Thursday 11 May 2017

Contest: My Filmy Mother

This article is the entry for Mother's Day Bloggers Contest by Bigsmall.in, unique gift store in India.

For Mother's Day Gifts - Click Here

Hmm... this is a tough one. Which filmy mother does my mother resemble? I think she comes quite close to Sridevi's character Shashi Godbole in English Vinglish and the character played by Kirron Kher 'Bela Makhija' in Om Shanti Om. Let me explain:

My Mother : Shashi


She is not very good at English but she tries. Well, she tries but not hard enough. She is a banker and does all her official work in English but in her own words, 'Why would I read English Vinglish novels when reading the language is such an effort? I come back after a hard day at work and I want to relax and listen to some HINDI music.'

She also is a bit like Sridevi in the sense that is generally excited about new stuff. I see her marking out places to visit on map and bookmarking pages in cookery books. Of course, none of those dishes get made and none of those travels plans come to fruition but the childlike innocence with which she plans her life reminds me about the filmy mother.

My Mother : Bela Makhija


Now this character was high on drama. The way she makes kheer for her son Om Prakash Makhija and acts like everything is a huge deal - they were all larger than life filmy mother caricatures. My mom is usually a very docile lady but then there are days when her inner Bela Makhija comes to the fore. When I am going to take a short trip, she makes a truckload of matthis (a fried snack) and sneaks it all in my suitcase. When I see that suddenly all my luggage looks like it has been stuffed with ration for a month, I can tell that my mother has been at work.

She also has this way of calling out my name as if it is an emergency. I feel like the house is on fire and come running and it is usually about a wet towel on the bed or a pickle jar on the wrong shelf. Oof! The theatrics give me a heart attack.

But all these things only make her more and more adorable. I'd like to take this chance to say thanks to all the mothers out there for doing what they do. This one is for you amazing ladies.

Happy Mother's Day Mummy!