RATING: 4
MOVIE: Mom
CAST: Sridevi, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Akshaye Khanna and Sajal Ali
DIRECTOR: Ravi Udyawar
GENRE: Thriller
If every mother gets in the shoes of Sridevi's character Devki, then the country will be free of crime. This is what Ravi Udyawar's movie tells in the outstanding story of Mom. The movie features Sridevi, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Akshaye Khanna and Pakistani actress Sajal Ali.
PLOT
Devki Sabharwal (Sridevi) and Arya (Sajal) have a love-hate relationship as mother and stepdaughter. Devki is married to Sajal's father and they have a daughter, Pihu. This family of four is planning to go on a vacation when a series of events changes their lives.
Devki's stepdaughter Arya doesn't trust her and doesn't like her step-mom interfering in her personal life. But Devki takes the law in her hand for her stepdaughter when Arya's rapists are acquitted by the court for lack of evidence. How she manages to punish the criminals with the help of Dayashankar Kapoor aka DK (Nawazuddin) forms the crux of the story.
PERFORMANCES
Ravi Udyawar's story will remind you of Raveena Tandon's Maatr, which didn't do well at the box office. But Mom will touch hearts because the director has cast some amazing supporting actors. While Sridevi has nailed it with her expression at every moment in the movie, Akshaye and Nawazuddin as crime branch policeman Mathew Francis and detective DK have made the movie outstanding. Sajal too gave a wonderful performance and her on-screen father Adnan Siddqui did justice to his character.
POSITIVES
Mom is a movie that will make you cry, cringe and smile at the end. Remember the helpless feeling while watching Irrfan Khan's Talvar when injustice took place? You will get the same feeling in the first half of the movie. The film is quite engaging and the actors are the life of this flick. The director has executed the story in an intelligent manner. It shows how a girl is unsafe in today's society, how the law of our country works, and how a mother can bring justice by hook or crook if it involves her family.
NEGATIVES
In the entire movie, Arya and Devki's relationship is shown to be riddled with problems. It could have been better if their bonding was shown a little more at the end of the film.
VERDICT
The story of Mom will remind you of Delhi gang rape, but if every mother becomes Devki, not a single rapist would go free. The movie shows how a victim's family becomes helpless when the country's law goes against them. It also gives you a message about how to deal with a teenager who is in the rebel zone. Overall, Mom is a must watch film, which features Sridevi's magnificent expressions and Nawazuddin at his best.
