Bollywood Home » Unforgettable Characters » Radha Mother India, released in 1957, is one of the all time blockbuster hits in Bollywood. This film was the first Indian film ever to be nominated in the 'Best Foreign language Film' category at the Academy Awards. This acclamation helped Indian cinema a great deal since it prompted many international film critics and reviewers to explore more About Bollywood. Directed by Mehboob Khan, this film was a remake of an earlier film named Aurat (1940) by the same director. The character of Radha in Mother India is still regarded to be one of the best women characters ever in Indian cinema.

It is arguably one of The Unforgettable Characters in Bollywood, if not the most poignant of them.

The role of Radha in Mother India was played by Nargis, the famous Indian actor. She beautifully portrays the struggle of a farmer woman against poverty, nature and a deceitful money-lender.

The acute struggle of a woman is further worsened by her unpleasant relationship with her elder son Birju (Sunil Dutt). The character of Radha in Mother India is a tribute to the empowerment of womenfolk in India. Radha represents traditional Indian values and humane virtues.

The entire film revolves around the wretched financial condition of a rural family. Radha in Mother India marries Shamu (Raj Kapoor) with the help of a money-lender Sukhilala. This event initiates a chain of poverty and humiliation that Radha undergoes.

Radha never loses her calm and composure even after pitted against the direst of circumstances. She tries her best to inculcate good moral virtues in her two sons Birju and Ramu (Rajendra Kumar). While she succeeds in the case of Ramu, Birju becomes an embittered person seeking revenge against Sukhilala. Eventually he kills Sukhilala and takes his daughter. This act infuriates Radha who shoots her son. The film ends symbolically with Radha digging he canal and reddish water flowing into the fields.