Made on an exactly similar subject, story progression and even characterization (wherein the lead character plays a school teacher and her daughter studies in the same school), both MOM and MAATR (Raveena Tandon) are typically identical movies, made around the same time and released too at the gap of just a few weeks depicting a weird scenario.
However despite being repetitive and highly cliched in its basic plot and few sequences of its first half, MOM scores much higher than MAATR due to its superlative performances and an emotional edge that successfully manages to engage as well as impress in its majority of sequences. The film struggles in the middle, becomes lengthy and then takes too many cinematic liberties in the second half dealing with the vendetta act. But the climax thankfully brings it back on track ending on a compelling emotional note justifying its title.
Competitively directed by debutante Ravi Udyawar, it’s the 300th movie of Sridevi produced by husband Boney Kapoor and her performance truly reveals why she ruled the Hindi film industry during the 80s and early 90s.In her captivating act of a helpless mother, Sridevi showcases various forms of emotions throughout the well-crafted film, especially in the first half expressing her troubled relationship with the step-daughter lying on the hospital bed. Skillfully supporting her is Sajal Ali as the suffering daughter and Adnan Siddiqui as the father (both from Pakistan), along with Nawazuddin Siddiqui with his quirky one-liners and Akshaye Khanna back in form as the investigating police officer. Having said that, the private detective character of Nawaz with an unusual get-up still doesn’t turn out to be anything extraordinarily great as it was being projected in the smartly cut trailers.
Besides the performances, what actually lifts up MOM above the routine is its chilling background score by A.R. Rahman (with the songs making minimum impact) and its cinematography by Anay Goswamy that makes you feel the tension through its innovative camera angles and lighting.
Summing up, even if you know everything about the film and its basic storyline, MOM still deserves to be seen for its above mentioned technical merits and all absorbing performances. Among the key sequences just watch out for the way its director thoughtfully conceives the rape sequence capturing a moving car with gripping sound in the backdrop, a delightful scene in an art exhibition with reference of Mahabharata and the powerful finale forcing you to leave the theater thinking about the most beautiful creation of GOD…… The Mother.
(The article also got featured in UC-News mobile app in July 2017)
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Shared below are views - Beyond the initial review with some more interesting insights.
MOM has a typical 80s kind of plot that has been repeated several times before in Hindi movies. But it still works due to a polished execution, well-composed background score, emotionally charged performances and Sridevi in particular leading from the front.
However moving beyond the review it’s really strange that both MAATR and MOM got made at the same time and had so acute similarities in their script as if an outcome of the same mind or an exactly similar thought process by two different individuals. As a matter of fact even the key character of a teacher and her daughter studying in the same school where she is teaching is right there in both the films.
Interestingly this reminds me of a famous instance of year 1984 when films made on a similar political subject featuring two superstars got into severe competition while they were in the making resulting in a big controversy. The films were Amitabh Bachchan's INQUILAAB and Rajesh Khanna's AAJ KA M.L.A. RAM AVTAR .They both had some serious issues with the censor board too quite similar to the present situation of MAATR and MOM to a large extent. (Another exciting subject for an exclusive article for sure)
Coming back to MOM and its second half dealing with the revenge, it once again points towards the faulty manner we tend to write and present our crime thrillers taking too many cinematic liberties questioning the viewer’s intelligence. In the present case too where the film comes up with a beautiful presentation of broken relationships and unexpected tragedy in the first half, it falls down to the same routine level in the second where the main protagonist plans all murders and everything goes on smoothly without any issue or obstacle, with the police officer also ignoring major clues he should be taking into consideration as a routine procedure.
In other words, we have certainly come a long way in technical aspects of filmmaking, but haven’t made any similar progress in writing, specifically when it comes to a crime-mystery-thriller or a who-dun-it movie that is supposed to activate the grey cells of its viewers giving them a teasing time. Even the last most satisfying movie in this genre BADLAPUR was also about how it is done, instead of who might have done it just like MOM.
Hope we get to see a well-written and skillfully directed crime thriller soon forcing us to use our minds as a thinking viewer on the lines of films made in the west or our own gems in the past like JEWEL THIEF, GUMNAAM, BEES SAAL BAAD, WOH KAUN THI and more.
Rating 3 / 5
(Note : There are not one but two Pakistani actors playing prominent roles in the film. But since this isnt a big STAR's project, so it doesnt bother anyone and no one is even concerned about it revealing a lot.)
