Mother Indian Cinema Essay

Mother’s Character in Hindi Cinema: Then & Now

Let’s start this journey of change with some cinematic mother’s character during the time phase. Recently the character of mother in Indian Cinema has got completely changed. When we remember earlier mother’s character of women we got a picture of a miserable soul who always weeping, wailing and all giving and all forgiving, a peasant resisting a lusty landlord or money lender (Mother India) and if she is rich, a devoted wife who could not defy her husband (Ram aur Syams), a suffering ailing mother, often widowed or abandoned and struggling to bring up her offspring with dignity in the face abject poverty (Awara, Ganga Jamuna), a very strict and authoritarian mother (Junglee, Khoobsurat), and

Representing both motherhood and Mother Earth, who also nurtures and occasionally punishes, Nargis immortalised the Indian mother on celluloid. Next were Sulochana Devi and Nirupa Roy. They epitomised the perfect mothers - of those times. All they had to do was shed tears, look helpless and play a positive character. Nirupa was the favourite onscreen mother for super stars and was an important element in the film 's climax. Remember "Deewaar", "Amar Akbar Anthony" and "Muqaddar Ka Sikandar"? A couple of year back she was felicitated with a lifetime achievement award by a popular film magazine. Other memorable mothers include Waheeda Rehman in "Trishul", Raakhee in "Ram Lakhan", Nutan in "Karma" and Sharmila Tagore in "Aradhana". The film directors were better able to bring out the contrast between their younger, happier days. For the likes of Waheeda, Raakhee, Nutan and Sharmila, portraying aging mothers meant more artistic fulfilment. (Khanna,

Even if the mother did not get along with the daughter-in-law, her love for her son was seldom questioned. Often referred to as the mother of all vamps, Lalita Pawar reigned the arena of badness and impiety for nearly three decades in the Hindi film industry. She was particularly famous for playing wicked mother-in-law in almost all family drama films. Shashi Kala, Bindu and Aruna Irani also played the evil mother-in-law conspiring against main protagonists.

In the 1990s a new avatar of onscreen mothers emerged with Reema Lagoo (Maine Pyar Kiya) and Farida Jalal (Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge). From 'maa ', Bollywood mother became 'mom '. She was no longer a weepy, white-clad woman. Instead, she dressed glamorously in traditional splendour, love their little jokes and even break out into a couple of dance numbers at weddings. From being treated goddesses, they became their son or daughter 's best pal and confidante. These mothers urge their children to follow their heart, go after their love, give up a job and occasionally, even leave home (remember Farida in 'Dilwale Dhulania Le Jayenge ' and Jaya Bachchan in 'Kabhi Kushi Kabhie Gham '). Today, audiences mostly come across mothers playing a successful single parent. They symbolise the mother of today 's times who are no more restricted to do the household chores but venture into the big bad world. Thankfully, the