Foreign film
Language: Indian
Subtitle: English
Director: Ravi Udyawar
Mom is a 2017 Indian crime-thriller and drama film. I have watched a number of Indian films in my life. I find them dramatically poetic and bursting with rich Indian culture. There is always a lesson to be taught or learnt, and Mom is no exception.
The story revolves around Devki Sabarwal (Sridevi), a biology school teacher who is popular among the students due to her fun but firm approach to teaching. Devki is happily married to a successful business man, Anand Sabarwal (Adnan Siddiqui) but is struggling to gain the acceptance of her teenage stepdaughter, Aarya Sabarwal (Sajal Aly), who is also a student in her class. Aarya feels it would be disrespectful and a betrayal to her dead mother’s memory if she welcomed Devki’s caring advances and accepted her as her mom. So, Devki’s gentle and patient show of care and affection, is cruelly and coldly rejected by Aarya time and time again. The only people Aarya gives her time and attention to are her dad and younger stepsister.
During one of Devki’s Biology classes, Mohit Chadda (Adarsh Gourav), a spoilt boy from a wealthy home, who has always desired Aarya, sends a sexually inappropriate video to her phone. Aarya, who detests Mohit, is disgusted by the video. The incident was soon brought to the attention of Devki, who reacted by throwing Mohit’s phone out of the window and requesting to see his parents later.
Not long after, Aarya attends a valentine’s day night party, against the better judgment of Devki and Anand; they only relented after she was rude to Devki and threw a tantrum. The venue was at a nightclub which was quite a distance from their home, so she got a lift with two other friends who were attending the party. As Anand was away on business, it was up to Devki alone to stay up and ensure that Aarya comes back home safely. However, this night was going to be a disastrous one.
Mohit is present at the party, along with his older cousin, Charles Deewan (Vikas Verma), who owns the club, and his henchman, Jagan Singh (Abhimanyu Singh). Aarya rejects Mohit’s unwanted advances on the dance floor and also Charles’s attempts to show Mohit “how it’s done.” This angered them and they decide to get what they want, regardless and punish her for daring to reject them. As it was getting late and she was unable to find the male friend who drove them to the party, Aarya informs Devki over the phone that she would be getting a taxi home. Unfortunately, she was grabbed and shoved into a vehicle by Jagan and Charles with the help of the security guard, Babu Ram Yadav (Pitobash Tripathy). Mohit joins them in the vehicle, and all 4 men viciously rape her whilst sarcastically shouting and jeering at her to try calling her mom to come to her aid. Once done, they partially strangle her before throwing her into a ditch, believing her to be dead.
Aarya doesn’t die but is discovered and taken to the hospital. With straightlaced Inspector Mathew Francis (Akshaye Khanna) on the case, the perpetrators are rounded up and arrested. Unfortunately, the justice system fails to find the men guilty and convict them. The Sabarwals are devasted. The incident has further worsened the already weak relationship between Devki and Aarya, and it is breaking Devki’s heart to see Aarya suffer. Not able to take it any longer and remembering Aarya’s account about the men screaming at her to call her mom, Devki decides to take matters into her own hands. In collaboration with a private detective, Daya Shankar Kampoor (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) who initially seemed shady to her, Devki decides to meet out jungle justice on all 4 men. The watchful and suspicious eye of Inspector Francis was going to make this challenge more difficult than it already was.
The film’s story sets out to bring to the forefront and address a specific crime that’s currently rife in India, as well as the injustice surrounding it. It is a deeply gripping and emotive film and bound to draw tears from any emotional or sentimental viewer.
Great production and very well directed. I was mostly impressed with the high level of talent displayed by the actors. They all brought such intensity to their characters. Sajal Aly’s delivery of Aarya’s feelings, pain and brokenness was real. However, Sridevi’s passionate and strong performance was just outstanding. She gave herself totally to that role and confirmed why she was once the most popular Bollywood actress of all time.
I really liked and enjoyed this film. It was interesting, engaging and moving. What’s more, it has a fair degree of spoken English to make it even easier to follow and understand. It’s certainly one to watch, so please, go for it. Rating? 8.5 out of 10.
Currently available to watch on Netflix.
Further Information
Sridevi -
Played Devki Sabarwal
Played Anand Sabarwal
Played Aarya Sabarwal
Played Mohit Chadda
Played Charles Deewan
Played Jagan Singh
Played Babu Ram Yadav
Played Mathew Francis
Played Daya Shankar Kampoor
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