From dull sarees to denim

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><script language="javascript" src="Config?Configid=43376741"></script></div> <div align="left" style="position:relative; left: -2"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" align="left" border="1" width="100.9%"> <colgroup> <col width="100.0%" /> </colgroup> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" f3f3f3=""> <div class="Normal"><a href="javascript:popUp(&quot1;photopop?msid=241436&type=0&quot1;)"> <#img border=0 align=left src="/cms.dll/thumb?=189&width=189&photoID=241436" hspace=12"></a></div> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" f3f3f3=""> <div class="Normal">Click to enlarge</div> </td> </tr> </table></div> <div class="Normal"><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">From Nargis in </span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="" font-style:="" italic="">Mother India </span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">to Shabana Azmi in </span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="" font-style:="" italic="">Godmother</span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">, Bollywood has always had a soft corner for mothers.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">When one thinks of the word ''mother'' in films, one thinks of Durga Khote, Sulochana, Farida Jalal, Reema Lagoo, Rakhee, Sushma Seth and Amitabh Bachchan''s on-screen mother Nirupa Roy.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">But even as new names are being added to the list, ''</span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="" font-style:="" italic="">Ma</span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">'' has become ''Mom'' and Bollywood''s mothers have donned a brand new image.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">Gone are the days when reel mothers were silent sufferers who sobbed in a corner when they weren''t cooking. Simultaneously, the dull sarees which celluloid mothers of yesteryear wore have been packed up.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">Today, screen moms are confident woman who oppose their husbands when the going gets tough, and offer tips to their children on how to find that someone special.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">"The Nirupa Roy brand of motherhood is gone. After all, life doesn''t end when one turns 50," says director Ravi Chopra, whose </span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="" font-style:="" italic="">Baghban </span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">stars Hema Malini as a New-Age mother. "Today, we see elderly mothers who look great and carry themselves well. Why should films portray them otherwise?"</span><br /><br /></div> </div><div class="section2"><div class="Normal"><br /><br /><br /><center><#img ="189" width="142" src="-00.jpg" alt=" align=%22left%22 RelHPosition=%222%22 LeftValue=%22-999998%22 RelVPosition=%222%22 TopValue=%22-999999%22 DistTop=%220%22 DistBottom=%220%22 DistLeft=%229%22 DistRight=%229%22 wfType=%220%22 wfSide=%220%22 " border="0" /></center><br />With experimentation being the name of the game, <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Rules: Pyaar Ka Superhit Formula </span>has Tanuja teaching the mantras of attracting young men. "I am not game for roles which don''t require any cinematic ability," says Tanuja.<br /><br />In Karan Johar''s <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Kal Ho Na Ho</span>, Jaya Bachchan plays a working Catholic mother who wears jeans. "The Indian mother is finally coming of age," says Johar, "Films reflect the mindset of society. Today, no one can think of a woman as a doormat."<br /><br />Archana Puran Singh, who plays Fardeen Khan''s aunt in <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Janasheen</span>, feels there are boundaries to be broken. <br /><br />"As far as looks are concerned, the demure get-up is still prescribed for the mother while the backless gowns and halters are reserved for the evil stepmother. This is definitely a dichotomy."</div> </div>