that is an equally big challenge. But back in the day, I think films were different. Expectations were different. With Love Story 2050 (Harman was seen with Priyanka Chopra), I think we tried to do something which was very unusual. That it followed doing something unusual. Sometimes, all falls right, and and you end up making a film for the ages. And then it doesn't fall right. You don't move and you manage to miss a few beats. And then you don't get the love you would want. But all of it encompasses a journey, at least for me, to eventually be where I am.

So, had I not faced those failures, I may not have - I shouldn't even say may - I'm pretty certain I would not have evolved or learned and understood what effectively went wrong, and then kinda work around it. And I think it's kind of important to also, evolve from your past.

Talks about how he dealt with the leaner phase - right kind of support helps

Harman: I think I see, one of the first things, at least for me, and I'm pretty sure for most people who kind of go through that kind of a phase is you tend to not buy into the space first, you tend to feel like I did my best, and, the world doesn't get it. And I think it's a bit of denial till I think you mature up. I think time in this case is essential. Support of your loved ones, your family, your friends, is very crucial. Any sort of spiritual centering, whatever whatever drives you, whether you're someone who meditates or whatever your guidance is, I feel it's important to kind of fall back in such phases and hope that support system comes to genuinely support you to kind of ride that low wave.

Because, usually, you will come out much stronger, and and probably much more wiser to know, analyse what went wrong. And I think, once you go through that phase, is when you kind of work around it. It's a very famous saying that, once you acknowledge that you're an alcoholic, it's when you start healing. So if you understand what I'm trying to say, the analogy is pretty much for everything in life. Initially, we all are in denial. And then once you acknowledge it. It's when the upward curve starts because now you're words, you know, solving it and finding a solution to it. And I think that's equally important. So, you know, for some people, that phase comes in much earlier. For some people, it comes in later. And, that's why we're all unique individuals. But eventually, when you hit that phase is when I think you start turning things around.

Want to be genre agnostic for producing films

Harman: I think, the intent is to just be very genre agnostic. I don't think I would like to bottle myself or my company into saying, okay. This is the kind of content we make. I think the beauty of it would be to know that, they make good content. And I think, that would be the holy grail for me, to eventually be recognised as, Baweja Studios being a company that makes good content. Whether we're working on a couple of films that are on the floor. So, the idea is to kind of bring them forth and and be known to making good films and good content. And I think that would be, probably the most satisfying thing, I would want to hear.

Would Mrs have been a hit in theatres?

Harman: Like you've said it so beautifully, it is a hypothetical question. I'm waiting for an AI model that can, you know, that can give us a run through of what to do at the box office versus OTT. So I don't have to take that risk anymore. I hope someone in the AI world can hear that and probably create that model then. It will be a a great boom to the entertainment industry and to them.

Talking about Mrs, it stars Sanya Malhotra, Kanwaljit Singh, Nishant Dahiya in lead roles.

The movie is successfully streaming on Zee 5 and has been winning hearts.

Mrs Cast: Sanya Malhotra, Nishant Dahiya, and Kanwaljit Singh
Director: Arati Kadav
Producers: Jyoti Deshpande, Harman Baweja, Pammi BawejaCo-producer: Smitha Baliga