These telly moms are not to be messed with

The Bhabhos, Kokilabens and Dadisas of TV have some serious competition from these strong moms who have taken over the small screen in the last one year. Hate them or love them, but it's hard to ignore these strong-headed mothers who will go all the way to ensure happiness for their children, or in some cases, bring chaos in the lives of their on-screen children.Here is a list of some of the most powerful moms on TV ...
ALKA KAUSHAL AS PARVATI GADODIA IN SWARAGINI - As the tough nut Parvati Gadodia, Alka Kaushal is out there to ensure that her son doesn't marry the Bangalan who happens to be their neighbour (which he eventually does, despite her evil plans).She is also a strict grandmom to her timid granddaughter Ragini and dictates how she leads her life. "My character is like the man of the house. She wants the things to go her way but when things don't go according to her wishes, she starts her scheming. There are some light moments also that have been incorporated in my track -like the fights I have with my Bengali neighbour. These add different shades to my character. On social networking sites, and everywhere else I am getting to hear that people love to hate me. It's a good thing for an actor when they get these sort of comments," she tells us.

NARAYANI SHASTRI AS BHANWRI DEVI IN PIYA RANGREZZ - Playing the gun-wielding godmother of a small town in UP , Narayani as Bhanwri Devi looks menacing. Talking about her part, Narayani says, "It is after a gap of almost 10-12 years that I am playing a negative character. The last time I played such a character was Tashu in Kkusum.Tashu was dominating but reasonable. But Bhanwri Devi is dominating and unreasonable. She loves her son, but she loves herself a little more."

KAVITA GHAI AS PIYALI KHANNA IN DOSTI... YAARIYAN... MANMARZIYAN - Perhaps the only suave mom in the lot, Kavita Ghai portrays Piyali Khanna, the head of an advertising agency, who doesn't let her daughter become the creative director because she harbours a grudge against her. Despite various pleas from her husband, she refuses to soften her attitude towards her daughter. "People keep asking me, 'Why are you so mean to your daughter?' My character is getting meaner and that's because Kashmira's character (her on-screen daughter) was involved in an accident in which Piyali's son died. She holds her daughter responsible for it. She is never shown crying, but she is shattered inside and hasn't come to terms with the death of her only son," she says.

AMITA KHOPKAR IN TU MERA HERO - Amita plays a modern-day Yashoda who is blinded by the love of her son to the extent that she doesn't allow him to work. As Surekha, Amita's dominance suppresses any voice that refers to her beloved son as 'nikhattu'. In the soap, whenever someone brings up the issue of her son's lazy ways, she is the first one to rise up in his defence and say that he has some great qualities too and doesn't need to work since he is the son of a rich businessman. "Before I came on the sets, I didn't know that my character of a mother would be such that she wouldn't want her son to work. But after reading my lines, I realised what kind of a character it is.Every mother has an element of madness to her, but my character's f love for her son is a little psychotic," she reveals.

UTKARSHA NAIK IN MERI AASHIQUI TUM SE HI- Utkarsha's character started off as a supportive mother who shares her son's pain of not being able to confess her love to the girl he likes. But after the show took a one-year leap, her character's graph changed completely and she was shown as a woman who flaunts her wealth and is a dominating mother. "Initially ,I was getting all the sympathy , but after the show took a leap, my character turned grey. If you look at Amba, she is com pletely justified in her behaviour. Her family was tortured at the hands of the Parekh family and her anger and hatred towards Ishaani (the daughter of the Parekh family) is, in a way, justified. My character is shown to be a little pompous and overly dressed, because even though she has become rich, she retains some of her rustic traits," she says.
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