Mammo

Last updated

Mammo
Mammo (movie poster).jpg
Poster
Directed by Shyam Benegal
Written by Khalid Mohammed
Shama Zaidi
Javed Siddiqui
Produced by National Film Development Corporation of India
Starring Farida Jalal
Rajit Kapoor
Surekha Sikri
Cinematography Shyam Benegal
Edited by Shyam Benegal
Music by Vanraj Bhatia
Distributed by NFDC
Release date
  • 8 June 1994 (1994-06-08)
Running time
130 minutes
Country India
LanguageHindi

Mammo is a 1994 Indian Hindi-language film by Shyam Benegal. It stars Farida Jalal, Surekha Sikri, Amit Phalke and Rajit Kapur.

Contents

The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi in 1995. Farida Jalal won Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance, while Surekha Sikri won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress. It was the first film of his Muslim trilogy, which included Sardari Begum (1996) and Zubeidaa (2001). The film was critically acclaimed and is regarded amongst Benegal's best works. [1] [2]

Plot

13-year-old Riyaz (Amit Phalke) lives a poor lifestyle in Bombay, India, with his grandmother, Fayyuzi (Surekha Sikri), and her sister, Mehmooda Begum, alias Mammo (Farida Jalal). Quite outspoken and embittered over his dad abandoning him, Riyaz does not have many friends, save for Rohan. When Mammo plans a surprise birthday party for him, Riyaz is offended as he believes his friends will make fun of him as his lifestyle is not as good as theirs. Fayyuzi and Riyaz have an argument with Mammo, and she leaves for the mosque at Haji Ali; she returns when they apologize. Although Mammo was born in Panipat during the British Raj, she was one of thousands of Muslims who left for Pakistan after Partition. She and her husband automatically became Pakistani citizens. Although childless, her marriage is a happy one until her husband's death. Over property matters, Mammo is thrown out of the house by her relatives.

Having nowhere else to go, she came to live with her widowed sister in Bombay on a temporary visa. Every month she walks to the nearest police station to get an extension. She finally paid Rs.4800 as a bribe to get a permanent visa through Inspector Apte. When Apte was transferred, a new police inspector took over, processed her papers, took her to be an illegal immigrant, arrested her, had her escorted to the Bombay Central Railway Station and forced her to board the Frontier Mail, which would return her to Pakistan. Riyaz and Fayyuzi make every possible attempt to trace and bring her back, all in vain. Now 20 years later, Riyaz has grown up and has written a book about his Mammo, hoping that someday, somewhere she will find it and they will be reunited.

The movie touches upon several emotional aspects of day-to-day life. Unable to extend her visa, she is deported back to Pakistan. Political priorities defeat humanitarian ones. The director shows a happy ending where Mammo comes to Riyaz and her sister at the end. She pretends that she is dead so that she can continue to stay in India thereafter.

Cast

Soundtrack

The music soundtrack to Mammo was composed by Vanraj Bhatia and the lyrics were written by Gulzar and the song was sung by Jagjit Singh.

Track listing
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Yeh Faasle Teri Galiyon Ke Humse Taye Na Huye" Jagjit Singh 5:58

Reception

Reviewing the film at the International Film Festival of India, S. R. Ashok Kumar of The Hindu wrote that "This emotional film is one of the best of director Shyam Benegal. Farida Jalal, Surekha Sikri, Amit Phalke, Himani Shivpuri have come out with sterling performances. Music by Vanraj Bhatia adds life to the film". [3]

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef.
1996 Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards Best Actress (Hindi) Farida Jalal Won
1995 Filmfare Awards Best Actress (Critics) Won
National Film Awards Best Feature Film in Hindi Shyam Benegal, NFDC and Doordarshan Won [4]
Best Supporting Actress Surekha Sikri Won

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shyam Benegal</span> Indian director and screenwriter

Shyam Benegal is an Indian film director, screenwriter and documentary filmmaker. Often regarded as the pioneer of parallel cinema, he is widely considered as one of the greatest filmmakers post 1970s. He has received several accolades, including eighteen National Film Awards, a Filmfare Award and a Nandi Award. In 2005, he was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest award in the field of cinema. In 1976, he was honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian honour of the country, and in 1991, he was awarded Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian honour for his contributions in the field of arts.

<i>Zubeidaa</i> 2001 film by Shyam Benegal

Zubeidaa is a 2001 Indian film directed by Shyam Benegal and written by Khalid Mohammed. It stars Karisma Kapoor, Rekha, Manoj Bajpayee, Surekha Sikri, Rajit Kapoor, Lillete Dubey, Amrish Puri, Farida Jalal, and Shakti Kapoor. A.R. Rahman has scored the background music and soundtrack for the movie.

<i>Bhumika</i> (film) 1977 Indian film

Bhumika is a 1977 Indian film directed by Shyam Benegal. The film stars Smita Patil, Amol Palekar, Anant Nag, Naseeruddin Shah and Amrish Puri.

<i>Manthan</i> 1976 Indian film

Manthan, also released under the translated title The Churning, is a 1976 Hindi film directed by Shyam Benegal, inspired by the pioneering milk cooperative movement of Verghese Kurien, and is written jointly by him and Vijay Tendulkar. It is set amidst the backdrop of the White Revolution of India. Aside from the great measurable success that this project was, it also demonstrated the power of "collective might" as it was entirely crowdfunded by 500,000 farmers who donated Rs. 2 each. Manthan is the first crowdfunded Indian film.

