When one thinks about mothers in Bollywood, there are certain faces that flash instantly in front of the eyes.
Yes, they are iconic screen mothers who became as synonymous with playing mothers as Amrish Puri was with playing villain.
1. Achla Sachdev
She is most remembered for featuring in the hit song “Ae meri zohra jabeen” and some of the last motherly roles that she played were in 'DDLJ' (Kajol’s mother) & 'K3G' (Amitabh’s mother). But she came in long before these movies were made. She starred in more than 250 films during her career and some of her memorable films include 'Arzoo', 'Waqt', 'Mera Naam Joker', 'Hare Rama Hare Krishna', 'Chandni', 'Kal Ho Naa Ho' etc. Although, sadly, she passed away recently due to a long illness, she sure has left a legacy of her own.
2. Nirupa Roy
She has been the favourite mother of some of the greatest superstars; especially Amitabh Bachchan. She played his mother in the blockbuster 'Deewar'. In fact, the super famous dialogue “Mere paas maa hai” was directed at her. Some of her other famous movies include 'Muqaddar Ka Sikandar', 'Amar Akbar Anthony', 'Lal Badshah', 'Mard', 'Suhaag' etc.
3. Reema Lagoo
Reema Lagoo probably was the most favourite Rajshree mother. She played the shy samdhan & doting mother in many of their movies. She fit into the typical middle class mother’s role with ease. Some of her famous motherly roles include movies like 'Maine Pyar Kiya' and 'Hum Aapke Hain Kaun'. Apart from Salman Khan she played mother to a host of other actors like Govinda, Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgan, Sanjay Dutt et al.
4. Jaya Bachchan
She is one of the newer entrants into the motherly space and is known for playing the moping mother. Her most famous motherly role was in 'K3G' where she played a woman stuck between her husband and son’s wishes. We also remember her roles in movies like, 'Kal Ho Naa Ho', 'Fiza', etc.
5. Farida Jalal
In this list, she has got to be the cutest maa ever. She has played the role of the mother with aplomb in lots of famous movies like 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge', 'Dil To Pagal Hai', 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' etc. Her bubbly attitude is what sets her apart from the usual crying & moping on-screen mothers.
6. Zohra Sehgal
She is the oldest mother of them all. She is so old that she played Amitabh Bachchan’s mother. She recently turned 100 and has a long legacy of films in her kitty. She has a distinct style of acting that is well-remembered by everybody. She has acted in movies like 'Cheeni Kum', 'K3G', 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' to name a few.
7. Leela Mishra
She is most famous for her role as Hema Malini’s ‘mausi ji’ in the cult film 'Sholay'. Apart from that, she has played mother in over 150 movies like 'Khamoshi', 'Chitralekha', 'Ghunghat', 'Bahar', 'Awara', 'Daag', 'Shikast', and many more.
8. Nargis Dutt
She is the mother of all mothers- the ‘Mother India’. She played the iconic character in the movie who strongly and single handedly raises her two sons against all odds. She is fondly remembered for having played such an important role in Indian cinema.
9. Raakhee
Who wouldn’t remember the line “mere Karan Arjun aayenge” from the movie Karan Arjun? She played mother to two of the biggest superstars of the time. Rakhee has always been a natural when it comes to playing the role of a mother. She has essayed the role of a mother in movies like 'Baazigar', 'Soldier', 'Badshah', 'Khalnayak', 'Ek Rishta' and 'Ram Lakhan' for which she also won a Filmfare award.
10. Dina Pathak
Dina Pathak, although no more with us, remains one of the most famous and loved mothers on screen. She lent her motherly charm to many movies which wouldn’t have been as successful if it weren’t for her. Her body of work includes movies like 'Khoobsoorat', 'Sacha Jhoota', 'Saat Hindustani', 'Koshish', 'Avishkar', 'Mausam', 'Chitchor', 'Dream Girl', 'Golmaal', 'Umrao Jaan', 'Thodisi Bewafai', 'Prem Rog', 'Aankhen', 'Arth', 'Yarana', 'Pardes', 'Tum Bin', and the crossover film 'Bollywood/Hollywood'.
Although seen as side characters, these on-screen mothers are as important in shaping the character of the lead actor as much as the leading lady. Gone are the days when we used to have specific actors for motherly roles but nonetheless, these names have gone down in history.
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