Strength of a mother

Sheetal

Pollywood has made up its mind to take its character actors seriously. As Baljit Singh Deo explores the potential of every character there is in Maa, a new Mother India of Punjab is born. Indeed we are talking about Divya Dutta as Manjeet Kaur. A story of courage, sacrifice, self-reliance and non-violence, the dialogues of Divya in the first half, “Manjeet Kaur da hausla te zameen na khareedi ja sakdi e na khoyi ja sakdi e’ sets the tone not just for Divya’s character, but also the film.

‘She is not an iron lady, but a mountain of iron’, as the conspirators in the movie call her,Divya has aced every emotion related to motherhood. Kudos to the dialogue-writer for giving convincing and bold lines,which are apt for a single mother bringing up two children.

Shot around Chandigarh, Manjeet Kaur’s ‘pind’ affords a distant views of hills.

Written by Rana Ranbir, who also chose the most menacing character, Deena, to essay in the film, he hasdone exceptionally well in both the jobs. The non-linear pattern of story-telling also keeps the viewers engrossed. Only the ending doesn’t live up to the build-up, as one expects some ‘maar-dhaad’ in typical Punjabi style. However, it leaves you with a beautiful social message that could only come from a mother’s end. After all, only a mother could be forgiving and love every child as her own.

Although Divya Dutta steals the limelight, what makes her act convincing are her two sons, Joraa and Takdeer, an emotionally-dependent brother, an old mother-in-law and not to be forgotten, a special child, Sohna, played by Raghveer Boli.

If Gippy Grewal as Joraa, the adopted son knows the value of a mother, Manjeet’s younger biological kid,Takdeer, played by Babbal Rai, is ignorant but also ambitious. Going by Gippy’s series of latest releases, including this one, the actor has proven one doesn’t need to have the maximum scenes to deliver a brilliant performance. We are seeing less of him, but a better version.

Raghveer’s character of a mentally challenged adult gets the best out of him. Manjeet Kaur’s past, the little glimpses of the chemistry between seasoned actors, GurpreetGhuggi(as Pargat Singh, Manjeet Kaur’s husband) and Divya Dutta, are the high points of the film. The flashbacks with nostalgic old way of marriages wouldn’t have been complete without seeing a yesteryear singer-jodi performing live on stage (reminds one of Gippy Grewal’s Paani Ch Madhaani). So, you have one more reason to watch the film, catching the legendary Punjabi singer Sardool Sikander on a 70-mm screen for the last time, as we sadly lost him last year due to Covid-19. Oh, keep the tissues handy!