The portrayal of mothers in films or television shows has majorly transformed as the entertainment industry evolved with unique concepts. Be it the rusty farm woman Nargis in Mother India or the teary eyed Nirupa Roy in Amar Akbar Anthony, or the loving Reema Lagu in dozens of Salman Khan movies (Prem beta) or the undefeatable Tulsi Virani in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, we have seen them all. While these were the stereotypical roles that ruled our definition of an ideal mother, the millennium saw a change in what make one a ‘mother’. This Mothers Day, we look at some of the iconic yet unconventional moms who simply lived their ‘queen’ moment onscreen.
Mom
A mother who sets out on a calculated revenge against those who raped her daughter (who doesn’t even address her as Mom), shows the lengths a woman can go to if one tries to hurt her child. This was Sridevi’s last film and will forever be cherished for playing a strong character on the big screen.
Nil Battey Sannata
The Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari directorial highlights the journey of a mother essayed by Swara Bhasker, who pursues education in the same school as her daughter who hates studying. It narrates the hardships of a single mother who wants to provide for her child despite financial restraints.
Paa
There’s nothing stronger than a mother who cares for her differently-abled child all by herself. Vidya Balan’s role as a mother to Auro (Amitabh Bachchan), who suffers from a rare genetic disorder called progeria is spot on and empowering.
Baahubali
Ramya Krishnan won hearts by playing the fierce queen Sivagami Devi in the magnum opus. The film showed her into a powerful role to take on a kingdom and raise children.
Game of Thrones
There were several instances where the show revealed some of the best sides of a mother.
Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) didn’t bear kids but became the Mother of Dragons. She raised the creatures as her own, and in return they followed every command by their beloved mother who had to simply utter - Dracarys.
Cersei Lannister (Lena Heady) – the most hated character on the show revealed that her children were her only weakness. With a prophecy revealing they would all die, Cersei goes to lengths in order to keep them in power and protect them. But losing them all leads her to become the most exceptional villain onscreen.
Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley) - the ideal mother who raised her children to be powerful and fight till the end is adored by many. Catelyn, who was killed after being betrayed, was avenged by her daughter who slit the throat of the man who ordered her mother’s death.
Friends
The 90s popular American sitcom gave us three different ways in which a woman became a mother. Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow) had her brother’s triplets by becoming a surrogate mother, Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston) had a child out of wedlock, and Monica Geller (Courteney Cox) adopted twins.
