New Delhi: As the iconic scene from Deewar (1975) played on screen—Amitabh Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor confronting each other—an intense silence filled the auditorium at Delhi’s India Habitat Centre.
When Kapoor responds to Bachchan’s list of wealth and possessions with the legendary line “Mere paas maa hai,” the theatre erupts with laughter and applause. The audience primarily had senior citizens, with a few younger attendees, as the event was held to celebrate Senior Citizens’ Day on 21 August. Each guest was also presented with a rose to mark the occasion.
“I was waiting for that dialogue. It’s iconic. While both Amitabh and Shashi were brilliant, you simply can’t overlook Nirupa Roy. Your heart aches for her,” said actor Nitish Kapoor, who counts Deewar among his all-time favourite films.
“She personified helplessness. Her characters often mirrored society’s idealised image of a mother: ever loving, ever forgiving. Even today, you’ll find mothers who feel ‘Nirupa Roy’ coded.”
However, Kapoor also noted that directors often typecast Roy, limiting her to roles defined by sorrow.
“No one else could bring the authenticity she did to Sumitra Devi, the pain, the tears, all felt so real. She had a beautiful smile too, and it’s a shame that side of her was rarely explored,” he added.
Fittingly, the event itself was titled ‘Mere Paas Maa Hai’, a tribute to Bollywood’s most iconic mothers. Presented by Sohaila Kapur and Anuradha Kapur, and produced by Anuradha Dar, the multimedia production celebrated the legacy of Bollywood screen mothers.
They covered Nirupa Roy, Durga Khote, Leela Mishra, Lalita Pawar, Achla Sachdev, and Leela Chitnis, whose performances shaped the archetype of the Indian mother on screen.
Music, movie scenes & multimedia
As Sohaila Kapur and Anuradha Kapur spoke about the legendary on-screen mothers, the event unfolded as an interactive multimedia experience.
Pictures and film clips brought the stories to life. For instance, Leela Mishra’s memorable Sholay (1975) scene where Amitabh Bachchan tries to convince her that his friend Veeru (played by Dharmendra) is a good man for Basanti (played by Hema Malini), or Lalita Pawar’s powerful portrayal of Manthara in Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan (1987-).
That’s not it. The introduction of each actor was delivered by Anjila Gugnani, a singer part of Dar’s group, via a signature song that captured the essence of their screen presence.
Gugnani picked ‘Kaun aya ke nigahon mein chamak jaag uthi’ from Yash Chopra’s 1965 film Waqt to introduce Achala Sachdev, who plays Balraj Sahni’s wife, the one for whom the iconic song “Ae Meri Zohra Jabeen” was picturised.
“After Waqt, Sachdev collaborated with legendary filmmakers and co-stars like Raj Kapoor in Sangam (1964) and Mera Naam Joker (1970), Rajesh Khanna in Andaz (1971) and Daag (1973), and later Sridevi in Chandni (1989),” Anuradha said.
Her last few iconic roles were those of a dadi, first to Kajol in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) and then to Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan in Kabhie Khushi Kabhi Gham (2001).
“While she found success professionally, Sachdev’s personal life was far from smooth,” Anuradha added.
A failed marriage, the loss of her second husband, and a son settled in the US left her to live in solitude. In 2011, Sachdev suffered a fall that left her paralysed and blind due to head trauma and brain clots.
She died on 30 April 2012, just before her 92nd birthday. Despite her long-standing contribution to Indian cinema, no one from the film industry attended her funeral.
Meanwhile, Gugnani sang ‘Mohe Panghat Pe’ from Mughal-E-Azam (1960) for Durga Khote, who plays Maharani Jodha, and the iconic ‘Dadi Amma’ song for Lalita Pawar, who portrayed the role of grandmother in the 1961 film Gharana.
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‘Labour of love’
Each narration was met with a minute-long applause from the audience, who appeared to be reliving their golden days of visiting cinema halls. There were smiles, giggles, and hush-hush discussions. The overwhelming response filled Dar, Sohaila and Anuradha, who co-run Three Arts Club, a decades-old women-led collective, with pride and joy.
“Our main objective was to honour their contribution, revisit those unforgettable moments and create a nostalgic journey for audiences who grew up with these timeless portrayals,” Dar told ThePrint, expressing special gratitude toward Sohaila Kapur for making the presentation seamless.
Creating the multimedia presentation was no easy task. It took several weeks of meticulous research, curation, and thoughtful design. The final compilation even featured some rare, never-before-seen photographs of the actors.
“We had to revisit old films, identify the right scenes, select songs, and compile visuals that captured the essence of each actor. All of this was conceptualised and created by Sohaila Kapur, who excels in such work and writes with great finesse,” Dar said.
During the presentation, the hosts also invited audience participation by making them guess the names of films and their release years. Everyone was hooked.
Dar called it a “labour of love” that intended to present something both “informative and emotionally touching.”
(Edited by Ratan Priya)