One can observe a growing trend in recent films where a previously ignored aspect in relation to women and their insignificance is taken into consideration and used to change the plot and narrate an impressive story. The insignificance of women, therefore, turns out to be their strength. In “Immerstill,” we had Hannelore Schiller taking her chances to make people aware that women exist despite society considering them unimportant. She wanted society to take up the responsibility for their women. In “Unseen,” we are told through Zenzile Mwale’s life that her insignificance comes of great help to her to reach her beloved husband, irrespective of the murders she commits in her defense.
In “Mrs Undercover,” Anushree Mehta uses the insignificance of Durga (Radhika Apte) to spy on and crack a murder mystery. Durga is reminded by her patriarchal husband (Saheb Chatterjee) that she is just a housewife and knows nothing else. Society keeps telling women that all they’re good for is existing within the four walls of a house and carrying on household chores, and anything beyond that is unexpected from them. This constructs a stereotype of women as caring and loving mothers, faithful wives, concerned sisters, etc. More than adoring women for these qualities and constraining them from achieving their highest potential, “Mrs. Undercover” injects a thought process of acceptance of women becoming change-makers by being and doing what would have been considered difficult for them.
Spoiler Alert
Who Is ‘The Common Man’?
In Kolkata, Ajay (Sumeet Vyas) and Priyanka (Amrita Chattopadhyay) are out on a date at a restaurant, where they get to know each other. Ajay wants to impress Priyanka, and she states that he has already impressed her and therefore agreed to come on a date with him. They have their regular chat, and when Priyanka asks about where he resides, Ajay says that he will show her his house when he drops her off. When in the car, their discussion continues, but the background music, as well as the conversation, turns scary. You can feel the fear that Priyanka experiences when Ajay stops making jokes and gets serious while telling her that he doesn’t like women who are responsible and take charge of their lives. Ajay gets angry at the sight of a woman who is strong and wants to make a change in society. Priyanka is a lawyer, and therefore he cannot stand her. Thus, he beats her and throws her on the road, killing her by running the car over her at least four times. As per his own testimony, he has already killed 16 other girls, and Priyanka was the 17th. He doesn’t stop with that; he goes on to kill a doctor who comes to check on his mother. He kills the doctor after knowing that she is about to embark on a journey to empower young girls. When the news about ‘The Common Man’ goes viral and is broadcasted by news channels, his mother makes strong comments as to how she would slap the person responsible for these murders and get him arrested. Unable to control himself, Ajay kills his mother too. In an unusual situation, he also kills an agent who is investigating his case but leaves a clue about himself on the video he shoots before he murders someone. In all of the previous murders, he records the women speaking of their significant achievements, which have angered ‘The Common Man’, but only in the murder of the agent does he record himself killing the agent brutally. ‘The Common Man’ is Ajay getting rid of women who are making a difference in society.
What Does Ajay Intend To Do By Conducting An Empowerment Program At Kolkata Girls College?
As social worker Aditya (Indrasish Roy) introduces Ajay, he says that Ajay has been a social worker who has traveled to different places and conducted women empowerment programs, and therefore he is at Kolkata Girls College to empower the women who have joined. Interestingly, after having gotten a hint about ‘The Common Man’s’ next step, Mrs. Undercover, i.e., Durga, joins the empowerment program and starts to spy and find out more about the killer on the loose.
Ajay empowers these women but sketches a plan to kill them all at a function that he meticulously plans. He also invites the woman Chief Minister to the function, intending to kill her as well in the auditorium. Alongside this drama that Ajay constructs, we are shown the male mindset. On the one hand, there is the husband of Durga, who considers her just a housewife who knows how to do nothing else. On the other hand, the father-in-law of Durga takes care of his wife and respects the choices she makes. If Durga has to be allowed to attend the empowerment sessions, it requires Durga’s mother-in-law to speak to her son and put some sense into him, enlightening him about how he should treat his beloved wife. “Mrs. Undercover” undoubtedly places before its viewers different perspectives to be verified, analyzed, and emulated if necessary to create an equal and just society.
‘Mrs. Undercover’ Ending Explained: How Did Druga Solve The Case?
Ajay smartly tries to find out about the undercover agent in Kolkata who wants to get rid of him. In the records, Durga’s husband’s name is registered, and therefore, Ajay doesn’t even guess that it could be Durga who is the actual agent. Even the special forces team does not think that it could be Durga, who is Agent 901. Durga herself has gone out of practice as an agent because she has been undercover for the past ten years. Thus, after she is requested by the special force, she tries to train herself back and be in action. As a housewife, Durga lived a very different life from what she actually dreamed of. But after being convinced that she has a special calling, she decides to dedicate herself to finding the killer and putting him behind bars. Thus, Durga joins the women empowerment session at Kolkata Girls College as an undercover special agent and is supported by Chief Rangeela (Rajesh Sharma), Kajal (Angana Roy), Prabal (Akshay Kapoor), and Aditya.
Alongside training herself to drive and shoot, she keeps a check on every move of the suspects. She first suspects Aditya and therefore tries to find out more about his whereabouts. She then, with her team, gets a hold of Aditya and comes to know that he isn’t involved with anything suspicious. Later, she notices some desperate messages being sent to her husband, and when she happens to read them, she comes to know that they are from her neighbor Aisha (Roshini Bhattacharya). Thus, she gets disturbed but follows her husband so that she can catch him red-handed. But she understands that Aisha wants to get rid of Durga’s husband, considering him to be an agent. Durga, thus, drives her husband clear of the trouble planned by Aisha. Durga surprises her husband by driving the car and also fighting the goons who are after her husband.
She and her team slowly understand that there is something between Aisha and Ajay, and when Durga follows Ajay, she gets to know that he is “The Common Man.” Aisha tries to kill Durga when she comes to know that she is suspicious of their plans. But Durga, as skilled and intelligent as she is, kills Aisha. Durga’s team assists her in getting rid of Aisha and does not allow Ajay to know anything about the murder. Therefore, the function the following day begins without any commotion. The woman who participated in the empowerment program put on a dance performance, and as Durga dances, she notices the marks on his hand and his restlessness, confirming that ‘The Common Man’ is certainly Ajay.
Durga connects the dots and realizes that there is something fishy about the confetti that will blow at the end of the performance. Thus, she immediately moves to the basement to find a bomb planted, which would blast if she didn’t diffuse it. Thus, her victory is attained when she diffuses the bomb, informs her team, and gets hold of Ajay. Knowing that there is no evidence against Ajay, Durga decides to give him the same death that he gave the 19 women. She fights, records, and kills him. Thus, Durga very clearly states that she no longer wants to be called just a housewife because she is capable of more than that. And wanting to continue as a special agent, she visits the special forces safe house, where the chief gives her a paper on which it is written, ‘To be continued.’ So, let’s wait for the next part to drop soon and for Mrs. Undercover to uncover another case.
