Mother

India is

1957 Hindi epic melodrama film,

directed

by Mehboob

Khan and

starring Nargis, Sunil Dutt, Rajendra Kumar, andRaaj Kumar. A remake of Khan's earlier film Aurat (1940), it is the story of a poverty-stricken village woman named Radha (Nargis) who, in the absence of her husband, struggles to raise her sons and survive against an evil money-lender amidst many troubles. Despite her hardship, she sets a goddess-like moral example of an ideal Indian woman. In the end she kills her son Birju, a criminal, for the greater good. The title of the film was chosen to counter American author Katherine Mayo's

1927 polemical book Mother India, which vilified Indian culture. Allusions to Hindu mythology are abundant in the film, and its lead character has been seen as a metonymic representation of a Hindu woman who reflects high moral values and the concept of what it means to be a mother to society through self-sacrifice.Mother India metaphorically represents India as a nation in the aftermath of independence, and alludes to a strong sense of nationalism and nation-building. While some authors treat Radha as the symbol of women empowerment, others see her cast in female stereotypes. The Oedipal elements between Radha and Birju have also been discussed by authors. The film was shot in Mumbai's Mehboob Studios and in the villages of Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh states. The music byNaushad introduced Western classical music and Hollywood-style orchestra to Hindi cinema. The film was the most expensive Hindi cinema (Bollywood) production and earned the highest revenue for any Hindi film at that time. Adjusted for inflation, Mother India still ranks among the all-time Indian box office hits. It was released in India amid fanfare in October or November 1957, and had several high-profile screenings, including one at the capital New Delhi attended by the country's president and prime minister. Mother India became a definitive cultural classic and is regarded one of the best films in Indian and world cinema. It was India's first submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1958, where it made the shortlist. The film won the Filmfare Best Film Award for 1957, and Nargis and Khan won the Best Actress and Best Director awards respectively. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The film begins with the finishing of a water canal for the village set in the present. Radha (Nargis), as the mother of the village, is asked to open the canal and remembers back to her past when she was newly married, mirroring the new independence of India. The wedding between Radha and Shamu (Raaj Kumar) was paid for by Radha's mother-in-law, who got a loan from the moneylender Sukhilala. This event starts the spiral of poverty and hardship that Radha endures. The conditions of the loan are disputed, but the village elders decide in favor of the moneylender, after which Shamu and Radha are forced to pay three-quarters of their crop as interest on the loan of 500 rupees. While trying to use

more of their land to alleviate their poverty, Shamu's arms are crushed by a boulder. He is shamed by his helplessness and is humiliated by others in the village. Deciding that he is no use to his family, he leaves and does not return. Soon after this, Radha's mother-in-law dies. Radha continues to work in the fields with her children and gives birth again. Sukhilala offers to help alleviate her poverty in return for Radha marrying him, but she refuses to sell herself. A storm sweeps through the village that destroys the harvest and kills Radha's youngest child, and the villagers start to migrate but decide to stay and rebuild because of Radha's urging. The film then skips forward several years to when Radha's two surviving children, Birju (Sunil Dutt) and Ramu (Rajendra Kumar), are young men. Birju, embittered by the exactions of Sukhilala since he was a child, takes out his frustrations by pestering the village girls, especially Sukhilala's daughter. Ramu, by contrast, has a calmer temper and is married soon after. He becomes a father ,but his wife is soon absorbed into the cycle of poverty. Birju's anger finally becomes dangerous and, after being provoked, attacks Sukhilala and his daughter and violently lashes out at his family. He is chased out of the village and becomes a bandit. On the day of the wedding of Sukhilala's daughter, Birju returns to exact vengeance. He kills Sukhilala and takes his daughter--but Radha, who had promised that Birju would not do harm, shoots Birju, who dies in her arms. The film ends with her opening the canal and reddish water flowing into the fields. Written bygavin@sunny_deol2009@yahoo.com It is the tale that is constantly repeated in real life. When Radha was married, her mother-in-law borrowed five hundred rupees from the village money-lender, Sukhilala. The payment plan was simple: each year, Sukhilala would get one-fourth of the crop they grew. That was what Radha's mother-in-law thought was the deal. Sukhilala had actually taken advantage of her lack of education and written in the contract that he would receive three quarters of the crop. When his evil came to light, the village elders, not wanting the police to come to the village, ruled in Sukhilala's favor. Mother India is the evergreen story of a family's struggle to survive against the evil of Sukhilala. Written by Hemal Sampat Radha belongs to a poor farmer's family. She gets married to Shyamu, also a farmer, and both begin their lives in harmony. Shyamu's mother borrows money from a local money-lender named Sukhilal and agrees to provide him with three-fourths of the farm produce in lieu of money, to which Sukhilal agrees, and asks her to sign a document to this effect, which she does so, not knowing that she is signing away her farm produce and her mortgage of her property. Unable to bear this unpleasantness, Shyamu disappears, leaving Radha alone to bring up two sons, Ramu and Birju. While Ramu is dependable and devoted to his mother, Birju is arrogant and crass. Birju is against Sukhilal and would like him to turn the family's land over to them, but Sukhilal will not do so. Birju attacks Sukhilal and, as

a result, is excommunicated from his village and turns into a bandit, bent on vengeance against the deceptive Sukhilal, much to the sorrow and dismay of his mother and brother. While Radha is hopeful that her love will make Birju mend his ways, Birju, on the other hand, is planning something quite the opposite.

Mother India, released in 1957, is one of the all time blockbuster hits in Bollywood. This film was the first Indian film ever to be nominated in the `Best Foreign language Film` category at the Academy Awards. This acclamation helped Indian cinema a great deal since it prompted many international film critics and reviewers to explore more About Bollywood. Directed by Mehboob Khan, this film was a remake of an earlier film named Aurat (1940) by the same director. The character of Radha in Mother India is still regarded to be one of the best women characters ever in Indian cinema.

It is arguably one of The Unforgettable Characters in Bollywood, if not the most poignant of them.

The role of Radha in Mother India was played by Nargis, the famous Indian actor. She beautifully portrays the struggle of a farmer woman against poverty, nature and a deceitful money-lender.

The acute struggle of a woman is further worsened by her unpleasant relationship with her elder son Birju (Sunil Dutt). The character of Radha in Mother India is a tribute to the empowerment of womenfolk in India. Radha represents traditional Indian values and humane virtues.

The entire film revolves around the wretched financial condition of a rural family.Radha in Mother India marries Shamu (Raj Kapoor) with the help of a money-lender Sukhilala. This event initiates a chain of poverty and humiliation that Radha undergoes.

Radha never loses her calm and composure even after pitted against the direst of circumstances. She tries her best to inculcate good moral virtues in her two sons Birju and Ramu (Rajendra Kumar). While she succeeds in the case of Ramu, Birju becomes an embittered person seeking revenge against Sukhilala. Eventually he kills Sukhilala and takes his daughter. This act infuriates Radha who shoots her son. The film ends symbolically with Radha digging he canal and reddish water flowing into the fields.