I
found it interesting that the movie was primarily shown in Flashback mode
through the memory of Radha. Are he effects of retrospective
rationalization in play? How does neuroscience findings that memory is necessarily
altered by the act of remembering work into the intended narrative. I wonder is this was a key part of
Mehboob’s choice of using a flashback to reflect Radha’s own inner resilience in
dealing with each challenge and obstacle.
A
scene that made me reflect on the metaphorical idea of the movie juxtaposing
the experience of Radha (as the protagonist of Mother India) with India (the country) is the one where Radha is watching
over her family eat their evening meal and there is a handful of rice left at
the bottom of the bowl for her. Birju and Ramu walk up to the bowl after having
finished their own meal and eat up most of the little that there is left. Radha
is left with just a few morsels at the end. In some sense, I felt like it was reflective
of India’s coffers, where eventually there is so little money left to spend on
the nourishment and development of the country.
I
was also struck by the stereotypical references of all good and all bad in
building out the characters of Radha and Ramu on one side and Lala on the
other. Birju brought in the ‘grey’ that’s more reflective of the humanness of
people who are built by the totality of their experiences and engage with the
world on terms that are not as black and white as Radha and Ramu make it.
____
Amita Choudary Katragadda
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