On the special occasion of Mother's day, actor Seema Pahwa, who's popularly known for playing reel mother, talks about taking inspiration from her real life. "When you perform a role on screen, there are some things which come naturally from your own experience. But more than myself, I've drawn inspiration from my own mother and mother-in-law. Because of the type of roles I've played, drawing inspiration from them seemed a better option as I've always been like a friend to my children more than a mother."
Known for her role as
Kriti Sanon's mother in Bareilly Ki Barfi and
Bhumi Pednekar's aunt in Bala, the 58-year old further talks about the evolution of the roles of mother in Hindi cinema. She said, "The whole pattern of the film industry has changed with time. Earlier, the films used to be very protagonist centric and never really focused on their families. The roles of mothers were written according to the script and they were mostly shown as very sacrificing with tragic background stories."
"Over the years, this approach has changed. So, naturally, the roles of mothers are also shown as more participating. I've also tried to improvise on my role in Aankho Dekhi as mothers are very sweet. Putting aside their sacrifices they have a personality of their own, " she added.
Talking further about whether she's been typecast as playing a mother on the big screen, she said, "It depends. My role in Ferrari Ki Sawari was completely different as I was a property dealer in it. But somehow the recent movies are very family-oriented. So it became a pattern for me to play the role of a mother in films. So, it happens naturally that you get stereotyped on playing a role. But I try to pick different roles. For instance, in the upcoming Sanjay Leela Bhansali film Gangubai Kathiawadi, I'm happy that I'm playing a very different role than the usual."
When asked,
whether the career prospects of character artists have become better these days, she said, "Yes. Recently there are many films made which are totally handled by the character artists. Like if you see Badhaai Ho, or Dum Laga Ke Haisha, the side actors are shown as a very important part of the story. I will credit the writers too for bringing this change. They've been writing their roles very strongly. After then ultimately it's the actors who've played them with such brilliance that they are noticed and remembered by the audience."
Due to the current situation of the lockdown, the Ankhon Dekhi actress reveals that she has no clue how her children are going to surprise her on Mother's Day. " Unlike other years when we used to go for dinners and shopping, this year it's going to be different of course. But I don't know how my children are planning it." She also revealed that she loves to cook during the lockdown and spend time watching various movies and shows with her family.
