The Mother of all Roles: Bollywood and her obsession with the Matriarch; From Nargis to Sridevi, Raveena Tandon to Kajol, Rekha to Raakhee, Ayesha to Aasha Bhosle!

The Mother of all Roles: Bollywood and her obsession with the Matriarch. It may have started with Mother India (1957) and Nargis' career defining turn, but it certainly hasn't ended as Kajol's latest release over the weekend, Maa (2025) hit the big screens. 

In fact, let me correct that statement, in the 1950s and 1960s, there were innumerable soap operatic films with the crying-in-the-corner, sewing machine rolling, gajar-ka-halwa serving, white-sari-clad mothers relishing their roles of self-pity at circumstances, pining away at... something or another. The leading ladies that made their respective films a title role, in hopes of showboating their thespian skills however came courtesy of these fab women, namely, Nirupa Roy, Rekha, Hema Malini, Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit, Raveena Tandon, Kajol, Ayesha Jhulka to... hold your horses... even singer Aasha Bhosle, who did a surprisingly good turn in the complete sob-fest Mai (2013)! 

Variations on the appellation, Ma, some great films, some predictable tear-jerkers, some saccharine ones, some sentimental mulchy melodrama... they run the gamut. The sacrificing one, the avenging one and mostly the weeping one, Bollywood pigeon holes actresses after they pass a certain age and tax bracket! The Bollywood playbook hasn't changed, from babe and leading lady to Bhabhi, then Mother roles, its an inevitable transition for women offered shorter shelf-lives as desirable leading ladies on the big screen. Rekha, bless her bangles, perhaps stretched it the longest and certainly actresses today are trying to turn the tides in their favour, but as troll comments on social media show, the audience is constantly looking for newer, younger, hotter faces. Talent be damned. 

Note there are now three films titled Maa; one with Nirupa Roy (possibly the most famous 'mums' on the big screen in Bollywood) in 1976, one with Jaya Prada in 1991, and now Kajol. Amma with Rakhee Gulzar hit the screens in 1986, and another with Ayesha Jhulka hit the screens in 2003! In America, it's really hard to get a film certificate with the name of a movie if it has been published before - the case for The Butler comes to mind. We kind of need to do the same in India. Film titles should not and need not be repeated. The paucity of good writers and foresight in Bollywood continues. 

Any other 'Ma' roles missing here? Let us know - comment below! 

.