When it comes to Indian cinema, motherhood or the word ‘maa’ throws up a picture of a (mostly) hapless woman – self-sacrificing with hardly a voice of her own.This portrayal of the mother as a picture of selflessness, and endurance became a staple in Indian cinema with a few exceptions, like Mother India. In this 1957 classic, directed by Mehboob Khan, Radha, (Nargis) puts her village and a girl’s honour above the love for her sons, a revolutionary step in those times. However, such movies were spread far and wide, and for the most part, the mother was shown as largely a ‘victim’.
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Yash Chopra’s ‘Deewar’ with the talented Nirupa Roy, saw her in the role of a single mother, battling the challenges of life, and for the next few years, both the actress, and the character became the norm, with little to no deviation. Shedding light on that era, actress Tisca Chopra, who played a mother in Taare Zameen Pe said, “We were once, brave enough to make a Mother India. But then the mother character descended into a mere foil for the hero, a writing trope.”
A glimmer of hope in the 80s and 90s
This two eras brought a gradual shift in the portrayal of traditional motherhood roles. Movies like Arth (1982) and Mandi (1983), began to challenge stereotypes, including mothers, who were not confined to traditional roles.
Another ‘peak motherhood’ track makers mastered as a formula for success, was the revenge drama with the mother as the focal point. Vis-à-vis this theme, actress Rakhee became the common thread through her ‘wronged’ avatars in movies like Baazigar (1993), Karan Arjun (1995) and Soldier, (1998) when the prodigal son rose to seek revenge, albeit often with dubious means.
More examples came in the garb of ‘mom is friend’ role, the prime examples being Reema Lagoo in Maine Pyar Kiya (1989), and Farida Jalal in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995). These women, though still largely living under the shadow of their robust patriarchal husbands, encouraged their children to have a voice of their own, and fight for their love, with their approval (from the sidelines).
The ushering of a new era
The modern 21st century brought in a new wave of mothers, who were not afraid to voice their concerns, and have a life of their own. In Meghna Gulzar’s emotional and mature tale Filhaal (2002), Sushmita Sen plays a surrogate to best friend Tabu, when she is unable to carry a child. Sen’s character breaks away from traditional roles, highlighting themes of choice and personal sacrifice. Years later, Mimi (2021) too, tackles the subject of surrogacy in a light hearted manner, as a small town ambitious girl agrees to be a surrogate to a foreign couple, but is left in the lurch, just before she is due to deliver. In between, movies like Tumhari Sulu (2017), and Tribhanga (2021) were a welcome change. In the former, we have the ever so dependable Vidya Balan (Sulu) having career ambitions, despite a proper lack of education, and goes out of her way to fulfil them, while being the devoted wife and mother.
In Tribhanga, we see two (or rather three generations of moms) choosing to navigate life their own way, with each of them being right on their own accord. While Nayantara Apte (Tanvi Azmi) is a celebrated author, she misses out on her kids’ childhood, because of which Anuradha (Kajol), harbors deep resentment towards her. Anu on her part, is a single, career oriented mom, who lives life on her own terms. Her married daughter Masha (Mithila Palkar), in a complete turn around from her mother and grandmother, has no career ambitions, is married into a traditional family, and is happy with that arrangement. Initially dismissive of her own daughter’s ‘regressive’ outlook on life, Anuradha eventually comes to terms with it, realising that all human beings make mistakes and one should be free to live life their own way. Other notable mentions in this era were Devdas (2002), Kal Ho Na Ho (2003) and Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na (2008), with powerful mothers.
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The rise of ‘Tiger’ moms
In the last few years, there has been an overwhelming rise of ‘Tiger’ moms, who go over and above the traditional bindings of patriarchy to set things right for their child. The two most stark examples are Mom (2017) and Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway (2023). In both these movies, the two otherwise, erstwhile demure women unleash their tiger avatars when their child was wronged and set things right, even as their husbands are either too clueless to what was happening, or could not be less bothered. As Nawazuddin Siddiqui, when reminded that bhagwaan har jagah nahi hota (God can’t be everywhere) replies, ‘pata hai, isliye toh usne maa banayi’ (that is why he created mothers) (Mom). English Vinglish (2012), though not largely centred on motherhood, too, is about a woman finding a voice, ironically, in a foreign land, where she struggles to speak English. In all these movies, the focal point remains the same – a mother chooses to shed her traditional avatar when adversity strikes.
What has changed over the years?
Farida Jalal, who has played the iconic mother in many movies, believes nothing much has changed when it comes to on-screen moms. She said, “With the exception of films like Mother India, nothing much has changed when it comes to on-screen mothers, unless you play the title role. Now, who is going to give us that?” However, Tisca Chopra is slightly more upbeat, when she says, “Taare Zameen Par gave mums a new spotlight, though I would have given Maya Awasthi more agency. She could have stood up against the dad and stopped Ishaan from going to boarding school, but then there would be no story. Today moms are rockers; see Neena ma’am in ‘Badhai Ho’ , Sushmita Sen in ‘Aarya’ or even the character I played, Avni Raut, in ‘Dahan’ – they are compelling women and not just because they are mothers.”
What does the future hold?
The rise of female directors and writers has played a crucial role in this transformation. Filmmakers like Zoya Akhtar, Mira Nair, and Gauri Shinde have brought fresh perspectives to the maternal narrative, contributing to a richer and more nuanced portrayal of mothers in cinema. However, we have a long way to go. Tisca adds, “Honestly, more depth is needed in writing female characters. The minute a woman is written as having a child, she becomes ‘Devi Maa’ and having other dimensions like sensuality, intrigue or sauciness is unthinkable. As more women write, this is sure to change. Victimhood, shame and guilt were strongly woven into the Indian female ethos, which quite frankly suffocating to play. I have worked very hard to not play or write such characters, be they mothers or not, because I find them unidimensional and not helping in creating a new narrative.” Her sentiment is echoed by writer Mayank Tewari, as he says, “Slowly for sure, single mothers are not shown to be victims anymore, which is good. However, the desire of the mother, other than parenting, is still shown as a taboo in cinema, and herein lies the problem. “
Ila Bedi Dutta, writer, shares a hopeful parting note. She says, “Definitely, earlier the mothers were passive and lacked agency, because in our films we viewed mothers from a patriarchal lens. But, with the advent of OTT the onscreen mothers are evolving , breaking away from the shackles of patriarchy and finding their “ voice”. They are no longer ciphers- they have entity and agency.”
