Leading from the front

For as long as we can remember, Bollywood has portrayed mothers as the multi-tasking ‘devis’ of the household, the embodiment of sacrifice (Nirupa Roy), who can do no wrong. But today’s Bollywood has mothers who are flawed and human. Today’s onscreen mothers are not buried under guilt. They are authentic, just like Rani Mukerji in her forthcoming film, ‘Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway’. Here, Rani is an anguished and distraught mother who fights against the Norwegian government to get her kids back. The emotions resonate with audiences and highlight the strength and resilience of a mother’s love. In celebration of International Women’s Day, we have compiled a list of female characters, who broke the stereotype of ‘selfless’ representations of motherhood.

Sakshi Tanwar in ‘Mai’: Don’t equate Sakshi with her portrayal of goddess-like characters in Hindi daily soaps. In this suspense-filled family drama, there’s a captivating blend of grief, retribution and crime, anchored by Sakshi, who portrays a grieving mother forced to navigate a violent environment to track down her daughter’s killer.

Shefali Shah in ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’: Remember the scene where Neelam Mehra, mom to Priyanka Chopra and Ranveer Singh in Zoya Akhtar’s ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’, stuffs cake into her mouth? Her frustration at being an elite woman but not getting enough attention from her high-end businessman husband was real and raw. She tries to be a classy woman, but her emotions are human, thus making Neelam, also known as Shefali, one of our favourite characters from the film.

Kajol in ‘Tribhanga’ and ‘Salaam Venky’: During the promotional activity of ‘Salaam Venky’ in Kolkata, Kajol mentioned how she was reluctant to play a mother to a terminally ill son. ‘Salaam Venky’ oscillates between dark comedy and tension, but Kajol could portray the emotions with such authenticity. Renuka Shahane’s directorial ‘Tribhanga’ deals with three generations of mothers and a lot of complicated issues. Kajol, here, is flawed but ready to heal.

Sridevi in ‘Mom’ and ‘English Vinglish’: How often do we think of our mother’s dreams? That they can have dreams of their own doesn’t cross our minds. But Gauri Shinde’s award-winning ‘English Vinglish’ shows how a simple housewife, Shashi (Sridevi), discovers the joys of life and also herself when she starts learning English. Sridevi, once again, startled us in ‘Mom’ where a stepmother goes to extreme lengths to seek justice for her gang-raped daughter. It’s one of Sridevi’s best.

Seema Pahwa in ‘Dum Laga Ke Haisha’, ‘Bareilly Ki Barfi!’, ‘Shubh Mangal Saavdhan’: If you have watched ‘Dum Laga Ke Haisha’, it’s difficult to forget Seema Pahwa as Bhumi Pednekar’s mom, who blatantly offers sex advice to her newly married daughter. Extremely relatable, she makes even the melodramatic portrayals of mothers fun to watch.

Raveena Tandon in ‘Aranyak’: You would have been happier if we listed Sushmita Sen in ‘Aarya’, but somewhere, Raveena as a cop and mother, Kasturi Dogra, won us over. Alongside her tenacity, skill and courage as a police officer, Kasturi’s unwavering devotion to her family and kids at home adds a layer of depth to her character, making her even more relatable and inspiring.