On the occasion of Mother’s Day, actor Raima Sen opens a window into her unique and deeply cherished bond with her iconic mother, Moon Moon Sen. More than just a celebrated actress, Moon Moon emerges as a pillar of strength, a trusted confidante and a fiercely protective matriarch. Raima’s candid reflections reveal a relationship that has evolved from childhood awe to a mature, unwavering friendship, highlighting the irreplaceable role her mother plays in her life.
Your thoughts on your lovely mother?
My thoughts on my lovely mother are that she’s very strong and she’s been our strength and our backbone right through. She’s a great judge of character. She always gives me and my sister very useful tips and insights, not only about our careers and our friendships. She’s able to handle any kind of situation—good and bad—with utmost ease and calm.
Does she take active interest in your lives?
She’s a very logical person, who fiercely loves and protects us. So, we know whatever happens, our mother will be there to protect us. She’s very, very possessive about us—Riya and me. No one can say anything negative about us to her and it’s always been like this. So, we’ve always known that no one can get past her and no one can harm us in any way. So, it’s a very secure, comforting feeling.
Does she help you sisters in staying away from trouble?
She’s very intuitive and, you know, she does small, small things. We learn a lot of things from her—like about everything in life. She’s very educated, she’s studied abroad. She’s been in London. She’s been in Darjeeling. She’s, you know, seen the world. She’s very useful in our decision-making. Even in our movies, she’s very critical and tells us what to do, what not to do.
Is she very controlling?
She’s not a controlling mother. She’s very relaxed and yet fiercely protective. She started acting in films after Riya and I were born and when school was over, she used to come to pick us up and the whole school would rush to meet Moon Moon Sen and take her autograph.
Was that when you realised what a star your mother was?
We didn’t understand so much because our dad (the late Bharat Dev Varma) kept us very grounded—very normal upbringing. He didn’t allow us to get carried away with anything apart from our school and, you know, daily life, and we were brought up like really regular, down-to-earth children, thanks to my dad.
Was your mother a hands-on mom?
She kept us company on the way to her sets and we met each and every Bollywood actor there is to meet. And, you know, whichever film she did—even in the South or her functions in America, abroad—she’d take us along. We’d just enjoy ourselves and we’d love to meet… you know, we used to love to meet all the stars, met some of the biggest in her time and she used to just ring them up and say my daughters are coming. So, we just loved all that.
Do you idolise your mom?
We used to watch my mother’s films and she had a dressing table where we would both get dressed up, put on her makeup and do rollers when she used to leave for her shoots. So, we all thought this was a very glamorous business. We were too young to understand anything else, it was just fun going with her everywhere.
Didn’t you dislike sharing your mother with the rest of the world?
We never thought like that—sharing her with the whole world or not. We were used to it. She joined the films after we were born and my dad, he was a hands-on dad and, you know, so he didn’t let us miss her much when she was shooting. Our parents did whatever they could so that we didn’t feel any absence or void or jealousy.
But you did miss her when she was shooting?
But yes, of course, we used to miss her a lot. We used to send like a thousand Archie’s cards to her telling her to come back soon from her shoots. Every day Riya and I would send colourful fluorescent cards, I remember, with crayons and make drawings and say, “Mummy, come back soon,” and, you know, “We miss you.” When she went out for long hours, we were very privileged because we used to be like, “Wow, our mother’s, you know, so much in demand.” So, we loved it.
How would you describe your relationship with your mother now?
Every parent plays a good cop and a bad cop. So, since we were mostly with him, he used to say, “Mummy’s coming and Mummy’s gonna shout at you. I’ve told Mummy that you both are being very naughty.” So, we were very scared of her when we were growing up. But now, I think we’ve just become like best friends. Earlier, we couldn’t discuss much. But I think now, over the years, we can even discuss everything with her. Now, it’s like a best friend thing. Now, my sister and I don’t turn to anyone else, not even to our friends. Now we just turn to our mother. More than each other, I think we just tell our mother every single thing. So, now, it’s become a very mature friendship and we know we can rely on our mother. And yeah, now we listen to her a lot more. I know she’s a great judge of character. I know she’ll give me the right advice. And she’s been there, done that. Her experiences and her tips and advice—I don’t think I can get from anyone else. Because she’s been part of so many worlds. So, I think now we really listen to her and we look after her. We look up to her. And if we have to turn to anyone in the world, the best person is my mother.
