‘Mother India’: The movie that revolutionised world cinema
When considering the influence foreign cinema has had on filmmaking over the years, Indian cinema has had a monumental impact on the industry. India, the home of Bollywood, is, in fact, the largest producer of movies in the world. However, during the 1950s, India had its own cinematic awakening with the onset of the Indian new wave movement, also known as parallel cinema.
A cornerstone film of the movement came from director Mehboob Khan and his 1957 musical adventure drama Mother India. The film is widely regarded as a classic in the canon of Indian cinema and was the first Indian film to be nominated for an Academy Award for ‘Best Foreign Film’.
Mother India is a remake of an earlier film made in the country called Aurat, also directed by Khan, 17 years prior. Khan took the original story and adapted it slightly while turning his newer version into a musical. The story of Mother India follows Radha, played by Nargis Dutt, a poverty-stricken mother who works alongside her husband, Raaj Kumar, to pay off a debt owed to an unscrupulous money-lender (Kanhaiyalal).
When Radha’s husband tragically loses both his arms and abandons the family, Radha is left to provide for her family, battling debts, starvation, and the lecherous Sukhilala. What follows is an epic tale of Radha’s determination and will to serve and support her children and village. There is a scene in which Radha pulls a cart herself when the money-lender takes her ox, and she is even forced to kill a son who has turned to banditry.
Interspersed throughout the film, as Radha weathers the storm, are extravagant dance and song numbers in full-blown Bollywood style that take place on the farmland. The epic scale of the film was unheard of at the time. Khan flooded 500 acres of farmland for a large set piece and employed over 200 farmers and 300 bullock carts as extras to feature in the film.
However, Khan injects tender scenes and heartfelt moments, particularly those shared between Radha and her rebellious son. This human aspect that Khan adds to the picture is starkly different from the usual sentimental and melodramatic scenes that were so common in the Bollywood era that came before it.
Mother India was released to huge fanfare in 1957; the premiere in New Delhi was attended by the country’s president and prime minister, creating a cultural phenomenon at the time. The film was also the most expensive Indian production ever made but went on to be one of the most successful movies of the Golden Age of Bollywood. Aside from the film’s tremendous success, Mother India is regarded as classic Indian cinema and set the benchmark for all the Bollywood films that have followed ever since.
