Cinema and Surrogacy: From 'Doosri Dulhan' to 'Mimi'

Kriti Sanon. Picture Courtesy: Yogen Shah

Kriti Sanon's 'Mimi' is about a woman who agrees to be a surrogate mother to a childless couple belonging to a foreign land. The trailer dropped yesterday and the leading lady has stated multiple times how this has been a validating experience for her as an actor. The theme isn't new, the genre isn't fresh, but Sanon attempts a character that's likely to challenge her oeuvre so far.

Cinema has been exploring this theme for long, very long. One of the earlier films was Lekh Tandon's 'Doosri Dulhan', where Shabana Azmi played the second woman in the marriage. The title could easily be misinterpreted and the viewers could be misinformed about the film dealing with infidelity, but here, the name indicates a surrogate mother who brings a ray of hope in the life of a couple unable to bear children.

The masters of thrillers, Abbas-Mustan, also did the same with the 2001 drama, 'Chori Chori Chupke Chupke.' The songs were melodiously hummable and particularly the title track. Two decades later, there's a personal interpretation of the moniker that could be incorrect. Raj and Priya (Salman Khan and Rani Mukerji) get in touch with Madhoo, an escort (an impressive Preity Zinta), who agrees to bear Raj's child since Priya is unable to conceive after a miscarriage.

The idea of adoption is rejected since the family needs a legitimate scion. Since the family is influential and known, the news and process of surrogacy has to be clandestine. Hence, the tile. Possible! Zinta was only three years into the industry when she took on a role that required both dignity and disgust. And she did deliver, both as the actress and the character.

Meghna Gulzar's 'Filhaal' dealt with surrogacy too, it was a tale of two friends out of which one cannot bear a child. It dealt with complex emotions, frictions in friendship, and the paucity of pure relations. It's more than the story of surrogacy, it's also the story of sacrifice.

It was Shoojit Sircar's 'Vicky Donor' in 2012, marking the debut of the electric Ayushmann Khurrana, when we saw a role reversal. The man, reluctant at first, agrees to be a sperm donor after being lured by a helpless fertility expert (A rip-roaring Annu Kapoor). The quality of his sperm impresses the couples in desperate need for parenthood, the expert himself, and even Vicky. He bears over 52 children and isn't ashamed of what he does. Not even his grandmother shows any glimpse of fury when his truth is busted.

For others, this may be looked at with disdain, the boy has indeed given over 50 couples the joy of embracing parenthood. Khurrana went on to nearly own and master the genre of comedies tucked beneath social messaging. He began his career by donating sperms and today rules a million hearts. He has truly come from bottom to the top.

Now it's the turn of Kriti Sanon and her 'Mimi', which is the remake of the Marathi success 'Mala Aai Vhhaychy!' This is yet another addition to the genre of small-town comedies that Bollywood is currently obsessed with. No such film belonging to this genre can be made without Pankaj Tripathi, and he has his calmness and comedic charm intact, and may that charm never rust. Nor this genre.

Also Read: Mimi: The trailer of Kriti Sanon's new film leaves netizens in splits