Films where the mother dared to break the conventional mould

By Subhash K. Jha -

May 12, 2014 - 10:36 AM IST

Kal Ho Na Ho: The luscious Lilette Dubey played a hip bohemian NRI mom named Jazz who competes with her overweight daughter Delnaaz Paul to get male attention. It was all done in the spirit of fun. But heck. Times they are-changing.

Films where the mother dared to break the conventional mould

Devdas: Kirron Kher bustles around the house attending to leaky roofs and cracking finances, cracks jokes in front of her brooding introverted husband and breaks into a dance at her affluent neighbour'sget-together. This was a mom with a difference. This was a mom who wore the pants in the family. And this was in the early 1970s.

2 States: Amrita Singh in 2 States is loud brassy and opinionated. When her son introduces her to his future wife's parents her remarks become embarrassing in their bigotry and prejudice. There is nothing demure about this screen-mom. This is a woman who is not obliged to behave like a screen mom. She is outspoken in herbiases, uncontrollable in her opinions.She is a mom withoutqualms.

Beta: Aroona Irani in her most celebrated role played a vixen mother to simpleton Anil Kapoor. Beta worships the ground Mom walks on. Mom (albeit stepmom) plots and plans to bring her son down. Nirupa Roy would have probably thrown up if she had to play this mother. The film was directed by Aroona's brother Indra Kumar who was reluctant to cast his super talented sister.

Aandhiyaan: When in 1990 Mumtaz decided to make a comeback she played a hip single mother, singing songs and acting in a most un-motherly fashion with Prosenjit who played her son. The film bombed, finishing Mumtaz's comeback plans and nearly wiping out director David Dhawan's career even before it began.

Kaagaz Ki Nao: Way back in 1975 Helen played a single mother in this bold B R Ishaara film, who dares to have a love life. When daughter Sarika sees her mother having sex she cannot bear the humanization of the traditional mother-goddess figure. Sarika's character commits suicide. The film posed a question that remains relevant to this day. Why do we deify our parents so much that they cannot lead normal lives?

Bhavna: The Mother India figure of the mother as the all-sacrificing martyr was turned on the head in this brilliant film directed by Vikram Bhatt's father Pravn Bhatt where the Sari-clad morally inhibited mother turns into a stylish hooker in slit gowns and outlandish wigs to give her son a decent life after she is abandoned by her husband. One of Shabana Azmi's most powerful performances. Bhavna was rejected by the audience.

Apnaapan: Reena Roy's stellar performance asa mother who prefers a career to the role ofa home-maker. Of course the script makes her suffer and sob for her sin. But Reena's spirited performance imbued the mother-figure with flesh blood and bite. Interestingly she was awarded for the Best Supporting Actress. The message in this J Om Prakash-directed melodrama being: bad moms are not heroines. Reena rightly turned down the 'honour'.

Akela Hum Akele Tum: Manisha Koirala gives up her career to be a home maker for Aamir Khan and their 6-year old son. But when boredom sets in she leaves without the child. Shockingly unconventional, the film directed by Mansoor Khan was inspired by Kramer Versus Kramer. The mom in the original, played by Meryl Streep, was denied custody of her child. In the desi version mom Manish comes back home.All is forgiven.

Listen....Amaya: Widowed Deepti Naval with a grown-up daughter announces to her daughter that she wants re-marry. The daughter Swara Bhaskara's shock revulsion and refusal to accept that her mother is entitled to a life beyond that of a mother, is symptomatic ofa society that deifies the mother figure at the cost of her personal happiness.

Dil Chahta Hai: She is divorced, desperately lonely and often drunk. And because of all of the above Dimple Kapadia is not allowed to meet her child by her husband. This was a real mother. She was allowed to be selfish and human. More power to director Farhan Akhtar.