- Mammo
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Mammo 
DVD coverDirected by Shyam Benegal Produced by Raj Pius Written by Khalid Mohammed,
Shama Zaidi,
Javed SiddiquiStarring Farida Jalal
Surekha Sikri
Rajit KapoorMusic by Vanraj Bhatia Distributed by NFDC Release date(s) 1994 Running time 130 min Country 
IndiaLanguage Hindi Mammo is a film by Shyam Benegal released in 1994. The film stars Farida Jalal, Surekha Sikri and Rajit Kapur.
The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi in 1995. Farida Jalal won Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance, while Surekha Sikri won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress. It was the first film of his Muslim trilogy, which included Sardari Begum (1996) and Zubeidaa (2001), and which he extend about a decade later with Well Done Abba (2010).
Plot
13 year old Riyaz lives a poor lifestyle in Bombay, India, with his grandmother, Fayyuzi (Surekha Sikri), and her sister, Mehmooda Begum alias Mammo (Farida Jalal). Quite outspoken and embittered over his dad abandoning him, Riyaz does not have many friends, save for Rohan. When Mammo plans a surprise birthday party for him, Riyaz is offended as he believes his friends will make fun of him as his lifestyle is not as good as theirs. Fayyuzi and Riyaz have an argument with Mammo, and she leaves for the Mosque at Haji Ali, but returns when both apologize to her. Although Mammo was born in Panipat during the British Raj, she was one of thousands of Muslims who left for Pakistan after Partition. She and her husband automatically become Pakistani citizens. Although childless, her marriage is a happy one until her husband's death. Over property matters, Mammo is thrown out of the house by her relatives.
Having nowhere else to go, she came to live with her widowed sister in Bombay on a temporary visa. Every month she would walk to the nearest police station and get an extension. She finally paid Rs.4800 as a bribe in order to get a permanent visa through Inspector Apte. When Apte was transferred, a new Police Inspector took over, processed her papers, held her to be an illegal immigrant, arrested her, had her escorted to the Bombay Central Railway Station and forced her to board the Frontier Mail, which would return her to Pakistan. Riyaz and Fayyuzi make every possible attempt to trace and bring her back, which was all in vain. Now 20 years later, Riyaz has grown up and has written a book about his Mammo, hoping that someday, somewhere she will find it and they will be reunited again.
The movie touches upon several emotional aspects of day-to-day life. Unable to extend her visa, she is deported back to Pakistan – political priorities defeat humanitarian ones! But the director has shown a happy ending where Mummo comes to Riyaz and her sister at the end. She pretends that she is dead so that she will continue to stay in India thereafter.
Cast and characters
- Farida Jalal as Mammo
- Surekha Sikri as Fayyazi
- Amit Phalke as Riyaz (Teenager)
- Rajit Kapoor as Riyaz (Adult)
- Himani Shivpuri as Anwari
- Shrivallabh Vyas as Sabir
- Sandeep Kulkarni as Inspector Apte
External links
- Mammo at the Internet Movie Database
Films directed by Shyam Benegal Ankur (1974) • Charandas Chor (1975) • Nishant (1975) • Manthan (1976) • Bhumika (1977) • Kondura (1978) • Junoon (1978) • Anugraham (1978) • Kalyug (1980) • Arohan (1982) • Mandi (1983) • Trikal (1985) • Susman (1987) • Antarnaad (1991) • Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda (1993) • Mammo (1994) • Sardari Begum (1996) • The Making of the Mahatma (1996) • Samar (1999) • Hari-Bhari (2000) • Zubeidaa (2001) • Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero (2005) • Welcome to Sajjanpur (2008) Well Done Abba (2010)
Categories:- Hindi-language films
- 1990s drama films
- 1994 films
- Indian films
- Indian art films
- Films directed by Shyam Benegal
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