From Sakshi Tanwar in Mai to Sushmita Sen in Aarya: Onscreen mothers find a new narrative in web space

They are strong, fierce, vulnerable, ambitious, spirited, and even vengeful if need be. Mothers in recent we projects can be described as all this and more.

If there is Sushmita Sen entering the narcotics business to protect her kids in Aarya, there is also Sakshi Tanwar out to find the killers of her daughter in Mai, and Rasika Dugal exploring the complex emotions of motherhood as she deals with husband’s infidelity in Out of Love. Actor Kirti Kulhari is also seen as a single mother in Four More Shots Please!. The characters of mothers we are seeing now are more complex, nuanced and layered than they were ever before.

Dugal is elated that motherhood is no longer glorified or oversimplified. “A mother child relationship is no longer shown as ‘ perfect’ and devoid of conflict. In many stories, we see the fears, anxieties, confusions of being a parent co-existing with the joys of it. Even though I have no experience of being a parent in real life , Dr Meera Kapoor and her relationship with her son Abhi especially in season two of Out of Love gave me a glimpse of how demanding yet beautiful parenting can be,” she asserts.

Actor Raveena Tandon in Aranyak and Madhuri Dixit Nene in The Fame Game are other such characters who drove the narratives with their courage and fearlessness when it came to their children.

Talking about the same, Tanwar says, “For the longest time, cinema showcased mother’s as the epitome of sacrifice. While this is one of the attributes of a mother because of the unsurmountable love she holds for her children, but this is not the only thing that defines a mother… Creators and storytellers are making conscious efforts to send a message across that mothers’ of today are strong, opinionated and independent. It’s liberating to be an actor at a time where modern day content dynamics are constantly evolving”.

To this, Nene adds, “Long gone are the times when mothers were shown with one dimensional characteristics of sacrifice and perfectionism. We are seeing parenting and motherhood evolve on screen…Portraying mothers in a light where they are shown as standing up for themselves, having flaws and owning their lives resonates well with the audiences and I hope it also inspires more mothers to do more for themselves.”

“For a long time, we had a very fixed notion of how a mother needs to be portrayed on screen. Now, the writing has caught up with the times and we are showing women of today, and that stands true for my show, The Fame Game with Madhuri and Mai,” mentions director Bejoy Nambiar.

Here, director Vinay Waikul, who helmed Aranyak, adds, “Life is not unidimensional, and that stands true for the characters of mothers on screen. This realisation has changed the whole narrative. It has now become a reflection of the society”. That’s something screenwriter Charudutt Acharya agrees with, mentioning that the “concept of stay at home mom is also changing”.

When it comes to OTT space, there are many onscreen mothers which went on to make a make, be it Shefali Shah in Delhi Crime, or Geetanjali Kulkarni in Gullak, or Supriya Pathak in Tabbar, or Pooja Bhatt as a step mother in Bombay Begums.

According to Sahher Bambba, who played the role of a mother to a 33-year-old on screen at the age of 23, notes that the change is empowering in many ways.

“We don’t just see homemakers as mothers. Now, the cinema is reflecting the reality, which is that there are many facets to motherhood. In fact, back in the day, after a woman hit a certain age, it would be the end of their career. Now, it doesn’t stand true, and it is because of such diverse roles,” she notes.

However, there is still a long way to go, feels actor Kitu Gidwani, who recently portrayed role of a mother in show, Potluck. “We don’t believe that older women can be hot, happy, successful, vibrant, intelligent and pathbreaking. We still have a big fear of older women in this country. Maybe the younger ones have more scope, but not older women. For instance, we are still a mother supporting her kids’ decisions, and stuff like that. They have been doing this since the past so many years, for me it is fake. Where are the guts to show women breaking and finding their own. I want to see that, and hope it comes soon,” mentions Gidwani.