Devki Sabarwal, Mom

While it is common knowledge that all mothers pray for their children’s safety, Mom shows Devki (Sridevi) taking matters into her hands, proving that a loving mother has enough strength to take on the whole world for her child. Unperturbed by her step-daughter’s coldness towards her attempts at building a relationship, Devki never stops trying. We get to see her formidable side when her daughter is gang-raped and the judicial system fails her. Imparting her own brand of justice on all the culprits one by one, she wins us over with this unique characterisation of a mother, never seen before in Bollywood!

Joyce Byers, Stranger Things

In Season 1, when her younger son, Will, goes missing, Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) steps out on a mission to find her son. She stops at nothing, whether she has help or not, and that is why we admire her. Her pain and grief make her even fiercer and even when everyone begins to question her sanity, she does not stop believing that her son is alive.

In Season 2, when Will is possessed by the Mind Flayer, it is the mad rage of Joyce and her protection and effort that makes the creature go out of his system. The best thing we love about her is her indomitable spirit, which makes her fear nothing even when her son’s life is in jeopardy.

Sivagami Devi, Bahubali films

A mother’s life is characterised by tough choices and Sivagami Devi (Ramya Krishnan) has her fair share of tough decisions to make. We admire how she raises Amarendra Bahubali and Bhallaladeva equally, despite the former being her nephew. As the Queen Mother, she not only supervises the two but the entire kingdom of Mahishmati. The pride in her eyes when she looks at Bahubali after proclaiming him king is one of our favourite moments from the two films. Not to forget her glorious end, where she sacrifices her life to save Amarendra Bahubali’s son, Mahendra, earning our respect!

Ramonda, Black Panther

Even the most powerful superheroes in the world sometimes can’t fight their battles alone. When T’Challa, King of Wakanda and the Black Panther, is defeated in ritual combat by his cousin, Erik Stevens, and is presumed dead, his mother Ramonda (Angela Bassett) shows her unwavering determination to fight the battle her son lost, approaching M’Baku, his rival and head of the isolated Jabari tribe, for help in orchestrating a revolution. We are amazed to see her dedication to her son’s fight, as she even bends the knee to M’Baku, willing to give him the Black Panther herb to defeat Stevens. Nothing as powerful as a mother’s love, right?

Jane Chapman, Big Little Lies 

When everyone is against you, the one person who is always going to be on your side is your mother. Trying to escape the horror of her past, Jane Chapman (Shailene Woodley), a young single mother, moves to a small town, Monterey, along with her only son, Ziggy. When her safe haven falls apart and her son is accused of bullying his classmate in his new school, Jane trusts her son and has faith in his innocence, which makes us love her even more. And we truly believe that her vulnerability and the emotional turmoil that she goes through makes her stronger than she already is. 

Dorothea Fields, 20th Century Women 

Open-mindedness and freedom — those are the words that come to mind when we think of Dorothea Fields (Annette Bening), who gives it everything to raise her son, Jamie. We marvel at the fact that she does not hesitate to ask two other women, Abbie and Julie, to help her raise her son, as she thinks that she might not be enough, being a single mother. The qualities and principles that she instils in her son make her the perfect example of how a mother should raise her children. 

Mary Cooper, Young Sheldon

Raising a nine-year-old prodigy in Texas who questions each and every decision of yours and doesn’t get along with his siblings — let alone people — ain’t easy. Standing her ground and defending her son at every step in a society where he is considered “crazy” makes Mary Cooper (Zoe Perry) one of our favourite moms. No matter how major a problem he’s created, be it choking on his food or irritating his teachers, she is always there for “Shelly” every step of the way, providing us tons of chuckles and so many adorable moments between the two!

Najma Malik, Secret Superstar

Najma (Meher Vij) stands by her daughter, Insia, through thick and thin and her love and support possesses a power that can withstand even the ugliest elements of male chauvinism. As we saw in the film, even before Insia is conceived, she fights for her, managing to keep her alive despite her husband Farookh’s efforts to abort the foetus. She melted our hearts when she sold her jewellery to gift Insia a laptop so that her voice could reach more people through the Internet. The ending where Najma has the biggest smile when her daughter is awarded is, perhaps, the greatest testimony to the unconditionally caring nature of mothers, where their victory lies in their children’s happiness.

Mildred Hayes, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Another strong woman and mother, Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand) wants justice for her daughter who was raped and killed. We wept when we saw her acute grief make her doubt the police investigation, compelling her to put up three billboards with angry messages, hoping against hope that it would do something constructive. It made us realise how hopeless a mother might feel when she is fighting for justice even when she knows that her hands are tied. The brilliant way in which her character, spurred by her suffering and helplessness, turns violent and dangerous, left us in awe of this one woman against the world.

Compiled by Debolina Banerjee and Vedant Karia
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