'Bride And Prejudice' To 'The Namesake': Portrayal Of Indian Mothers In Hollywood Films

Indian mothers in Hollywood have mildly interesting characteristics and comply with every stereotype ever. But they have their own charms and us South Asians cannot help but adore them a little at least. The most beautiful trait of these mothers is that they are all on the duskier side. Although it is stereotypical, it becomes endearing to see because, in many South Asian cultures, especially Indian culture, by extension in our cinema, we are still side-lining dusky skinned beauties.

We South Asians, especially Indians, have been exoticised by Hollywood eventually leading to the inclusion of Indian characters, and families in different shows and films. All these shows adhere to one stereotype or another while creating a character that also involved how they expressed their identity as an Indian. Apart from being South Asian, one thing that was common with all mothers was that they had dusky skin.

Without further ado, let’s look at the Hollywood projects that featured Indian mothers and examine their portrayal.

Portrayal Of Indian Mothers In Hollywood

Mrs Sukhi Kaur Bhamra in Bend It Like Beckham

Mrs Bhamra (Shaheen Khan) is a traditional woman who adheres to her culture. Sukhi is orthodox and expects her daughter to learn to cook, clean and get married to a good man and serve him all her life. Jess, her daughter, is a talented football player but she does not allow her to play. Mrs Bhamra, who is often dressed in gaudy sarees and heavy jewellery, is as good as a stock character. Even though she's orthodox and limiting, we still liked her because she eventually came around for her daughter.

Mrs Manorama Bakshi in Bride And Prejudice

The film is an Indian adaptation of the popular Jane Austen novel Pride And Prejudice and Mrs Bennet is now Mrs Bakshi. Decked in a salwar suit and gold jewellery, Mrs Bakshi, like the original character is seen constantly nagging her daughters over marriage, their non-ladylike behaviour. She cannot care about anything except finding them suitable grooms and marrying them rich. Seems like a typical Indian mom from the 20th century.

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Ashima Ganguly in The Namesake

Tabu plays the role of an Indian emigrant in the US and nobody could have played it better. Ashima is already homesick as she left her family in Bengal to move to the States with her husband and kids. She feels bad when she sees her children losing the essence of their Indian roots and are uninterested in their culture. She is showcased as a simple, elegant, saree-clad mother who tries her best to make her children aware of Indian culture.

Gita Patel in Life Of Pi

The role of Gita Patel in this film marked another great performance of Tabu. Gita is the mother of Pi Patel and for the time she is on screen, she radiates warm energy. She is not in gaudy dresses, she is simply dressed. She is seen siding with Pi when his father scolds him. She answers all his questions patiently and explains to him why certain things are the way they are. In some corner of our hearts, we wished that we were also explained things as calmly as she did with her son.

Nalini Vishwakumar in Never Have I Ever

Is Nalini Vishwakumar the coolest mother we have seen? Although a little orthodox, Poorna Jagannathan's Nalini is a woman who is connected with her Indian roots and has adapted well to the American lifestyle too. She is ready to grow as a parent, exploring together with her daughter Devi, making mistakes and accepting. A strong widowed mother who is not afraid of moving towards a new relationship and keeps in touch with her in-laws. Her willingness to change, grow and be accepting is a very rare quality that not every parent can do.