Megavarshini SG
Anjali (1990)
Mani Ratnam’s Anjali tells the story of a little girl with an intellectual disability and explores the nuances of parenting. Initially, Chitra struggles as a mother. When her daughter Anjali keeps defying her love and warmth, Chitra asks her husband, "Will Anjali come to me?” But even when Anjali finally yearns for Chitra's affection as she gets discharged from the hospital, the joy is short-lived because Anjali was counting her days.
Sivaranjaniyum Innum Sila Pengalum (2018)
Sivaranjani, a promising athlete, gets confined to a claustrophobic living quarters when she gets married and bears a child. One day, when her daughter forgets her lunch box, she desperately runs and manages to catch the bus. In return, kids on the bus start clapping, recognising her efforts. And she walks back home, content. Perhaps mothers could find a reflection of their own in Sivaranjani.
Kannathil Muthamittal (2002)
Mani Ratnam’s directorial Kannathil Muthamittal delves into not just one mother-daughter relationship, but two: Indra's (Simran) bond with Amudha (Keerthana), and the dynamics Amudha shares with her biological mother, MD Shyama (Nandita Das). Indira’s relationship with Amudha is best defined by the song ‘Oru Deivam Thantha Poove,’ as she sings, ‘Iraval Velicham Nee; Iravin Kanneer Nee’.
Kolamaavu Kokila (2018)
When Kokila's mother is diagnosed with cancer, she turns to drug peddling to mint money. Her means to save her mother may not be right, but this dark-comedy film is a testament to the strength a mother-daughter relationship holds, and it makes you believe in the power of love.
Amma Kanakku (2016)
Shanti, a maid, decides to finish her schooling when her adolescent daughter tells her she’ll follow only in her footsteps and become a maid like her. Amma Kanakku addresses the issues a widowed mother faces and doesn't hesitate to show the cruel reality as her own daughter judges her when she returns home late with a man.