The portrayal of mothers in mainstream Hindi cinema and television might have been diverse but rarely has it been honest. The mother figures in Bollywood are often fleshed out with an underlying sentimentality, with no mention of just how layered the role of a mother is within the traditional patriarchal setup. In the recent past, we’ve seen films like Thappad and Panga challenge the norm but when it comes to the small screen, nuance is seldom the priority.
Which is why, when I finished watching Mentalhood, a co-production of ALTBalaji and Zee5, I was pleasantly surprised. Despite Karisma Kapoor’s rusty acting and the general preachy-parenting-guide format of the show, it’s a genuine show about the unrecognised struggles of motherhood.
Starring Karisma Kapoor in the lead, as a former Miss Kanpur and homemaker mother of three, Mentalhood’s premise is a safe, relatable one. A group of mothers who are heavily involved in the upbringing and social life of their kids studying in an elite international school. Tillotama Shome, Shilpa Shukla, Sandhya Mridul, Shruti Seth and Dino Morea are the other ‘moms’. Dino Morea essays the role of Aakash, the token single father constantly applauded for doing the bare minimum.
Mentalhood fails on many fronts but the one aspect that really stands out is its diverse portrayal of mothers. Even though Meira (Karisma Kapoor) is the protagonist, she’s not the only story that matters. Shilpa Shukla’s character is a working mom who is constantly criticised for being an inadequate mother. On the other hand, Sandhya Mridul’s character gives us a peek into the insecurities of a woman whose identity is limited to being a ‘mother’. Shruti Seth’s Diksha is a single mother who is constantly forced to prove that she can be a ‘good’ parent. Meanwhile, Tillotama Shome’s Preity finds herself trapped in a system of misogynistic and abusive practices; her only fear is that her sons will most likely absorb the same.
Evidently, the personal lives of these five mothers are extremely difficult but their challenges are not limited to that. Even within their social circles, they’re constantly expected to prove that they are ‘good mothers’. While some mothers (like Mridul’s character) actively contribute to this culture of toxicity, others simply become victims of it. Mentalhood does a fabulous job of not playing the blame game. Irrespective of their flaws, there are no evil mothers. Similarly, there is no perfect mother either. Just like mothers in real life, each one is simply trying to make the best of her circumstances.
Mentalhood’s commentary on the role and responsibilities of men is subtle and perhaps, that is what makes it realistic.
The show’s focus is its mothers, but the fathers also linger somewhere at the precipice of accountability. The show does not, upfront, demand much from its male characters. And the shortcomings of the women’s male counterparts are brought out by contrasting them with the single father Aakash (Dino Morea).
Anmol Sharma (Meira’s husband played by Sanjay Suri) is the second least problematic man (after Dino Morea) in the show. Yet his male insecurities come into the picture when he starts to feel threatened by Aakash’s increasing presence in his wife’s life. Similarly, the other fathers of Mentalhood are given a free pass for their behaviour. In that sense, Mentalhood fails to recognise the larger oppressive structures at play.
Having said that, Mentalhood is not about challenging a system that burdens women with expectations. It’s about making mothers feel like their struggles are being, at least, acknowledged. And even though it does a great job of creating awareness, it’s really just a show for women to be able to relate to, amidst the endless chaos of their lives.
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