Mom Review: Sridevi steals the show in this one!

Movie: Mom

Cast: Sridevi, Akshay Khanna, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sajal Ali, Adarsh Gourav

Director: Ravi Udyawar

Producers: Boney Kapoor, Sunil Manchanda, Naresh Agarwal, Mukesh Talreja, Goutam Jain

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Mom, shows us what a Mother is capable of doing if her children have been wronged. It’s the story of Devki (Sridevi) and her daughter Arya (Sajal Ali). Although on the surface, it may seem like a happy family, Devki and Arya share a complicated relationship as she is also Arya’s biology teacher in school. Soon, their seemingly happy family life reduces to ruins when Arya gets physically assaulted and mutilated by a bunch of men in a black SUV. Arya’s disfigured body ends up being found in a ditch, post which a legal battle ensues where Arya is asked to pin down the perps, but there is a lack of evidence. In the light of all this, Devki seeks assistance from a private detective Daya Shankar Kapoor (DK for short) and Inspector Mathew Francis (played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Akshaye Khanna respectively).

Doesn’t the theme of the film sound similar to Raveena Tandon’s Maatr? But, this film is way better. Director Ravi Udyawar has mastered the art of capturing the intensity of the situation through his camera and Mom bears testimony to that. The mystery element is omnipresent throughout the film, and it is exactly how a film like this one should be. The characters do not spoil the fun by providing unnecessary details and let the details exude slowly, which is one thing that makes Mom a gripping watch.

Every single character is a class apart, right from the veteran diva Sridevi to Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Akshaye Khanna. Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s character as the private detective delivers the best lines in the film. Sridevi is truly a star as she has delivered all kinds of scenes, right from the point where she is supposed to stay silent to the ones where she’s going all out, with great authenticity. Akshaye Khanna does a fabulous job as a cop but could have used a few extra nuances. A special shoutout goes to Adarsh Gourav as well, the one who essayed the part of Arya’s schoolmate.

However, the main villain was penned down half-heartedly as there was not enough emphasis given to the criminal mind workings of the character. That’s perhaps the only place where the film loses a few marks.

Overall, the movie is a must watch. Highly recommended!