In life and in film, mothers are largely overlooked. Bollywood's mother roles have typically been roles with a capital M, weepy, sacrificing, melodramatic—Nargis Dutt in Mother India, Nirupa Roy in Deewaar, Kirron Kher in Om Shanti Om. When was the last Bollywood film you saw where a mother was the heroine, and sensitively portrayed? Panga is one such, directed with assurance by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, its tagline being "Every mother deserves a second chance." This follows the question it raises: do mothers have the right to dream?

Kangana Ranaut plays Jaya Nigam, once on the national kabaddi team, who gave it all up when she married Prashant (Jassie Gill) and had a son Adi (Yagya Bhasin), now seven. The screenplay has a conceit: Adi asks why Mama can't make a comeback? So, mama can dream if her kiddo gives permission, and hubby falls in line. Theek hai, at least someone's thinking of Mama.