Mammo

Mammo might just be India's best family film. And if you want to take it a step further, Mammo might also be one of the best family movies for Muslims all across the world.

Mammo has some more serious undertones -- those of India and Pakistan's unfriendly relations and their impact on regular people, the often ignored violence against women across the Indian sub-continent, the Anglophiles and the class-conscious young children schools have produced, and above all, the lack of sincerity in our daily lives. Mammo represents everything that society has had to lose in its desperation for wealth and luxury, the spirited woman that does whatever her heart wishes (and God permits).

It's funny in some places, very tear-jerking in others. Definitely the best out of Benegal's Muslim trilogy.

Shyam Bengal and Khalid Mohammed's brainchild - Mammo - leaves an everlasting impact on one's mind. Being born and brought up in a Muslim household in Lucknow, I related to Mammo on multiple levels. Every scene, dialogue, background score gave me something to relish. A feeling that one does not get these days, a feeling that makes you remember your childhood and old women that you called nanis and dadis.

The simple truth about partition showed in this movie hits the viewers to the core. Mammo is an experience that will be acknowledges and adored by the viewers who have spent a significant chunk of their childhood under the guidance of their grand moms and their sisters. Farida Jalal gave wings to the character while Surekha Sikri left no stone unturned to portray the complex character of Fijji and she aced it. Indian Cinema can't get better than this.

Shyam Benegal and Khalid Mohamed create a tender, beautiful account of a Muslim boy's childhood in post-partition India.

On the surface this is the story of a woman like millions others, uprooted by partition - probably the greatest tragedy of our times - trying to get back to her roots. Mammo absolutely refuses to let any politician take away from her what makes her life worth living - her sister, her grandson and her city.

On another, more charming level, it is a lovingly detailed depiction of the world seen through the eyes of the adolescent Riyaz. A sense of shame for one's background, the first time one was moved by poetry (for Riyaz its Kahlil Gibran), a budding fascination with the world of cinema, first experiences with cigarettes and porn, its all there. The atmosphere is made rich by references to Beethoven, Faiz, Gibran and movies like Psycho, Bobby and Garm Hawa.

Farida Jalal and Surekha Sikri turn in great performances. There is a beautiful ghazal sung by Jagjit Sing and written by Gulzar that adds depth and poignancy to the film each time it plays. Gulzar fans will value the use of his jolting story 'Ravi Paar'.

Though I saw Mammo quite a long time back, many scenes of this brilliant movie are still fresh in my memory. Farida Jala puffing the cigarette, her scenes with the police, her interactions with the old nani...it feels sad that she has not been utilized int his manner before. Shyam benegal extracts her best. Though Farida has been doing many 'character roles' for a long time now, only 'Dekh Bhai Dekh', a television series, comes to my mind in her recent avatar and movies like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, raja Hindustani and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Not having seen much of her earlier acting ( she's been acting for ages, I guess ), she will remain for me 'Mammo', the aunt.

Within few minutes after Farida Jalal enters into the screen, memories of 'Sound of Music' surfaced in my mind. The character of Farida Jalal in the movie is one of a kind that people look forward to as their ideals. They are free spirited and invoke a sense of hope every time they come on screen. With them I can really think that nothing wrong will go in the story. Characters of these sorts are likely to exhibit powers of a silent hero who control the emotions in the film. The character of Julie Andrews in the sound of music had struck the same feeling in me like this one. I will also go on saying that having these characters I feel assured of a happy ending. It is an entirely a different feeling when you never fear even when something is going bad in the story. These characters are so Angel types that it is highly likely that we try and imitate the same. With Mammo, Farida Jalal has given me that feeling. Shyam Benegal is truly one of the best filmmakers India has. The movie went on to winning the National Film award for Best Feature in Hindi.

The story of the film is based on the maternal grandmother's sister (Mammo) who just comes into the house of the protagonist uninvited. At first you tend to feel against the character, but that is what is intended because it is needed to show how naturally her character blends into the family. How the initial reluctance turns into love and belief is blended with a powerhouse performance from Farida Jalal. Another opportunity that the director had in the film was to exploit the absence of a male in a family. There is always a visible and emotional absence of a male in their family. There is the life of a middle class family which tries to avoid a lot of problems just by any means. They struggle for simple things. They take small issues big. They manage and compromise a lot of times. Mammo is a character who smokes with a 13 year old grandson and does not make it an issue when he watches porn. She is hugely broadminded. The character of Riyaz is stubborn and irritating. Gradually his nature also changes, partly because of the influence of Mammo and some other when certain instances get raised during the course of the movie. Another beautiful character was of Surekha Sikri as Fayyazi, the grandmother of Riyaz. She brings up an oversensitive and fearful lady on the screen. She is older than her sister but then also she always has this unintentional habit of looking up to Mammo for certain big decisions. Her winning of National film award for Best Supporting Actress is well justified.

The chemistry that these three share on the screen is something that is rarely brought up on Indian Cinema. Though the film suffers from a little loop holes in plot and characters (sometimes), it is one of those films which make you forget about aesthetics and technicalities of filmmaking and just indulge with its lovable characters. Looking forward for more films like this.

MESSAGE: 'Life is Beautiful'

VERDICT: 'A recommended watch.'