Mother India a 1957 Hindi epic melodrama film, helmed by Mehboob Khan and featuring Nargis, Sunil Dutt, Rajendra Kumar, and Raaj Kumar. A retelling of Khan’s previous movie Aurat, it narrates the tale of an impoverished rural woman called Radha who, in her spouse’s absence, fights to rear her offspring and endure against a usurer amidst various adversities. Despite her struggles, she establishes a deity-like ethical precedent of a quintessential Indian lady. Ultimately, she slays her son Birju, a felon, for the greater good.
DIRECTOR
Mehboob Khan
Mehboob Khan was born on 9 September 1907. Khan was a trailblazing producer-director of Indian cinema, renowned for directing the societal epic Mother India (1957), which clinched the Filmfare Awards for Best Movie and Best Director, two National Film Awards, and was a contender for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. He founded his production house – Mehboob Productions, and later a film studio – Mehboob Studios in Bandra, Mumbai in 1954.
WRITERS
- S. Ali Raza
- Wajahat Mirza
- Mehboob Khan
MUSIC
Naushad
ACTORS
Nargis as Radha
Sunil Dutt as Birju
Rajendra Kumar as Ramu
Raaj Kumar as Shamu
Kanhaiyalal as Sukhilala “Lala”
Jilloo Maa as Sundar-Chachi
Kumkum as Champa
Chanchal as Rupa
Sheela Naik as Kamala
Mukri as Shambu
Azra as Chandra
Sajid Khan as Young Birju
Surendra as Young Ramu
Supporting Actors
There were some other supporting actors such as- Ram Shastri, Faqir Mohomed, Geeta, Hameeda, Mastan, Siddiqui, Nawab Khan and Master Alec
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Faredoon A. Irani
EDITING
Shamsudin Kadir
PRODUCER
Mehboob Khan
Budget
Released in the year 1957, this movie Mother India was produced on a budget of around Rs 6 Million. The film was among the costliest Indian productions and earned the highest revenue for any Indian movie at that time.
Box office
It is estimated that Mother India earned around Rs 80 Million in India during its initial release.
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