Mother India. Review on Mother India - FilmFare Award 1957

Mehboob Khan’s Mother India. The most prominent film to come out of Indian cinema’s .Mother India follows a peasant woman through the trials and tribulations of poverty, debt, and starvation.

Mother India opens with old Radha (Nargis) asked to lead the village in celebrating the finishing of a new dam Radha’s story, entirely told in flashback, is a metaphor for the struggle of India rising as an independent nation. A young Radha marries handsome Shyamu (Raaj Kumar),Shamu's mother pledges her land for Rs.500 so that the marriage takes place in a great fanfare. This over-indulgence ultimately becomes the curse for the entire family. Well here fantastic show by director abt llliteracy in india, I dont know if this kind stuff still happence in india ??? Well but I am sure this thing use to happen .When the land is pledged for a loan of Rs.500 the oral deal between Shamu's mother and the money lender Lala is that until the loan is paid, one fourth of the harvest will be paid to Lala towards interest. However, the Lala (small prints phenomenon) writes in his book that three-fourth of the harvest will be paid as interest and the old lady signs the contract with her thumb impression. During the course of the film she protests in the Panchayat that her oral deal was that she would pay one fourth of the harvest towards interest however the elders pass the verdict in favor of Lala . Radha’s family expends all their resources trying to pay off their debt to him. Radha suggests cultivating their rocky piece of barren land on which there is no lien of Lala. Inspite of Shamu's repeated reminders that the land is not ploughable due to heavy rocks, she persists. In this effort one of their precious bullock dies. After driving his oxen to death while plowing the land, Shyamu loses his arms in an accident.when Shamu's upper limbs are crushed while toiling to move a heavy piece of rock. In this pathetic state Shamu is all but at the mercy of his wife Radha's support. Shamu's self esteem is totally destroyed when Lala places the bullock bells on his neck and tells him that all he can do is beg and disappear rather than depend on the support of his wife. Believe me friends shots are so thrilling feel like some thing happeneing in belly!! aaah wht a memorable acting , I am not great fan of Raj kumar sahab but I can say that role he did it was just him, no one else would have touch that feeling I never felt like that charector is Jhony!!!!! voice charector.Raaj Kumar gave a sterling performance while portraying the suffering, humiliation and his subsequent departure depending more on gestures than dialogs .that part of movie where he get up to help his mother and when he is leaving house in night was heart touching no dailouges only his eyes speaks. Now Alone Radha with 3 children start living day today life with great courage portraying that part of situation is really amazing .radhas one child die during flodd children dying because of food made her bit down , she decide to give her her to Lala who allready have lust for her but great courage bring her back to fight the situation . Here if I dont write abt Kanhaiya lal ( Lala) will be dishonour for him , what a great actor, fantastic performence.I am not seen his many movies but this is was the reall great job . Kanhaiya lal as a badmash lala I think he was ment for that charector. Radha’s sons, Ramu (Rajendra Kumar), grows up responsible and obedient another, Birju (Sunil Dutt), is mischievous and hotheaded. Having seen his parents debased at the hands of Sukhilala, Birju seethes with hatred for the old man and constantly taunts his daughter, Rupa .Birju turns from petty thief to violent bandit and wages war on his own village. When Birju tries to abduct Rupa on her wedding day Radha shoot her own son. Nargis, who was only 28 years old at the time, elevates the entire movie to another level.

There is not a moment when her performance feels false and she is equally at home playing Radha very young or very old. Portraying a newlywed bubbling Radha to a wrinkled old lady who does not even comb her hair, she carries the film almost entirely on her shoulders with an excellent support of character portrayal by Raaj Kumar as Shamu and Kanhaiya Lal as the money lender Lala. Rajender Kumar, Sunil Dutt, Kumkum, chanchal, Mukri and others lend good support with their roles. The rural backdrop, the songs based on folklore and an overall directorial effort by Mehboob make Mother India the epic movieThroughout Mother India, he presents the landscape, the crops, the herds of livestock practically as characters in themselves. India’s all-time great playback singers like Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, and Mohammed Rafi, the music by Naushad is just adequate, not inspired. Only late in the movie do the sequences turn to the more characteristic and lively Bollywood subject of romantic love. Near the end there is finally a scene - set during the Festival of Colors - that includes a much-needed dance number helping to alleviate some of the gloom and doom. And once again I should say each and evry charector lived in their roal there was no feeling for a second also like this is nargis ji or this is raj kumar or mukri, kanhaiya lal , rajendra kumar or sunil dutt it was just a villege and ppl who living that villehge how they live and how they enjoy ocassions and how they fight with problems. Thanks to Mehboob sahab giving us such a GREA MOVIE