Mother India

Updated: 12/10/2025, 4:55:10 PM Wikipedia source

Mother India is a 1957 Indian epic drama film, directed by Mehboob Khan and starring Nargis, Sunil Dutt, Rajendra Kumar and Raaj Kumar. A remake of Khan's earlier film Aurat (1940), it is the story of a poverty-stricken village woman named Radha (Nargis), who in the absence of her husband, struggles to raise her sons and survive against a cunning money-lender amidst many troubles. The title of the film was chosen to counter American author Katherine Mayo's 1927 polemical book Mother India, which vilified Indian culture. Mother India metaphorically represents India as a nation in the aftermath of its independence in 1947, and alludes to a strong sense of Indian nationalism and nation-building. Allusions to Hindu mythology are abundant in the film, and its lead character has been seen as a metonymic representation of an Indian woman who reflects high moral values and the concept of what it means to be a mother to society through self-sacrifice. While some authors treat Radha as the symbol of women's empowerment, others see her cast in female stereotypes. The film was shot in Mumbai's Mehboob Studios and in the villages of Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh. The music by Naushad introduced global music, including Western classical music and orchestra, to Hindi cinema. The film was one of the most expensive Indian productions and earned the highest revenue for any Indian film at that time. Adjusted for inflation, Mother India still ranks among the all-time Indian box office hits. It was released in India amid fanfare in October 1957 and had several high-profile screenings, including one at the capital, New Delhi, attended by the country's president and prime minister. Mother India became a definitive cultural classic and is regarded as one of the best films in Indian cinema as well as being one of three Hindi-language films to be included on the list of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. The film won the All India Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film, the Filmfare Best Film Award for 1957, and Nargis and Khan won the Best Actress and Best Director awards respectively. It was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, becoming the first Indian film to ever be nominated.

Infobox

Directed by

Mehboob Khan

Written by

Wajahat MirzaS. Ali Raza

Story by

Babubhai A. Mehta

Based on

Auratby Mehboob Khan

Produced by

Mehboob Khan

Starring

NargisSunil DuttRajendra KumarRaaj Kumar

Cinematography

Faredoon A. Irani

Edited by

Shamsudin Kadri

Music by

Naushad

Productioncompany

Mehboob Productions

Distributed by

Mehboob Productions

Release date

mw- 25 October 1957 (1957-10-25) (India)

Running time

172 minutes

Country

India

Language

Hindi

Budget

est. ₹6 million

Box office

est. ₹80 million (India) 120–150 million tickets (worldwide)

Tables

· Awards

11th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

Award

11th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

Category

Best Actress

Nominee

Nargis

Outcome

Won

30th Academy Awards

Award

30th Academy Awards

Category

Best Foreign Language Film

Nominee

Mehboob Khan

Outcome

Nominated

5th National Film Awards

Award

5th National Film Awards

Category

Best Feature Film in Hindi

Nominee

Won

5th Filmfare Awards

Award

5th Filmfare Awards

Category

Best Film

Best Director

Award

Best Director

Best Actress

Award

Best Actress

Category

Nargis

Best Cinematography

Award

Best Cinematography

Category

Faredoon Irani

Best Sound Design

Award

Best Sound Design

Category

R.Kaushik

Award	Category	Nominee	Outcome
11th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival	Best Actress	Nargis	Won
30th Academy Awards	Best Foreign Language Film	Mehboob Khan	Nominated
5th National Film Awards	Best Feature Film in Hindi		Won
5th Filmfare Awards	Best Film
	Best Director
	Best Actress	Nargis
	Best Cinematography	Faredoon Irani
	Best Sound Design	R.Kaushik

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