Mother India, directed by Mehboob Khan and starring Nargis, Sunil Dutt, Rajendra Kumar, and Raaj Kumar, is a 1957 Indian epic drama film. It is a remake of Khan’s earlier film Aurat (1940), and it tells the narrative of Radha (Nargis), a poor country woman who, in the absence of her husband, strives to raise her sons and live against a crafty money-lender despite many difficulties.
The film’s title was chosen to contradict American novelist Katherine Mayo’s anti-Indian diatribe Mother India, published in 1927. The film contains numerous references to Hindu mythology, and its protagonist has been hailed as a metonymic picture of a Hindu woman who exemplifies strong moral values and the concept of what it means to be a mother to society by self-sacrifice.
The film was one of the most expensive Hindi cinema (Bollywood) movies at the time, and it grossed the most money of any Indian film. Mother India remains one among India’s all-time box office hits, even when adjusted for inflation.
The film received the All India Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film, the Filmfare Best Film Award for 1957, and the Best Actress and Best Director honors for Nargis and Khan, respectively. It was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, making it the first Indian film ever to receive such an honor.
Also READ: How is the movie, Slumdog Millionaire?
