Mothers in Hindi cinema have gone from long-suffering martyrs to flawed yet sassy women who know what they want. Here are 10 films that present Bollywood mums in unconventional roles, starting with the recent blockbuster 2 States, which had a particularly feisty Amrita Singh playing a domineering, unashamedly prejudiced Punjabi mum.
1. 2 States (2014)
Who else could have essayed this role but Amrita Singh? The actress plays a loud, opinionated woman who embarrasses everyone with her bigoted comments, especially about south Indians, now that her son (Arjun Kapoor) wants to marry his Tamil girlfriend (Alia Bhatt). The subject of most of her taunts is Bhatt’s soft-spoken mum – played sensitively by Revathi – who tries hard to take the high road and very nearly fails.
2. Listen... Amaya (2013)
A widow (Deepti Naval) with a grown-up daughter announces her plans to marry again. The daughter’s (Swara Bhaskar) shock, revulsion and refusal to accept that her mother is entitled to a life beyond that of a mother is symptomatic of a society that deifies mothers at the cost of their happiness. Naval shines in this tear-jerker with her gritty, stoical performance. She’s still at the top of her game.
3. Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012)
Neetu Kapoor does the unthinkable in this long-winded Shah Rukh Khan-Katrina Kaif romance flick: she plays a woman who leaves her husband (Anupam Kher) and young daughter behind for the man she loves (her real-life husband Rishi Kapoor). Her argument is that staying in an unhappy marriage would have affected the family negatively. When her grown-up daughter (Kaif) eventually visits her, Singh brings out all the birthday presents she couldn’t give her during their estrangement. Nicely executed, except the bit where the Kapoors skip through a vineyard arm-in-arm.
4. Devdas (2002)
Kirron Kher bustles around the house attending to leaky roofs and cracking finances, makes jokes in front of her introverted husband and breaks into a dance at her affluent neighbour’s party. This mum wore the trousers in the family and was not afraid to let the world know.
5. Dil Chahta Hai (2001)
Tara, portrayed by Dimple Kapadia, is a lonely divorcee who is kept away from her young daughter by an estranged ex-husband because she is an alcoholic. This mum is allowed to have flaws and her grief, fears and hopes are real. Kudos to the director Farhan Akhtar.
6. Akele Hum Akele Tum (1995)
Manisha Koirala portrays a young woman who gives up her career to be a homemaker for her husband (Aamir Khan) and their 6-year-old son. But when boredom sets in and a lucrative job appears on the horizon, she leaves her husband and son to pursue her career. Shockingly unconventional, the film, directed by Mansoor Khan, was inspired by Kramer vs Kramer.
7. Aandhiyaan (1990)
When the veteran actress Mumtaz decided to make a comeback on the silver screen, she chose to be cast as a trendy single parent who is more like a friend than a mother to her son, played by Prosenjit Chatterjee. He eventually decides to go and live with his dad, which breaks her heart.
8. Bhavna (1984)
Directed by Pravin Bhatt, the film centres on a sari-clad single mum who is forced to make a living as a high-end escort to support her son after she is abandoned by her husband. One of Shabana Azmi’s most powerful performances.
9. Apnapan (1977)
Reena Roy gives a stellar performance as a mother who prefers a career to the role of a homemaker. Of course, the script makes her suffer and sob for her sins at the end. But Roy’s spirited performance imbued the mother-goddess figure with human traits.
10. Kaagaz Ki Nao (1975)
In this dark B R Ishara film, the dancing siren Helen plays a single mum who dares to have a love life. When her daughter (played by Sarika) finds out her mum is sleeping with a man, she commits suicide. Dark stuff for a 1970s Bollywood film. None of the A-list actresses of the time would have even considered this role for fear it would give them a “bad girl” reputation. How times have changed.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Voy!%20Voy!%20Voy!
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Omar%20Hilal%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Muhammad%20Farrag%2C%20Bayoumi%20Fouad%2C%20Nelly%20Karim%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
LIVING IN...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
WITHIN%20SAND
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Moe%20Alatawi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Ra%E2%80%99ed%20Alshammari%2C%20Adwa%20Fahd%2C%20Muhand%20Alsaleh%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Company profile
Company: Rent Your Wardrobe
Date started: May 2021
Founder: Mamta Arora
Based: Dubai
Sector: Clothes rental subscription
Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
FIGHT CARD
Bantamweight Hamza Bougamza (MAR) v Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)
Catchweight 67kg Mohamed El Mesbahi (MAR) v Fouad Mesdari (ALG)
Lighweight Abdullah Mohammed Ali (UAE) v Abdelhak Amhidra (MAR)
Catchweight 73kg Mostafa Ibrahim Radi (PAL) v Yazid Chouchane (ALG)
Middleweight Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) v Badreddine Diani (MAR)
Catchweight 78kg Rashed Dawood (UAE) v Adnan Bushashy (ALG)
Middleweight Sallaheddine Dekhissi (MAR) v Abdel Emam (EGY)
Catchweight 65kg Rachid Hazoume (MAR) v Yanis Ghemmouri (ALG)
Lighweight Mohammed Yahya (UAE) v Azouz Anwar (EGY)
Catchweight 79kg Omar Hussein (PAL) v Souhil Tahiri (ALG)
Middleweight Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Laid Zerhouni (ALG)
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPowertrain%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle%20electric%20motor%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E201hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E310Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E53kWh%20lithium-ion%20battery%20pack%20(GS%20base%20model)%3B%2070kWh%20battery%20pack%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETouring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E350km%20(GS)%3B%20480km%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh129%2C900%20(GS)%3B%20Dh149%2C000%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Retail gloom
Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.
It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.
The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The view from The National
