The powerful yet heart-touching movie of Kangana Ranaut’s ‘Panga’ filled many of us with optimism and positivity. While some of us were reminded of our mothers, some could see themselves in Kangana’s leading character Jaya Nigam.
Kangana’s Panga Is About A Mom’s Struggle
The movie is based on the struggle of Jaya Nigam, who once was the Captain of the Indian Kabaddi Team but now is a mother working in the railway department. She realizes that no one recognizes her as a former Kabaddi player and in order to find her lost identity, she plans to make a comeback as a professional player.
Who Is Jaya Nigam? What Is An Inspiration Behind Kangana’s Panga?
There are many people who would like to know what triggered this powerful movie and who is Jaya Nigam. So, here’s what inspired Ashwini Iyer to make such a heart-touching movie.
In one of her interviews with The Telegraph, Ashwiny Iyer shared,
“The STAR network has this Pro Kabbadi League. During the female kabbadi league, there were a couple of interviews that happened with the players and this came to the creative team here. Rucha Pathak (chief creative officer at Fox Star Studios, the producers of the film) said that we should do something on women and kabbadi, because it’s a very rough sport and nobody’s really explored it. I told her I can’t do something that’s only on kabbadi because that won’t give me a high. So let’s explore it further.”
She further added:
“That’s when (Facebook COO) Sheryl Sandberg’s ‘Lean In’ campaign had come in, Serena Williams and Sania Mirza had babies. I had also experienced the struggle a mother goes through when it comes to going back to work. I had quit Leo Burnett and I knew so many stay-at-home moms who didn’t want to go back to work despite having their MBAs and being on top of their game. My boss told me that I’m going to start feeling guilty and that there would be times when I would question why I’m going to work, but I should manage all of it because it’s all part and parcel of life. The truth is everyone cannot afford a nanny, and not everyone has a good support system in the form of parents and in-laws. Then what? That’s where Panga came from.”
Hence, Jaya Nigam is a fictitious character, who captures the struggle of many working moms.
Why Kangana Dedicated The Movie To Her Mother?
Though Kangana has inspired many moms to remember their ambition and dreams through her movie, she shared her inspiration to work on this movie. Kangana’s sister Rangoli who often shares the actor’s thoughts on her behalf on social media posted a few tweets that revealed what inspired Kangana to capture the struggle of a mom so beautifully.
ALSO READ:Â The True Horrifying Incident That Inspired Netflix Movie ‘Pihu’Â
While sharing the details about her mother’s struggle, Rangoli shared:
“I asked Kangana how come she knows all the emotions and conflicts of a mother so well, she is so convincing as a mom, she said to know a mother you don’t have to be a mother you just have to be a child, Panga is a performance from her dedicated to our mom Asha Ranaut.”
I asked Kangana how come she knows all the emotions and conflicts of a mother so well, she is so convincing as a mom, she said to know a mother you don’t have to be a mother you just have to be a child, Panga is a performance from her dedicated to our mom Asha Ranaut …. ???? pic.twitter.com/o4FGmXD09G
— Rangoli Chandel (@Rangoli_A) December 26, 2019
Sharing how her mother struggled with an alcoholic husband and much more, she mentioned:
“Our mother has seen worse days of our fathers drinking problems, her daughter burnt with acid attack, her another daughter being subjected to harassment and bullying she has seen days of conflicts in the joint family over property issues, days of poverty.”
Our mother has seen worse days of our fathers drinking problems, her daughter burnt with acid attack, her another daughter being subjected to harassment and bullying she has seen days of conflicts in the joint family over property issues, days of poverty….(contd) pic.twitter.com/dyfAWxViSi
— Rangoli Chandel (@Rangoli_A) December 26, 2019
In the end, Rangoli concluded:
“She must have seen worse days but we always saw best of her, a perfect human just a human should be, Happy birthday mom you are our guiding light.”
(Contd)….she must have seen worse days but we always saw best of her, a perfect human just a human should be, Happy birthday mom you are our guiding light ????
— Rangoli Chandel (@Rangoli_A) December 26, 2019
Many applauded Kangana’s mother’s courage and determination to fight against her life circumstances to raise strong daughters:
I think this is the story of so many women of this generation but they stood tall, always smiling, going about their jobs. They had gumption. Which is why they have all my respect. They didn’t have it easy like us but they kept on going without complaining or playing victim.
— Pooja (@poojagaurav) December 26, 2019
It is common scenario in middle class houses. Yes women suffer most emotionally n physically. Power to all such women. God bless your mom.
— VvVvV (@puretaurean) December 26, 2019
Many Happy Returns of the day Mrs. Ranaut. Mommy dearest to both Kangana and Rangoli. You are the guiding light and both your daughters are as strong as you are . Warm Regards .
— RAMESH JBHOJWANI (@RAMESHJBHOJWANI) December 26, 2019
It goes without saying that no one in the world can replace the love of a mother. From teaching us how to tie our shoelaces for the first time, to guiding us to lead successful lives, mom’s are the best. Yet these amazing women do it with such grace and care, and without a frown on their face.
You Might Also Like: 10 Must-Read Books By Sudha Murthy
At IFORHER, we applaud every mother who has worked relentlessly to give their kids a better future. It is high time that our society also stops writing off moms and their ambitions, and applaud their courage & encourage them. We hope the movie ‘Panga’ will inspire many moms to come forward to fight against the society to make their dreams a reality!
You can watch the trailer here.