Unwed mothers in film and literature

Radha lives with her husband and mother-in-law in rural India. After her husband abandons her while she is pregnant with their fourth son, she struggles raise her children amidst poverty, drought, and floods. Burdened by wedding debts, she is threatened and raped by the debt collector. During her fight for survival, she loses two of her sons and has to kill a third son to save the life of a woman.

‍

Monish Rai comes from a wealthy family and is in love with Deviyani, who is poor.  Monish has to travel abroad to further his legal education, but promises to stay in touch with Deviyani.  After his departure, Deviyani and her father are plunged into financial difficulty. She approaches Monish's mother for assistance, but is refused. In desperation, her father marries her off to a much older man who is an alcoholic and frequents prostitutes. Deviyani becomes pregnant and gives birth to a baby girl, Suparna.  Unhappy with her marriage and her circumstances, she runs away, taking her daughter with her. She approaches a nun, Mother Mary, in a convent and leaves Suparna in her care before disappearing forever.

*Mamta means 'mother's love' in Hindi.

Set in West Bengal, Aradhana is a love story between Arun, an air force officer, and Vandana, the daughter of a doctor. A few days after they marry in a temple without witnesses, Arun is killed in an accident. Vandana then finds out that she is pregnant and wants to keep her child. Her father tries to change her mind but ultimately supports her in her plan. Arun's family does not accept her as their daughter-in-law, however.  When her father also dies, Vandana is left to fend for herself as a single pregnant woman. After the birth of her son Suraj, a doctor advises her to take the baby to a children's home so she can return and legally adopt him the next day. Before his mother can adopt him, Suraj is adopted by a married couple. Determined to be part of his life, Vandana becomes his nanny. Suraj does not find out that Vandana is his biological mother for many years. It is only as an adult that he discovers the story of his biological parents. The film ends with Suraj acknowledging the sacrifices his mother has made for him and celebrating her strength and courage.

‍

Julie is an Anglo-Indian Christian woman who falls in love with Shashi, the brother of her best friend. He, however, comes from a Hindu family. Julie gets pregnant, but before she can tell him, Shashi goes away to college in another city. Her mother is distraught when Julie tells her about the pregnancy and they keep it a secret from the rest of the family. Her mother thinks about helping Julie to have an abortion but abandons the idea because of her Christian beliefs. Instead, she sends Julie away to have her baby in secret. They tell the rest of the family that Julie has found a job in a far off place. After the birth, Julie's mother takes her to a Christian shelter to give the baby up for adoption. When Julie returns home, she runs into Shashi and tells him all that has happened. He agrees to marry her, but his mother objects to an interfaith marriage. She knows nothing of the child as Julie gave birth to in secret. Julie's mother also disagrees with the marriage because she and the rest of the family want to go to England. Shashi's mother only changes her mind when she finds out about the baby. She helps arrange the interfaith marriage and Julie and Shashi are able to raise their child together with the support of their families.

‍