The concept of Bhabhi Maa emerged in films when the director cast a younger heroine to portray maternal feelings and the best examples of these characters were, Meena Kumari in Bhabhi Ki Choodiyaan and Nutan in Chhota Bhai. After so many years, I have not gotten over the beautiful Meena Kumari rising at day break going about her household chores, singing ‘Jyoti kalash chalke…’ while her little devar besotted with her, follows her everywhere. Bhabhi Maa worked not full time but over time and never asked for her dues!
In Chhota Bhai, Nutan has punished her mischievous devar to stand on one foot on the terrace, and he does uncomplainingly. It is only while serving dinner to the family that Nutan realizes that the little boy is still on the terraces and races up the staircase to plead forgiveness. It is a heart-wrenching scene and after all these years, the memory of it brims my eyes with tears. The message being that that woman of the house symbolizes authority and there’s no opposing her!
I disagree that Hindi cinema stereotyped mothers, on the contrary, we saw innumerable shades of the character over the decades both in the art house and in the mainstream cinema. In Mrinal Sen’s Khandahar Jamini/Shabana Azmi lives alone in the ruins with an old, invalid mother and despite the over powering gloom in their lives, Jamini’s optimistic mother hopes that Niranjan will someday come and marry his ageing daughter. He does not.
To be concluded