The theme of a mother has been worked out in Bollywood probably a million times before, but Mom manages to be different. The movie shows how a mother is a mother even if she biologically did not give birth to a child. Sridevi is the soul of the story. She pulls off the character so well, it shows her sincerity towards her roles. Sajal Ali is good in her role and plays an important role in uplifting Sri’s character. Akshaye Khanna Justifies his sabbatical in his role as Mathew Francis.Sridevi is the soul of the story. She pulls off the character so well, it shows her sincerity towards her roles. Sajal Ali is good in her role and plays an important role in uplifting Sri’s character. Akshaye Khanna Justifies his sabbatical in his role as Mathew Francis. The editing could have been a little tighter to shorten the movie a little. Some scenes just do nothing for the movie and seem unnecessary. But the background score justifies its presence. It keeps you connected and maintains the nervousness of the situation. The movie is a reminiscent of the Nirbhaya case in 2012. The work of the actors and the gripping screenplay by Girish Kohli and the direction by Ravi Udyawar has done justice to the concept.

What stops Mom from becoming more like Pink is its inability to enter the minds of the criminals. Abhimanyu Singh is definitely menacing, but his accent is nowhere close to what his character should have. Other typically Bollywood liberties have also been taken to reduce the stature of the movie from a gut-wrenching film to a slightly above-average revenge drama. Verbal duals between Sridevi and Akshaye Khanna appear staged, as if subtlety was the last thing on the filmmaker’s mind. They fail to achieve what Nawazuddin Siddiqui does with a single glance. Just one look at his own daughter, and you know whose side he is on. No words are needed. To give credit where it’s due, Mom does fan the audience’s anger against people who indulge in anti-women crimes. However, it never intends to create a full-blown fire that would change the attitude of potential criminals in such situations. Instead, Sridevi takes it upon herself to deliver justice – thereby undermining the authority of law and related machinery. This is where Pink excelled. The good thing is, Mom does what it intends to: Become a film that can hold the audience’s attention for 148 minutes. There are no intricacies that unfold step by step (it’s mostly predictable, really), but Girish Kohli’s screenplay ensures an entertaining drama.  It’s been five years since we saw Sridevi nailing it in English Vinglish (2012). Though she has made a stunning comeback with Mom, I still believe it’s Nawazuddin Siddiqui who scores here.

It plays out along largely foreseeable, if disquieting, lines, but MOM doesn't strictly fall into the category of a conventional rape-and-revenge drama. It breaks free from the genre constraints on the back of a clearly defined moral and emotional context. It presents vengeance as a choice between two wrongs separated only by their respective degree of severity: galat aur bahut galat, as the titular character puts it.While sticking to the established conventions of the genre, MOM finds just enough space to focus on a slew of human relationships. Even the minor ones, like Devki's bonding with two of transgender ex-students who repay their debt to her when she needs it the most or the detective's barely expressed love for his confident, outspoken daughter (who is seen in only one-and-a-half scenes), contribute meaningfully to the plot.The film's pivot, of course, is the strained relationship between Devki and her 18-year-old stepdaughter. It lends MOM its emotional tug. The former's struggle to earn the love and trust of the girl, who still misses her biological mother, serves as the under-wiring that holds the film together. Sridevi, magnificently expressive as the titular figure, is a treat to watch. She seems to make every one of the 50 years that she has spent before the movie camera count in this virtuoso performance. Sajal Ali, in the role of the troubled daughter, matches the veteran of 300 films step for step. Adnan Siddiqui is unwaveringly solid as the doting father and ever-beholden husband who stands like a rock by the two women.Not always an easy watch - it isn't meant to be - MOM wields a heavy mallet, but it does so with purpose, precision and panache.

‘Mom’ begins with promise. Vivacious teenager Arya goes with her friends to a swinging party, and instead of working off an illicit hangover the next morning, and conducting giggly post-mortems with her school pals, finds herself in hospital, brutalized and devastated. First time feature filmmaker adman Ravi Udyawar sets it up deftly, sketching Arya’s (Ali) rocky relationship with stepmother Devki (Sridevi), an overly compensating one with her father (Adnan Siddiqui) and younger sister.  It isn’t as if Sridevi, who returns after a sizeable gap after ‘English Vinglish’, can’t carry a film on her own. Shorn of her mannerisms, and pancake, Sri needs only a twitch or a glance to prove that she is a powerhouse, and there are several scenes she lifts by just being there. Sridevi has to do the heavy-lifting of the film, as actors Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Akshaye Khanna, Sajal Ali and Adnan Siddiqui are not left with enough in hand. It gets so busy keeping Sridevi at the centre-stage that this rape-and-revenge drama turns less impactful. You want to see what she can really do, give her a solid plot, and see her make a meal of it. ‘Mom’ is not that film.

Mom reminds you for the umpteenth time that we're in Nirbhaya country. Like other films on the same subject, debutant Ravi Udyawar's emotional thriller tells you that India, or should that be New Delhi specifically, isn't safe enough for women, especially young girls. And its relevance makes it an important watch. There's a lot packed in here. To begin with, the film dwells on the dynamics of a teenager's standoffish relationship with her stepmom. This entire track is beautifully handled. Then again, it is post the teenager's abduction and assault when the film reveals its true facet. To say anything more on the actual plot is to risk spoiling its surprises. Instead, it would suffice to say that when the avenging mother is joined by an inconsequential-looking private detective, DK (Nawazuddin), the screen ride becomes edgier and more exciting. There's also a tough-as-nails cop, Francis (Akshaye), who stays close on the heels of the vigilantes, adding gusto to proceedings. At times, there is that sense of deja vu that you experience because most parents-looking-for-a-missing-teen movies follow certain set devices. But this one still manages to stay ahead with some interesting twists and turns. However, it is in the graph and the strength of Sridevi's character wherein the victory of this script lies. A R Rahman's background score adds the required chills without distracting and Anay Goswamy's camera lingers as lovingly on the actors' faces as it does on the snow-capped peaks. Mothers are a symbol of strength; this movie further reinforces that.