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films

Mother India (1957)

Mehboob Khan

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Release Date1957
GenreAction, Comedy, Drama, Family, Musical
FormatColour
LanguageHindi
Run Time172 mins
Length4767.68 Mts
Number of Reels19 reels
Gauge35 mm
Censor RatingU
Censor Certificate Number85226 (Recertification)
Certificate Date11/07/1977
Shooting LocationMehboob Studio (Bombay), Maharashtra, Gujarat, UP

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An old peasant woman Radha is invited ot inaugurate a new canal built to bring prosperity and happiness to the teeming millions of villages. She is evidently touched by the honour and she cannot help recalling her past-since the day she came to this village is a bride.

This is her story, and this is the story of millions of women of India, round whom has evolved our entire culture and civilization through ages. She recalls the darkening shadows of poverty and penury and the ruthless exploitation of her family b the village Sowkar.

Here is character, so noble, so all-en-during, so full of understanding and so great and glorious, which is unique in the wide world-a woman, who sticks to her traditional chastity and nobility in the face of certain death threatening he favourite child-a woman who sells everything that she has to feed her little one-a woman of great courage and undying faith and confidence in the goodness of humanity - a brave woman, who toils ceaselessly, day and night to keep her home fires burning-a woman of great determination, who chooses to feed her little kids with roots from the soil than sell her body to the village Sowkar to bring them comfort and relief - a stout-hearted woman, who single-handed faces the ravage and destruction of storms and floods. She is the eternal woman of iron-will-the proud symbol of India-that is Bharat with faith in her heart, prayer on her lips and destiny in her hands.

"MOTHER INDIA" is a story of such a great, eternal proud woman - a portrait of a peasant woman, who could only be found in India. This is the story of her children-Ramoo and Birju. This is the story of Sukhi Lala, the village Zamindar, who thrives on the ignorance of illiterate peasants and lives on the blood of the poor. How Radha, bravely faces and fights all odds and to protect the chastity of her culture an herself is dramatically presented on the screen.

(From the official press booklet)