‘Cine - MAA’

Bhagwan, meri maa mujhe wapaas de do: She was a staple character of Hindi Cinema.

A woman in a sari with a wisp of grey, histrionics, and a fondness for making ‘gajar ka halwa’ for her beloved son.

She could cry buckets, prey in the puja room for hours and forgive the darling black sheep all his sins.

For many years now, that matriarch has been missing. Hindi Cinema has forsaken its Maa.

Most of the films made today are less family drama and more comedy, thriller and action-oriented.

The disappearance of the mother also reflects the change in the parent-child relationship.

In the last 5 years, the only Bollywood mothers that spring to mind are Kirron Kher in ‘Rang De Basanti’ and ‘Kabhi Alvida Naa Kahena’ and Jaya Bachchan in ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham’.

Mahesh Bhatt, who made ‘Zakham’ and ‘Naam’ had a mother in a central role.

He says “The mother was once the heartbeat of our movies because she was the guiding spirit of our daily life.

But the economic reforms of 1991 changed India forever.

People junked values of honesty, austerity and of living within your means the mother used to symbolize.”

Even ‘Yash Raj Films’, the great family-theme churner, has distanced itself form Maa.

But Director Kunal Kohli promised his ‘Thodasa Pyaar Thoda sa Magic’ will make one feel her absence.

Just look at the ‘Maa’ song form the movie called ‘Taare Zameen Par’.

Down the years, the screen mom has evolved, although the high point will always be Nargis in ‘Mother India’.

From strong-willed women who laid down the law, they have moved on to the mom-as-friend as played by Farida Jalal in ‘Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge’ and Rakhee in ‘Kabhi Kabhi’.

In between came the Salim – Javed ‘Maa’, who rebelled and wanted her sons to revenge themselves on the corrupt system.

Her look has changed too, from the traditional espoused by Nirupa Roy, Nutan, Waheeda Rehman and Reema Lagoo to glam mom such as Hema Malini.

Some industry watchers say perhaps it is a good thing the mother has been phased out because it’s hard to imagine any of the current heroines.

Apart from, say, Sushmita Sen (‘Filhaal’) and Tabu (‘The Namesake’) playing a motherly role.

As for Bipasha Basu, Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Aishwariya Rai, or Lara Dutt can you imagine them making ‘gajar ka halwa’.