Nargiz in ‘Mother India’ to Jaya Bachchan in ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’, this is how Bollywood mothers have changed over the years. Hindi Movie News

Mothers are born with superpowers and literally nothing in this world can be done without them. They are the solution to all our problems. When it comes to Bollywood, moms have always played a big role in the scripts. From supporting characters, to gray shadow roles to some humorous parts, Bollywood has seen it all. As we celebrate Mother’s Day, let’s take a look at how Bollywood mothers have changed over the years.

When one thinks of mothers in Bollywood, the first thought that comes to mind is other than ‘Mother India’. In various ways, ‘Mother India’ broke the pattern that defined an on-screen mother in the Hindi film industry. Later, in the 60s and 70s, all kinds of tactics were applied to make the mother appear more defenseless and helpless. Actress Nirupa Roy played such roles in so many movies that she earned the title of ‘Queen of Misery’.

But over the years, the representation of the tinsel city of a “mother” has seen a tremendous change in terms of the representation of the characters, the perception of behavior and the final notion of what mothers really are. These days hairy moms are imperfect and messy and real.

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Bollywood made mothers complicit in the plot, but only in the case of biological mothers, as in the case of stepmothers, things were even more stereotypical. In most cases, a stepmother was shown to be a ruthless and manipulative woman who lived to ruin the lives of the main characters. Lalita Pawar and Manorama became the faces of those stepmothers in Bollywood.

In the 1990s, Reema Lagoo was introduced as the most considerate on-screen mother. With films like ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’, ‘Hum Aapke Hain Koun’, ‘Vastav’, ‘Aashiqui’, ‘Judwaa’, ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’, and more, she was the sweetest and kindest mother.

Later, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Bollywood saw a similar mother figure on screen as Frida Jalal in ‘Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge’, Jaya Bachchan in ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham’, by name a few.