Roshan Ara Begum was a vocalist belonging to the Kirana gharana of Hindustani classical music. She is also known by her honorific title Malika-e-Mauseeqi and The Queen of Classical Music in both Pakistan and India.

Shama Zaidi is an Indian screenplay writer, costume designer, art director, theatre person, art critic, and documentary film maker. She is married to director M. S. Sathyu. Shama Zaidi Was Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award at ICA - International Cultural Artifact Film Festival in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Farida Jalal</span> Indian actress

Farida Jalal is an Indian actress who primarily worked in Hindi films. In a film career spanning almost fifty years, Jalal appeared in over 200 films. Best known for her character-driven roles in independent cinema and supporting work in mainstream Bollywood productions, Jalal has received such accolades as four Filmfare Awards and two Bengal Film Journalists Association Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Himani Shivpuri</span> Indian actress

Himani Bhatt Shivpuri is an Indian actress who is known for her character roles in Hindi films and Hindi soap operas. She is best known for her role in the films including Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994), Raja (1995), Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Khamoshi (1996), Hero No. 1 (1997), Deewana Mastana (1997), Bandhan (1998), and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998). She has also starred in several other films including Biwi No.1 (1999), Hum Saath-Saath Hain (1999), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001) and Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon (2003).

Samar is a 1999 Indian feature film directed by Shyam Benegal. This movie is based on the book "Unheard Voices: Stories of Forgotten Lives" by Harsh Mander. It was produced by National Film Development Corporation of India, a government agency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rajit Kapur</span> Indian actor (b. 1963)

Rajit Kapur is an Indian film and theatre actor and director. He is known for his portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi in the 1996 film, The Making of the Mahatma for which he won the National Film Award for Best Actor. Other notable roles are as the protagonist Unni in the Malayalam film Agnisakshi, and the fictional detective Byomkesh Bakshi in the eponymous television series, directed by Basu Chatterjee and broadcast on Doordarshan. His debut film was Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda (1992), directed by Shyam Benegal.

<i>Junoon</i> (1978 film) 1979 Indian film

Junoon is a 1979 Indian Hindi language film produced by Shashi Kapoor and directed by Shyam Benegal. The film is based on Ruskin Bond's fictional novella, A Flight of Pigeons, set around the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The film's soundtrack was composed by Vanraj Bhatia, and cinematography by Govind Nihalani.

<i>Sardari Begum</i> 1996 Indian film

Sardari Begum is a 1996 Indian musical film directed by Shyam Benegal. The film stars Kiron Kher, Amrish Puri, Rajit Kapur and Rajeshwari Sachdev.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surekha Sikri</span> Indian actress (1945–2021)

Surekha Sikri was an Indian actress widely known for her performance in theatre, films and television. She has received several awards, including a Filmfare Award and three National Film Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vanraj Bhatia</span> Indian music composer (1927–2021)

Vanraj Bhatia was an Indian composer best known for his work in Indian New Wave cinema. He was also one of the leading composers of Western classical music in India.

Hari-Bhari (Fertility) is a 2000 Hindi film by Shyam Benegal, starring Shabana Azmi, Rajit Kapur, Rajeshwari Sachdev, Surekha Sikri and Nandita Das.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rajeshwari Sachdev</span> Indian actress (born 1975)

Rajeshwari Sachdev is an Indian actress known for her role in Shyam Benegal's film Sardari Begum (1996), for which she won the 1997 National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress.

<i>Veergati</i> 1995 Indian film

Veergati (Martyrdom) is a 1995 Indian Hindi-language action film written, produced and directed by K.K Singh, starring Salman Khan, Atul Agnihotri, Divya Dutta and Akhilendra Mishra. This film is only film of Pooja Dadwal. Upon release the film received negative reviews mostly for its action, and was a below average at the, but had a successful DVD release and is considered as a cult film among Salman Fans.

<i>Diljale</i> 1996 Indian film

Diljale is a 1996 Indian Hindi-language romantic action film directed by Harry Baweja, with screenplay by Karan Razdan. The film stars Ajay Devgn, Madhoo and Sonali Bendre along with Parmeet Sethi, Shakti Kapoor, Gulshan Grover and Amrish Puri in supporting roles. The film received positive reviews, and earned a lifetime gross of ₹ 15.85 crore. IBNLive included Diljale among its list of "Ajay Devgn's memorable films".

<i>Samvidhaan</i> 2014 TV series or program

Samvidhaan: The Making of the Constitution of India is a ten-part television mini-series based on the making of the Constitution of India, directed by Shyam Benegal. The show premiered on 2 March 2014 on Rajya Sabha TV, with an episode scheduled to air every Sunday morning. The series can be viewed on YouTube on Rajya Sabha TV's channel.

Yatra (1986) is an Indian travel-based television series. It was filmed on the Himsagar Express, the longest running train of Indian Railways. The series aired on Doordarshan, and had an ensemble cast which included Om Puri, Mohan Gokhale, Ila Arun, Neena Gupta, and Raghubir Yadav, among others. It was directed by Shyam Benegal. Music for the series was composed by Vanraj Bhatia; camera work was by Jehangir Chowdhury.

References

  1. ↑ "Mammo (1994)". Art House Cinema. 11 January 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  2. ↑ "Movie Reviews | UPN World". www.upnworld.com. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  3. ↑ Kumar, S. R. Ashok (12 January 1996). "The cream of Indian cinema". The Hindu . p. 26. Archived from the original on 21 December 1996.
  4. ↑ "National Film Awards 1995" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 July 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.