Dir: Mehboob Khan

Cast: Nargis, Raj Kumar, Rajendra Kumar, Sunil Dutt

Year: 1957

 

Integrity and idealism; sentiments and sacrifices; ground reality and high melodrama- 1957-classic Mother India combines all these elements to portray the epic life-story a courageous rustic woman. Remade from the 1940-film Aurat, this film has become a milestone in Indian cinema.

 

As a decked up, shy young bride Radha (Nargis) walks into the life of Shamu (Raj Kumar)- a simple farmer but soon the happy household is saddled with the burden of a loan that the mother-in-law (Jillo) had procured for arranging a lavish marriage. The cunning moneylender Sukhi Lala (Kahaiyalal) turns this loan into an instrument of constant torment and torture against the hapless family. Battling her unending share of tragedies (husband’s accident, his disappearance, mother-in-law’s death, flood, famine, Lala’s constant efforts to dishonour her) Radha toughens up. Showing exemplary courage, she protects her honour and raises her children- the good son- Ramu (Rajendra Kumar) and the bad son- Birju (Sunil Dutt). When Birju- driven by rage and revenge kills Lala and tries to abduct his daughter, Radha has to make one final sacrifice and she doesn’t flinch one bit while pulling the trigger on her own wayward son.

 

As the producer, Mehboob Khan spared no expenses while making this movie and through Faredoon Irani’s magical camera he perfectly captured the rich diversity of rural Indian lives and landscapes. As the director, Mehboob’s first-half narrative is practically flawless but second half drags a bit. While telling his story, Mehboob also cleverly points out the maladies affecting the farmers like lack of formal education, blind reliance on loan-sharks and meaningless spending on age-old customs. Naushad’s music is good but apart from a few songs like Duniya Mein Hum Aaye Hain To and Chundariya Katati Jaaye Re, it doesn’t really gel into the film.

 

Despite these shortcomings, if the film became a classic then it was because of some exceptional performances. Nargis as Radha was a performance for the ages and her portrayal of the gutsy rural woman and her transformation in life showed a rare passion and understanding. Amongst notable roles from Rajkumar, Rajendra Kumar and Sunil Dutt, two character artists stole the limelight. Master Sajid playing Birju as a young brat and Kanhiyalal portraying the scheming, leering Sukhi Lala were two superb performances.

 

Metaphorically Radha’s trials and tribulations are the same as that of rural India’s and in a way the film is as much about India as about the Mother-figure at its centre. It was no wonder that it became the first Indian film to be nominated in the Best Foreign Film category at Oscars but unfortunately it lost the race by just one vote.