Mom 2017

Devki Sabarwal Sridevi is a vivacious biology teacher who wins the affection of her students, even as Arya Sajal Ali - her stepdaughter - struggles to accept the warmth she offers, still grieving the loss of her biological mother. In a crowded classroom, a troubling moment arises when Mohit Chadda [Adarsh Gourav] sends Arya an inappropriate video, and Devki responds by tossing his phone out the window. Later, Arya is invited to a Valentine’s Day party at Zodiac Farms, and Devki along with Arya’s father Anand Adnan Siddiqui reluctantly gives her permission to go. At the party, Arya rebuffs the advances of Mohit and his cousin Charles Diwan Vikas Verma, a rejection that provokes a ruthless plan.

Charles, Mohit, their criminal ally Joginder “Jagan” Singh Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and the farmhouse security guard Baburam Yadav Pitobash ambush Arya as she leaves. They violently gang-rape and strangle her, then abandon her in a roadside ditch. A passerby discovers her the next morning and rushes her to a hospital, where she fights for her life. Arya endures serious internal injuries but gradually recovers over the following weeks and names her attackers, while Devki and Anand are left shattered by the horror of what happened.

Inspector Mathew Francis Akshaye Khanna leads the investigation, but the case crumbles when Arya’s memory is questioned due to possible alcohol use at the party, and the semen samples collected are too weak to conclusively match the suspects. The four men are acquitted for lack of incontrovertible evidence. In shock, Arya withdraws from Devki, and the family lawyer’s suggestion to appeal to a higher court meets Devki’s fading faith in the legal system.

Driven by a desperate need for justice, Devki recalls a shady detective she once met at the police station—Dayashankar Kapoor, known as “DK” Nawazuddin Siddiqui—who understands a parent’s pain. He agrees to help her pursue revenge for Arya. Devki recruits her former students to strike back at Baburam, seducing and drugging him; he wakes four days later, still intoxicated and with no memory, and dies in a freak accident. She then breaks into Charles’ home and crushes apple seeds into his powdered nutritional supplement, a cyanide-like move that paralyses him. When Mohit visits Charles in the hospital, Devki, tipped off by DK, plants additional evidence at Mohit’s home, though she leaves behind her glasses, a telltale detail that will matter to the investigation. Mathew moves quickly, arresting Mohit on a murder charge as Charles’ condition worsens.

As Arya sees the escalating media coverage of her attackers’ stories, she starts to believe a vigilante is at work and feels a growing sense of gratitude toward the figure she thinks is protecting her. Mathew continues to suspect Anand, having seen him lurch toward Mohit in court; Anand is tailed but nothing damning is found. The discovery of Devki’s glasses in Mohit’s apartment confirms to Mathew that the trail points to her, and he warns Devki that the fourth man, Jagan, is a dangerous criminal who could jeopardize her family. Jagan visits Mohit in prison, who claims he was framed, and then confronts Charles, who mutters “Mom” before dying, revealing that Devki is the mastermind behind the plan. Jagan then pursues DK and uncovers that Devki and her family have been away on a snow holiday in Kufri. He murders DK and closes in on Devki, while Mathew uncovers a hidden camera in DK’s glasses and races to intervene.

The tension peaks when Jagan cuts the power at the snow cottage and shoots Anand. He corners Arya, but Devki intervenes, and a tense chase ensues as Arya escapes outside. Jagan closes in on Devki, who fights to protect her stepdaughter. A brutal confrontation ends with Jagan and Mathew in a decisive stand-off: Mathew urges Devki to choose caution, reminding her that Anand is alive and that she could face prison. Jagan boasts about how Devki finished off the other attackers, and Arya overhears. Realizing that Jagan will not stop, Devki makes a fateful choice. Mathew hands her his gun and urges her to kill Jagan, but she hesitates until a turning moment arrives—Arya, calling her “Mom” for the first time, triggers a new resolve. Devki fires, killing Jagan, and the pair share a tearful, tender embrace as the danger finally begins to recede.