Mother India (1957)

Powerful

Don't listen to the negative reviews

A Masterpiece!

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Any foreign film, in this case Indian, that features in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, is obviously one I will see. Basically 'mother' of the village Radha (Nargis) opens the canal, and goes into a flashback to the past where she was newly married to husband Shamu (Raaj Kumar), with the wedding paid for by her mother in law, with money lent by Sukhilala (Kanhaiyalal). This money lending begins a spiral of poverty and tragedy, including forced payment, and Shamu having his arms crushed by a boulder, forcing him to leave the village and never return. After this, Radha's mother in law dies, while she continues to work in the fields, and gives birth to another child, and she refuses more help from Sukhilala. A storm goes through the village, killing Radha's youngest child, and destroying most of the villagers homes, but everyone stays to rebuild. It then moves to a few years later, where Radha's two surviving children, Birju (Sunil Dutt) and Ramu (Rajendra Kumar) have grown up to be young men. Ramu is fine, but Birju is a bad tempered son taking all his frustrations on village girls, especially Sukhilala's daughter. Ramu has a much softer temper, and manages to get married and become a father, but also manages to get his family in the cycle of poverty. Birju however gets to the point where his temper is becoming dangerous, attacking Sukhilala, his daughter and other family members, and he wants revenge when it is the daughter's wedding day. Radha promises Birju would never come to harm, despite knowing how dangerous he has become, but after he kills Sukhilala and the daughter, she has no choice but to shoot him. This is where the film returns to the present day, seeing Radha see the newly opened canal river run red like blood. Also starring Kumkum as Champa. The performances by Nargis as the devoted mother and Dutt as the violent son are very well done, there may not be much realism in the situations portrayed, but with some likable songs and the spectacle, this is a worthwhile drama. It was nominated the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Very good!

This is perhaps one of the best if not the best Indian Movie ever made. A strong story line depicting the values and tribulations of rural India,this movie is backed up by some very powerful performances.All from Nargis,Suniel Dutt,Rajendra Kumar to Kanahiya lal are superb. The story revolves around Nargis and shows the trials and tribulations of her life. There are quite a few memorable sequences in the film. Starting from the scene when Nargis's one child has died due to malnutrition and the other two live ones are extremely hungry. In the moment of extreme despair when she decides to go to the village Baniya,her facial expression showing a mixture of pure contempt and extreme dejection are superb. A word must be said about the director of the movie,Mehboob Khan,right through out the movie one can see,his vision and creativity shining brightly. Every scene it seems has been hand crafted and all the sequences are closely linked to each other. The music too of the film is immensely pleasing to the ears. The songs give the aroma of the richness of the Indian village and are a treat to watch too. Above all the movie is about hope and values. Such a vivid interplay of emotions which are very close to the native Indian sensibilities is hardly ever seen in Indian cinema.The title is apt too surely this is the MOTHER India of all Indian films!

Mother India----Definitely the greatest film ever made in Bollywood I watched it few months back only.And in many many scenes it almost brought tears in my eyes.The struggle for survival,the fight against injustice and living with moral can melt any1's heart who understands the true meaning of cinema.A helpless mother fighting for survival alongwith her small children's can run any1 in a melange of emotions bringing the worst image of poverty and illiteracyMother India was such a flick which have the ability to put many of the greatest cinema from Hollywood into shame.It shows how realistic and impactfull a bollywood cinema can be.Its sad that it only got nominated for Oscar in best foreign language category but was not able to win But i can say with utmost surity if Hollywood's biggest Blockbuster ever 'Gone With The Wind' can win 9 Oscars...then Mother India if made in Hollywood have won at least 3-4 Oscars.....Mother India seems to be forgotten by the people.They took Sholay or DDLJ name but not this timeless and haunting ground to earth classic most probably cause it doesn't feature Amitabh Bachchan or SRKWith one of the most path breaking climax for a bollywood flick Mother India for a Hollywood fan like me was a dream coming true I can take its name alongside Hollywood classics like 'Gone With The Wind',Schindler's List etcOne such flick which makes me proud that ever i got a chance to show how great a bollywood is then without a blink of my eye i will took Mother India.DDLJ or Sholay are entertainers but they are not totally realistic.Mother India's each and every frame....each and every shot was realistic and believableMother India is a triumph of bollywood in film making and direction Not to forget the unforgettable performances by Nargis and Sunil DuttIt makes me feel proud for bollywood.I can held my head high in any film festival of the world if i am showcasing Mother IndiaOnly special effects and different stories cant help to move forward.Long live bollywood.We have the potential of world class cinema.We need directors like 'Mehboob Khan'And its an honour,respect and matter of pride that bollywood made Mother IndiaMother India is Mother of all bollywood flicks till date10/10

I hate bollywood. But this isn't bollywood. This is epic, moving important filmmaking. The story is heartbreaking, the imagery is fabulous, even in Technicolor, and the music is, for once, really rather good. The songs do actually seem to signal major changes in the plot, rather than being tacked-on, globetrotting, multicostume sex-substitutes. Sadly for me, the DVD version I saw had subtitles for everything apart from the song lyrics, but the physical acting was so strong that it didn't matter. Yes, there are amateurish moments, and in the middle of the film, it takes some time off from the serious tone for an unnecessary extended piece about teasing girls. But that really is the only complaint I can make about this film. Essential viewing.