In this weekend blog, I am again on Bollywood/TV, and this time I am writing about roles of Moms who were ballers (Cool and Impressive), and one can look up to them. Given below are some of the Mom characters who were loved by the audience.
1 Shivgami in Bahubali- The character was played by Ramya, in the film she is a queen. She literally cuts people down while taking the newborn king in her arms to safety. She then walks through a river, with the baby held over her head and drowns in it to protect him. The film was directed Rajamouli
2 Dr Vidya in Paa– played by Vidya Balan, she is a strong-willed single Mom who takes on the world and raises her son, born out of wedlock, after the father abandons them for his political career. She dedicates her life to being a fierce career woman along with an amazing mother who raises her ill son against all odds. The film was directed by R Balki.
3 Shashi Godbole in English Vinglish– played by Sridevi. Her husband thinks she is born to work in the kitchen. Her kids judge her for not being fluent in English. She combats a shit ton of folks slamming her for taking up English-speaking tuitions and also teaches her husband a lesson about their marriage being one of the equals. The film was directed by Gauri Shinde.
4 Chanda in Nil Battey Sannata– played by Swara Bhasker. While working as a house helper her dream of getting an education is, when she sees her daughter taking the privilege of education for granted. As she does so, she inspires her and the rest of us. The film was directed by Ashwini Iyer Tiwari.
5 Dhankor Baa in Goliyon Ki Rasleela-Ram-Leela-played by Suriya Pathak. She is a courageous matriarch who means business. She is a no non-sense woman and nobody can order her around. She obviously knows her personal goals. The film was directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
6 Rani Kapoor in Dostana– played by Kirron Kher. She is a conservative Punjabi woman raised to believe that homosexuality is a sin, so she is distraught upon finding her son’s love for another man. But she decides to put her son’s happiness above her ancient understanding of love and that makes her a role model. Film was directed by Tarun Mansukhani.
7 Savitri Rathore in Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na-played by Ratna Pathak Shah. She is the cool Mom. She guides a young adult navigating the complexities of life, who happens to be her son. She is her son’s confidante. She raises him to be a decent human being and not the ‘macho man’ his Rajput legacy demands him to be. The film was directed by Abbas Tyrewala.
8 Dolly in Vicky Donor– played by Dolly Ahluwalia. She loves her son. She loves her mother-in-law and loves whiskey. Many women won’t mind growing like her. The film was directed by Shoojit Sarkar.
9 Meera Deshmukh in Drishyam– played by Tabu. She is a no-nonsense cop-out to find her son’s murderer and bring them to justice. As a grieving mother, she has moments of weakness, but as a professional police officer doing her job, she is tough and relentless. Film directed by Nishikant Kamat.
10 Jennifer Kapur in Kal Ho Naa Ho– played by Jaya Bachchan. As a single mother in the USA, she runs her restaurant and provides not only for her kids but also for her adoptive daughter from her husband’s extra-marital affair. She is calmly fierce for leading her life as a role model to her entire family. The film was directed by Nikhil Advani.
11 Maya Sarabhai in Sarabhai v/s Sarabhai– played by Ratna Pathak Shah. She is only on this list because of the A+ saas she’s delivered on the show. She has a strong sense of self and she won’t have anyone else to call the shots. A true cool saas to look up to. The show was directed by Deven Bhojani and Ashish Kapadia.
12 Tulsi Virani in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi-played by Smriti Malhotra Irani. She shoots her good-for-nothing arrogant son in the head after finding out that he raped his wife. Need we add more? The show was directed by Kaushik Ghatak, Ashish Patil, Jasbir Bhatti, and six others.
So these were different Mom characters on the Hindi silver screen, who were very impressive and cool.
Waiting for your views on this blog.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
3rd June 2021