Mom Review: Mom is a well-scripted, riveting tale of revenge!

One Line Review: Devki is trying her best to bridge the gap which exists between her and her step-daughter Arya. But an unfortunate and horrific incident changes their life forever.

Positive Points: Impeccable performances by Sridevi, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Sajal Ali, coupled with a taut screenplay, make Mom a perfect watch this weekend.

Negative Points: The film does not seem to have negative points as such, but editing could have been a bit better.

Plot: Devki Sabarwal (Sridevi) is a biology teacher in a high-profile Delhi school where her step-daughter Arya (Sajal Ali) also studies. Devki loves her as much as she loves her own daughter, but Arya has yet not accepted her as her mother. She still misses her own mother who died years ago, and his father Anand (Adnan Siddiqui) had to remarry to bring her up. If Devki and Arya's differences kept aside, theirs is a happy family. But their whole world comes crashing down when Arya is abducted from a late night Valentine's Day party and gang-raped by four men in a moving car on the roads of Delhi. After hurting her brutally, the rapists throw her in a gutter thinking she is dead. When she regains her consciousness in hospital, she registers her statement with the police. Though the police arrests all four rapists within no time, they all are acquitted in lack of evidences. When the law fails to bring perpetrators to the book, Devki decides to avenge the rape of her daughter with the help of a private detective Dayashankar Kapoor (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) and Inspector Mathew Francis (Akshaye Khanna). What happens next forms the crux of the story.

Performances: When actors of Sridevi and Nawazuddin Siddiqui's caliber are there in a film, all you can except is an abundance of good performances. Seasoned actress Sridevi, who returns onscreen after five years of her last Hindi release English Vinglish, is magical in Mom. The whole film revolves around her and, as a central character, she does a spectacular job. Pulling off such an intense and layered character at this age is not an easy task, but Sridevi does her job quite effortlessly. The experience she has gained over the years working in films is clearly evident the way she handles her character. Her expressions are so fluid that you fail to notice when she switches from one mood to another. She is undoubtedly the backbone of the film. Sajal Ali, who plays Arya in the movie, surprises you with her brilliant act. Her powerful act makes you feel the pain her character goes through in the movie. She looks very gorgeous and we hope she manages to get good work in films post Mom. Coming to another important actor, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, he renders you speechless with his amazing performance once again. It does not matter who he works with, be it Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan or Sridevi, the actor knows how to create an impact even in the presence of a superstar in the scene. As a detective, he looks convincing and credible. Though he has limited screen-time in the movie, he utilizes it fully to showcase his towering talent. Akshaye Khanna as cop Mathew is believable. He looks good and convincing in what he does onscreen. The supporting cast also lends its full support to the film.

Direction: The film is directed by debutant Ravi Udyawar. When there is a superstar like Sridevi in the film, a first time director might feel intimidated by her presence to certain degree, but that does not seem to be the case with Ravi. As a filmmaker, Ravi fully utilizes the talent of Sridevi and makes you believe in the world he has created for you on the celluloid. His direction is competent and convincing. After watching the film, it becomes a little bit difficult to believe that Mom has been directed by a debutant.

Technical Aspects: Mom has been shot well, for which cinematographer Anay Goswami deserves distinction marks. Editing, as I just mentioned above, could have been better. The production value of the film is rich and it looks beautiful onscreen.

Music: Music maestro A. R. Rahman has scored music for Mom. Though he has not composed anything remarkable, maybe the subject of the film did not allow him to experiment much, he does not disappoint. His music goes with the flow of the film and has A. R. Rahman stamp on it. Talking about the background score of the film, it's spectacular. It just raises your goosebumps more often than not.

Final Verdict: Mom is a film which comes once in a while. You should not miss this one at any cost. Well, the word "cost" reminded me of ticket prices in theaters. They have been slashed down after GST came into effect on 1st July. So, go and watch the film with your whole family.