Mom, The Movie: Topical, Relevant cinema, with an A-class act by Sridevi

Some films shake you with their incisive humanistic take on a certain relevant topic, while keeping you on the edge of your seat with the thriller element. Mom is such a film. Dealing with rape and it's chilling aftermath, the film follows a mother's journey to get justice for her daughter.

What happens when a parent fails to secure just punishment for her child's tormentors? Expecting justice from the Indian judicial system - riddled with gaping loopholes - that lets the criminal go scot-free while pointing a doubting finger at the victim, is like hoping for the impossible to happen. So the victim relives the horror and shame of the dastardly act again and again, while the law remains a mute spectator. And a family is shattered, and lives are destroyed just like that.

Mom traces the journey of a mother, played with searing sensitivity by Sridevi, from law abiding citizen to avenging angel, who is pushed to the corner by an insensitive court and police. The film opens with her struggling to form a bond with her step-daughter. Her efforts come to a nil when the same daughter takes the brunt for rejecting a bunch of louts. After being turned down by legitimate sources of justice, Mom takes law in her own hand, dealing just desserts to the criminals shrewdly and swiftly.

The cleverness of the film is that though you do not always agree with the methods of revenge, somewhere you are left deeply satisfied that revenge takes place. You can feel the anguish, the breakdown of the family in the face of such a tragedy. And you want Mom to accomplish what the police and courts failed to do.

Sridevi delivers a mother of a performance in her 300th film. She is so real, you can almost touch her grief. Emoting through her wounded eyes and broken voice, she stuns you with her portrayal of an avenging mother. Her breakdown scene in the hospital can go down in the annals of cinema history.

Sajal Ali, as the daughter, Nawazuddin Siddiqui as the detective, and Akshaye Khanna as the police officer, lend credibility to the proceedings. Adnan Siddiqui's portrayal of the protective, yet helpless father, is sincere. Kudos to the director for dealing with this gruesome topic with such sensitivity and sincerity. The thriller format of the film keeps it from becoming dark or repetitive.

Mom is a welcome addition to the new breed of Hindi films dealing with real issues facing us today. Yes, the denouement is a tad extreme and predictable, but the effort is honest with the heart in the right place. It's time we shed our rose tinted glasses, and reject the unreal fantasy or soggy romance that is the staple of Hindi movies.