MOVIE REVIEW: Mom
Mom
Starring: Sridevi, Akshaye Khanna, Sajal Ali,
Nawazuddin Siddiqui
Producer: Boney Kapoor
Director: Ravi Udyawar
Music Director: A. R. Rahman
This emotional thriller, like many other movies before it, reminds you how India, especially New Delhi, has become unsafe for young girls, and so its topicality makes it an important watch. But the many loopholes in the script and the very clichéd and predictable climax make it a far from perfect film. It’s the effective performances from the still very emotive Sridevi and that powerhouse of talent, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, which rescue it from sinking into mediocrity.
A biology teacher Devki Sabharwal’s (Sridevi) peaceful and happy family life is shattered one fateful night when her stepdaughter Arya (Sajal Ali) is raped by Jagan (Abhimanyu Singh) and gang, and shoved into a roadside gutter. Does Devki wait for the law to take its own course? Or does she take matters into her own hands? The almost unrecognizable Nawazuddin Siddiqui as detective DK turns in a class act and Akshaye Khanna, largely underutilized, still leaves a mark as the tough-as-nails cop, Mathew Francis. Dew-fresh Pakistani actress Sajal Ali is particularly convincing as the victim, so is Adnan Siddiqui as Sridevi’s husband, Anand. Needless to say, Sridevi in the eponymous role is the driving force of Mom and she does complete justice to her complex role. On the flip side, the focus is so much on showcasing her capabilities as an actress that other aspects of the film suffer, like the plot.
Technically, the movie is terrific and the background score is in perfect sync with the grim ambience. To the director’s credit, despite being overstretched, Mom is never boring. In fact, it is pretty compelling at times.
TOP 10 SONGS
1. Radio (Tubelight)
2. Ullu ka Pattha (Jagga Jasoos)
3. Raabta (Raabta)
4. Baarish (Half Girlfriend)
5. Maana ke Hum Yaar Nahin (Meri Pyaari Bindu)
6. Suit Suit (Hindi Medium)
7. Radha (Jab Harry Met Sejal)
8. Roke Na Ruke Naina (Badrinath ki Dulhania)
9. Hawa Hawa (Mubarakan)
10. Uff Yeh Noor (Noor)
(Left) A scene from Tubelight.
TOP 10 MOVIES
1. Tubelight
2. Mom
3. Hindi Medium
4. Half Girlfriend
5. Badrinath ki Dulhania
6. Raabta
7. Meri Pyaari Bindu
8. A Death in the Ganj
9. Dear Maya
10. Dobaara
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