Mother India

“Mother India” is a remake of Mehboob Khan’s earlier film “Aurat” (1940) and was the first Indian film to be nominated for an Oscar (Best Foreign Film) in 1958. In the canon of Indian cinema, it’s a classic.

“The grain of rice on your table does not tell the grim tale of the toil that grew it.”

Mother India Movie review

Radha(Nargis), a young bride comes into Shamu’s (Raaj Kumar’s) house only to learn from her mother-in-law (played by silent-era star Jilloo) that her husband’s land lies mortgaged. Radha and Shamu works very hard to get the land back, but they continue  fail impressing Lala (Kanhaiyalal).

Desperate, Radha suggests cultivating a barren, rocky piece of land. But their precious bullock dies in the effort. A disaster follows when Shamu’s hands are crushed while working. Taunted by Lala and unwilling to be a burden, Shamu leaves home, leaving Radha searching desperately for him.

There is no reunion between Nargis and Raaj KumarThis deeply underscores Radha’s tragedy.With mouths to feed and no option but to survive, Radha tills the land herself. A chain of tragedies and a devastating flood dash all her hopes. Radha rebuilds her life from scratch each time, and becomes a living icon of strength, love and willpower for her village and her children.

Ramu is the quiet, sturdy elder son; Birju (Sajid Khan) is a cannonball of mischief. The two exhibit these traits when they grow up (Rajendra Kumar and Sunil Dutt).Times pass, the village celebrates the harvest with song and dance. And perhaps Radha can now harvest the fruits of her years of hard labor. The film now showcases a profusion of starlets pirouetting in a string of colorful songs. The village Venus, Champa (Kum Kum) marries Ramu. There’s the docile, doe-eyed Chandra (Azra), and the Lala’s coquettish daughter Roopa (played with flair by Madhubala’s real-life sister, Chanchal) who delights in teasing Birju in an undefined relationship.

Birju, the rebel, has major chips on both his shoulders about Lala’s injustices and becomes a brigand. Radha’s maternal love helps him escape a blazing fire started by Lala but even Radha can’t save him from himself. He kidnaps Lala’s daughter. And Radha is forced to replicate Mother Earth’s response to those who violate her laws.

Nargis was only 28 when Mother India was released but hers was the performance of a lifetime — from a young bride with painted eyebrows to a matriarchal figure who doesn’t seem to even run a comb through her hair. Her unique ability to portray strength of purpose (at a time when most heroines were marshmallow-soft) made her perfect for the role.

Yes, Radha is also over idealized. But it was important to do so else the story might not have worked otherwise.Raaj Kumar leaves a lasting impact in a brief but pathos-laden role. Rajendra Kumar portrays the robust Indian farmer and provides the ideal foil to Sunil Dutt’s unruly nature. Dutt is pure, unharnessed energy as the rebel.

Mother India is fragrant with the loamy soils of rural India. And director Mehboob Khan takes the character’s Darwinian struggles and turns it into a celebration of human spirit instead of an elegy.

 To summarize – Overall the movie is a treat to watch. The brilliant acting of Nargis (movie of her lifetime) brilliant direction from Mehboob Khan makes it a perfect Bollywood movie. You can co-relate this movie to Hollywood shawshank redemption. The only difference will be in ‘shawshank redemption’  Tom Robins was struggling in Jail where in Mother India Nargis struggles in her own house; both fight for their survival. We give a rating of *****(5 star)and categorize this movie as a Must Watch.  you can easily get CDs available for this movie in markets or you simply switch on to TV in one of the lazy weekends.