Mom (2017)

Director: Ravi Udyawar

Story: Ravi Udyawar, Girish Kohli, Kona Venkat

Cast: Sridevi, Adnan Siddiqui, Sajal Ali, Nawazuddin Siddiqui

Music: A. R. Rahman, Qutub E-Kripa

Time: 146 minutes

Bottom-line: Pretty much a Sridevi show

Mom will most likely be remembered for two things – one, Sridevi winning her long-overdue National Award for Best Actress and two, this being her last big film – also her 300^th film appearance – before her unfortunate death a few months after the release. The film features Adnan Siddiqui, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Sajal Ali in the lead roles, with Akshaye Khanna and Abhimanyu Singh in the supporting cast.

Devki (Sridevi) is a biology teacher who is popular among her students. She lives with her husband, Anand (Adnan), and is the stepmother of Arya (Sajal), who keeps calling her “ma’am” instead of “mom”, still unable to accept the fact that Devki has “replaced” her biological mother. On Valentine’s day, Arya goes to a party, where she publicly rejects her classmate Mohit’s proposal. Mohit and his friends take revenge by brutally raping Arya and dumping her in a drain, nearly killing her. Despite Arya’s statement accusing her attackers, the rapists are released due to lack of circumstantial evidence. Unable to digest this, Devki takes it upon herself to avenge Arya, with the help of detective DK (Nawazuddin) who feeds her intel about the rapists. Closely following the family is Crime Branch officer Matthew (Khanna) who soon starts suspecting Devki. What does the mom do?

 

Sridevi as Devki

While the bold attempt to make a woman-centric revenge drama must be appreciated, a little bit of pondering reveals several holes in the plot, some more obvious than the others. Of course, if Devki’s plan had been to go to each rapist’s house and clobber him with a cricket bat, then there’s no need for logic. But when she decides to take the smart route for revenge, I feel the plot could have been worked on more to fine-tune some aspects and give a cleaner tale. But again, when it’s Sridevi on screen, all these take the back seat; you ­want her to win.

 

Sajal as Arya

Sridevi’s performance is, undoubtedly, brilliant. Specifically, look out for the scene where she breaks down in the hospital when she is informed about the rape, and also her acting in the climax. Her National Award is the first time it has been awarded posthumously. Sajal Ali’s role is sublime as well, and the divide between mom and daughter in the film is just so painful on many occasions. After a point, you don’t know whether to pity Devki more or Arya. Nawazuddin Siddiqui dons a new appearance and accent for this film, making him almost unrecognisable at first sight. It seems like a needless gimmick but nevertheless, it is entertaining to see him having this look.

 

Siddiqui as DK

Mom ends Sridevi’s career on a high note, but as a film by itself, there is scope for improvement as far as the script goes. The technical aspects and the acting are of high quality (I liked the cinematography in particular, especially the way the rape is indirectly depicted only through ominous music and a top view of the car inside which it happens). However, if you are looking for just a thriller or a woman-centric film, there are better ones; if you just want to watch Sridevi, this movie will satisfy you but I would also strongly recommend the earlier work of hers, English Vinglish. 

My Rating: 3/5

The Truman Show (1998)

Director: Peter Weir
Story: Andrew Niccol
Cast: Jim Carrey, Ed Harris
Music: Philip Glass
Time: 103 minutes
Bottom-line: Tru-ly thought-provoking!

“All the world's a stage, 
And all the men and women merely players; 
They have their exits and their entrances...”

These are the famous lines from William Shakespeare’s As you Like It, and they lay the basic idea for Peter Weir’s The Truman Show. How would you feel if you find out that your entire life is a drama, being staged by some unknown person, and everyone around you has been instructed to play a role, and your whole “reality”, is nothing more than a set-up?

Good morning, and in case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening and good night!
Truman Burbank (Carrey) has his whole life videotaped, right from his birth. He is the star of this “show” about his life – being broadcast all over the world, 24/7 – called The Truman Show. The show’s creator, Christof (Harris) wants to capture Truman’s authentic emotions in certain situations and build a show around it by creating a gigantic set of Truman’s hometown, and everyone around Truman is a cast member. By the time Truman turns 30 he notices some abnormalities in his surroundings, because of the show’s crew members fumbling. As the story progresses, Truman decides to explore for himself and find out what’s really happening around him.

Carrey as Truman

The best part of life is that it is unpredictable; full of surprises. How would you feel if someone has scripted your entire life for you? Someone has taken care of the good and the bad that would happen, every detail, every incident in your life. Some of you may follow the religious belief that God has indeed scripted our life for us, but what if the writer is a human? In the film, Truman has no idea that he’s living an “ideal” life, but as a viewer, you wonder if Christof’s doings are morally right. In a way, he is protecting Truman from all harm and giving him what he wants, but is it right to force a man not to live life the way it should be lived? It is true that all of us want to live a worry-free life, but if we actually do, we miss out on its essence. The film also addresses the issue of privacy. Most of us are interested in peeking into the private lives of others... imagine how it would be if the whole world is watching everything you do. What sort of life would that be?

Ed Harris as Christof

The character of Truman is superbly played by Jim Carrey. The Truman Show is one of his more serious movies, for it induces more thought in you than laughter. The way he portrays innocence – because he’s the only one who thinks “something is fishy” around him – and determination to find out what’s happening to his life is wonderful to watch. Of course, Carrey gives us a fair amount of wackiness in his character to make us laugh too! Ed Harris plays the mastermind creator, Christof. His policy of, “We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented, it's as simple as that” defines his character. Through subtle facial expressions, he conveys all the emotions of his character – panic, anger, disappointment and so on. Harris was nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

With a thought-provoking message, and at the same time an entertaining story, The Truman Show is one of Carrey’s best films. It’s a new experience altogether and is definitely worth a watch for film lovers of all ages.

My Rating: 4/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 94%