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Mother’s Day Special: Bollywood actresses who played the iconic roles of mother on the big screen

We won’t be wrong if we say that Bollywood movies are incomplete without the character of a mother. Earlier in Hindi cinema, mothers used to only be there to sob, but now, of course, things are changing. So, today, on Mother’s Day let’s look at the Bollywood actresses who played the iconic roles of mother on the silver screen…

Nirupa Roy


Nirupa Roy is undoubtedly the most famous ‘maa’ of Bollywood. Remember when Amitabh Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor fought in Deewar and Big B mouthed the dialogue, “Aaj mere paas paisa hai, bangla hai, gaadi hai, naukar hai, bank balance hai, aur tumhare paas kya hai?”, and Shashi Kapoor replied, “Mere paas maa hai!” The 'maa' he was talking about was none other than Nirupa Roy.

Nargis Dutt

Mother India starring Nargis Dutt is one of the best movies made in the history of Indian cinema. It showed the struggle of a mother for her kids and how she does justice when her child is wrong. Nargis Dutt won many awards for her portrayal of Radha in the film and became the first Indian to receive the Best Actress award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Rakhee

“Mere bete aayenge, mere Karan Arjun aayenge, zameen ki chaati phad ke aayenge, aasman ka seena cheer ke aayenge…” Karan Arjun starred Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan in the lead roles, but we won’t be wrong if we say that Rakhee’s portrayal of their mother is clearly the highlight of the film.

Farida Jalal

Farida Jalal in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge played the supportive mother to Kajol. While in a scene she was seen telling her daughter, “Sapne dekho, zaroor dekho ... bus unke poore hone ki shart mat rakho”, after few minutes in the film she was shown telling her daughter to run away with her lover. Farida Jalal's character Lajjo is surely the mother every girl requires.

Reema Lagoo

From playing the shy mother in Hum Aapke Hain Koun singing the song, ‘Aaj hamare dil me ajab yeh uljhan hai, Samne samdhi jee, ga rahee samdhan hai’ to playing the selfish mother in Hum Saath Saath Hai, Reema Lagoo's characters as the mother on the big screen impressed one and all.

Jaya Bachchan

With an aarti ki thali in her hand when Jaya Bachchan in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham was walking towards the door as she felt that her son has arrived, it surely reminded us of our mothers as when we are about to reach the house she comes to know. So, relatable right! The veteran actress was simply amazing in her role of Nandini Raichand.

Kirron Kher

From playing the emotional part of a mother in Devdas to being the loud-mouthed Punjabi mother in Dostana, Kirron Kher made a mark with these films. How can we forget the confrontation scene of her in Devdas where she fights for her daughter’s love? Even in Dostana, her expressions in the song Maa Da Ladla were simply amazing.

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Praised for visuals, but some criticised Western-style asura designs for not fully reflecting Hindu roots

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Yash says Ravana in Ramayana must connect with Western viewers as film eyes global audience

Highlights

  • Yash says he humanised Ravana to help global audiences relate to the character.
  • Asura designs in the first glimpse drew criticism for looking too Western-inspired.
  • Producer Namit Malhotra compares the film's tone to Lord of the Rings and Gladiator.
Yash, who plays the demon king Ravana in Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana, says his portrayal was shaped by one clear goal: making the character relatable beyond Indian audiences.
Speaking at CinemaCon in Las Vegas this week, where the film was presented alongside major Hollywood releases, the actor said he worked to strip away the purely mythological reading of the role.

"I have tried to internalise the whole essence of Ravana and tried to make him as human as possible at times," Yash told Reuters.

"It is important for people to relate to him, and since we have global ambitions, we need to make it familiar to a Western audience as well."

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