THE MAA OF THE MOTHERS

When Salim-Javed wrote "Mere paas Maa hai," in 1975, little did the duo know that the cult dialogue would mark the beginning of an era that would never end. The phrase sums up the respect and love felt for moms the world over. Well, the Bollywood-watching world, for sure. For it was a fitting reply from an honest younger brother to the elder one who had earned his wealth via unfair means and was showing off his bank balance, bangla and gaadi, insinuating that the former had nothing. The character of the mother played a pivotal role in Deewar (1975) and laid down the foundation for the film, much like many others that preceded and succeed it. While the dialogue can add only so much, the all-encompassing emotion and charm have been added to these movies by some of the bestknown women actors of the industry who have now come to represent quintessential Bollywood mothers - the ones who know how to evoke tears with their mamta and the ones who knew how to set things straight with one no-nonsense look. Shraddha Kamdar pays tribute to the women who have essayed these characters with emotion, ease and wit

- Shraddha Kamdar

Zohra Sehgal

Who can forget her feisty act as the 85-year-old mother to Amitabh Bachchan’s 64-year-old chef Buddhadev Gupta in Cheeni Kum (2007)? She was 95 at the time but, on set, according to Bachchan, her energy and joie de verve were unmatchable! “Zohraji was a rocket on take-off, each day of the shoot,” he said in an interview.

This very enthusiasm is also seen in Mani Ratnam’s Dil Se (1998), in which she dances to the tune of Jiya Jale Jaan Jale alongside Preity Zinta. She is the one who catches the love birds romancing around her blind self in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) and laughs it off, reciting a rustic couplet.

Sehgal’s irrepressible zest for life always trickled into the mother and grandmother characters she portrayed on screen. Off the screen, this recipient of the Padma Shri, Kalidas Samman and Padma Vibushan was photographed almost ready to stab the cake for her hundredth birthday with the charming albeit naughty smile that she is known for.

Nirupa Roy