Throwback Thursday: Shobana shares a rare photo taken with Mohanlal

Of all the relationships we behold, the bond shared with our mother is undoubtedly the greatest. From giving birth to being there for us every step of the way, a mother’s love is the purest and unconditional. To celebrate motherhood, we observe Mother’s Day, annually and this year it falls on May 8.

While motherhood is often considered, it is always said to be working in tandem with sacrifice, and selflessness. Though becoming a mother is truly miraculous, society as a whole finds it hard to accept the fact that, it is one of the many phases in a woman’s life, and hence her identity should not get stuck only with being a mother. In the attempt of becoming the ‘ideal supermom’ that society respects, many tend to forget that there is absolutely nothing wrong with living for themselves.

Movies have played a crucial role in romanticizing the selflessness and sacrifice of mothers, however, thankfully there have also been a few films that emphasized that it is okay to not be the ‘ideal mom’.

On this Mother’s Day, we are taking you through the life of a fictional character Neena, who is a single mom from the 2020 Malayalam release ‘Varane Avashyamund’, and a few facts every doting mother can learn from her.

(Pic courtesy: Facebook)

Neena, played by Shobana is a single mom, a Malayali, who lives in Chennai. Being a single mom in Indian society is not easy, thanks to the moralistic men and women out there! Neena surely had to sacrifice a lot in terms of upbringing her only child Nikki (Kalyani Priyadarshan). However, it didn’t prevent her from having a career and being passionate about it. Neena is a French tutor and enjoys being one.

(Pic courtesy: Facebook)

There is no doubt about the fact that for Neena, Nikki means the world. But does that really mean to stop being everything else she is and stick to only being the mother? No, certainly not for Neena. For instance, there is a minor scene in the film, where Neena is walking back home, and on the way, a food delivery boy stops by to ask for directions. Once Neena helps him with the route, the delivery boy goes on to say that she looks very pretty. Yes, it is indeed a ‘no big deal’ kind of thing, but for Neena, it is, and for many mothers, it would be, because how often does one get to hear a compliment, which is not about being the ‘good mom’? The compliment surely brightens up Neena’s day and also makes her realise the beauty of being a woman.

(Pic courtesy: Facebook)

Neena has a successful career, and she is also very passionate about music and dance. And she is surprisingly good at it! Amidst all the busy schedules, Neena finds some me-time, where she can hone her dancing skills and also brush her musical gifts. It surely doesn't make sense to daughter Nikki, and it shouldn’t have to, right? Pursuing your dreams is a basic human right, and one doesn’t have to feel guilty for doing what one loves.

(Pic courtesy: Facebook)

The character Neena is empowering in many ways. Be it the way she enjoys being at work, or indulging in the little joys, Neena is full of life and cheerfulness. In the movie, there is a scene where Neena gets herself a makeover and feels happy about it. The character surely screams loud that it is okay for a mother to have a life.

(Pic courtesy: Facebook)

Being a single mom in India in itself is a big deal, let alone dating! Society likes romanticizing the idea of a mom sacrificing her entire life for bringing up her child, and hence having a partner or a romantic interest is taboo. A woman is expected to stay only as a mother, the moment she becomes one. Neena here has a daughter of ‘marriageable age’. And while the daughter is occupied with finding her match, Neena took finds love. She falls for Unnikrishnan (Suresh Gopi), and Nikki too comes to know about it. Like many other single moms, Neena is reluctant to choose her happiness, because she is a mom, however, the daughter too is mature enough to understand that it’s okay for her mother to have a life. Thanks to the scriptwriter-director Anoop Sathyan for normalizing single moms' dating.

(Pic courtesy: Facebook)