Be it adding humour or drama or merely filling in the requirement of a hostage in the climax, film mothers are indispensable to movies, says Shubarna Mukerji Shu.
The Sacrificial Ma
One has to start with these, given, in an odd way, they were progressive enough to be single moms battling the odds which unfortunately were squarely against them. This variety brought up their children with much financial difficulty. Starving to death, falling ill, wading in the rains over to cruel zamindars who had nothing good to offer except lecherous insinuations, inadvertently, these mommies would end up injuring themselves by tumbling on the sidewalks, and even losing their eye-sight to the sewing machine and so on These mothers were a picture of dread to a regular mother, but for the films they were the thread and needle that explained why the lead became a gangster or even why he decided to go on the path of revenge. Example ‘Shaheed’ or ‘Ganga Jamuna’ where Leela Chitnis played her part or in a multi-starrer masala-flick like ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’ where Nirupa Roy mothered Amitabh Bachchan, Vinod Khanna and Rishi Kapoor.
The Clumsy Ma
Though this brand of film mother is pretty similar to the sacrificing type, she takes a back seat when it comes to child care. These are the cardboard mommies who refuse any depth of responsibility, despite being exalted in most of the films. They have single-handedly put a fear of the Kumbh Mela in everyone’s hearts, so much so that even a regular non-cine-goer dreads losing their children in the meek little fun-fair around the corner of their house. Thunderstorms were equally efficient in making these mommies forget all about their off-spring, leaving them unattended in more movies than can be counted on the fingers.
The Historical Ma
Remember Jodhabai from ‘Mughal-E-Azam’? Durga Khote and her imperious disposition made her the ideal august mother who would raise a king. The prerequisite to be a Queen is to curb a flinch when her ‘jigarkatudka’ bleeds at the hands of fate. Too much of a tall order for a regular mother, but DurgaKhote did it convincingly in not just ‘Mughal-E-Azam’ but also ‘Bharat Milap’ , where she played Kaikeyi. Though she has supported and even cradled the lead actors in over 20 films as a mother, it was her role as Kaikeyi that was most impressive.
The Righteous Ma
Though Nargis in Mother India, shooting her son who has criminal tendencies, might easily be the mascot of this section, you will be surprised how many have played similar parts. While it is confounding why these mothers wait till the climax to right the wrongs that their kids commit, it is all the more confusing as to how such righteous mothers breed criminals… but then there won’t be a script if they nipped the evil in the bud, right? Imagine a ‘Vaastav’ with a reformed Sanjay Dutt, sitting subdued in jail simply completing his term rather than the flamboyant one flaunting his pachaastola chains in front of his mother?
The Friendly/ Neo Ma
When Farida Jalal turned to mother roles, her rotund appearance and pink complexion did not allow her the liberty to play anything other than the Yash Chopra mom, despite her best efforts. Jalal works best as the mother who is affluent and jovial, who doesn’t slap her child for referring to her as sexy and basically believes in living a congenial existence through the film, with a mere tear here and there. Though, with Jaya Bachchan and her portrayal of Shah Rukh’s mom in ‘Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham’, the tears were more than just here and there.
Back to less audacious Neo-moms… With Shah, for instance, the onscreen ma has become educated and is even seen in jeans and shirts which would have been considered nothing short of blasphemy in the times of the sacrificing mother. The cine Ma… Truly, without her, the world would be too boringly normal a place!
