The gajar-ka-halwa mother: This mother had gajar ka halwa in one hand and a bottle of glycerin in the other. This mother put up with the evil zamindars, mean neighbours, and vicious daughter-in-law for her dear beta. Nirupa roy definitely was the one to lead the front. Be it Amar Akbar Anthony, Mard or Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, this mother drapped in a starched sari could've walk from probably walked from one movie set to another without going changing her clothes or expressions.
The Jhansi Ki Rani mother: Not all mother of B-Town were submissive, there were some who were absolutely firebrands. The earliest example was Nargis, who played mother to Sunil Dutt and Rajendra Kumar in Mother India. Other such mothers include Rakhee in Ram Lakhan and Karan Arjun and Reema Lagoo in Vastav.
The evil step mother: The step-other has been Bollywood's pet villain. She was evil, scheming and hated the protagonist with a vengeance. The role would either be played by Bindu, Shashikala, Lalita Pawar or Manorama. She would also sometimes add comic relief to the plot. From Sita Aur Geeta to Beta, this ambitious mother always had some scheme ready to ensure that she got her share of the property. She would often seek help for her equally evil brother, father or mother to help her with her villainous activities. Though at the end good would triumph over evil, she did add a lot of spice to a film.
The loud Punjabi mothers: Kirron Kher had this section covered till Amrita Singh stepped in as Arjun Kapoor's mom in 2 states. Kirron's earlier acts in Hum Tum, Om Shani and Dostana won her a lot of praise from the audience and made her an instant hit with the junta. Dolly Ahluwalia too made her mark as Ayushmann Khurrana's mother in Vicky Donot. This mother loves her son/daughter to death and is busy matchmaking for her child. And when required she can shed tears or shake a led with equal ease.
The 'real' mom's: With cinema getting 'real' the mothers to did away with their over the top act and found some meaningful roles. Like Tisca Chopra in Taare Zameen Par, who does her best to help her dyslexic kid, or Sridevi in English Vinglish, who tries to fit into the world that her kids live in. These mom's are ready to take on the world for their kids, but don't get hysterical every now and then.
Young moms: While many actresses have shied away from playing mother on-screen some leading ladies didn't have any problem playing mother to grown up kids. Manisha Koirala played mother two boys in Bombay, Tabu played mom to two kids in The Namesake, more recently it was Vidya Balan, who played mother to Amitabh Bachchan in Paa. Now Kangana Ranaut is all set to play mom to a teenager in her forthcoming movie. Let's see if more actresses are okay with the 'mommy' tag in the near future too.
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