Babita Ashiwal On Maa Ka Sum│"I Did Not Want Another Sacrificing Mother On Screen"

The story came to me from Prime Video, and I think they approached me because I am a single mother of a teenage son. It resonated with me instantly. One thing I was very clear about was that I did not want to portray a mother who always sacrifices her happiness for her child. We have seen that image too often. I did not want another helpless or suffering mother on screen. I wanted to break that idea and show a woman who can think about her own life as well.

For me, it was important that even the maths felt real. We had two IIT graduates working on the algorithm used in the show. They spent months developing it so that every number and every calculation made sense. I did not want to put something random on screen. Even if not everyone understands maths deeply, those who do should feel that it is accurate.

It comes from life. When my son was quite young, I told him I wanted to start dating. He was not okay with it at first. We had long conversations about it, and eventually, he became part of that journey. We would even look at dating apps together. I have also seen similar situations among my friends. So the story comes from lived experiences rather than research. I feel that when you tell a personal story, people connect to it more honestly.

We wanted her to feel real. She is not always right. In the beginning, she makes wrong choices and does not fully understand what she wants. That is how people are in real life. We did not want a perfect character. We also wanted to show men differently. I believe in portraying what I call ‘green flag’ men. They can have flaws, but they should not be toxic. That was an important part of building the show's world.

I was involved throughout. I am also the showrunner, so from the first page of writing to the final episode, I was part of the entire process. A lot of situations came from my own life, especially in terms of how a parent reacts or how a child behaves in certain situations. The writers would often come to me for small details and emotional resolutions.

We had a lot of discussions around him. Agastya comes from a broken home and carries a sense of abandonment. When one parent leaves, the child depends heavily on the other. Even a small absence can affect them deeply. At the same time, I feel this generation is more self-focused. It is not necessarily wrong, but it is different from how earlier generations behaved. Agastya believes he is always right and that is why he has to learn things the hard way. He is not ready to bend or understand other perspectives, so his journey had to reflect that.

We wanted a distinct visual language, something different from what has been done before. But we also realised that maths already has a certain visual familiarity for audiences. If we changed it too much, it might become confusing. So we found a balance where it felt fresh but still relatable. We worked very closely with the VFX team and pushed them quite a bit to get it right.

Mona Singh was an easy choice. She looks at the story and the character first, and once she connected with it, she came on board immediately. For Abhimanyu, we wanted someone with a strong presence, and Ranveer Brar fit that perfectly. He brings a certain personality that stands out. Overall, we focused on getting strong actors. Mukesh Chhabra handled casting, and he has a great instinct for finding the right people for each role.

I would have liked more shooting days. No matter how much you prepare, there is always something more you can explore on set if you have the time. It gives you space to pause, rethink and even revisit scenes. But overall, I am happy that we got the opportunity to tell this story the way we did.

It is something that we wanted to explore more deeply, but we did not have enough time in this season. Any kind of pregnancy leaves a lasting impact on a woman, even if at that moment the decision feels simple. Over time, it does come back in different ways. It is not something that just goes away. I would like to explore this more in the next season.

For highly intelligent people, attraction is often about the mind. It is not always physical. When Ira meets someone who can match or even challenge her intellectually, that attraction is natural. The age difference is not the main issue. What matters more is that he is still a student and not fully mature. That is where the hesitation comes from.

We did not expect teenagers to connect with the show the way they have. That has been a very pleasant surprise. We thought the primary audience would be women, but a lot of young people are also feeling seen through these characters. That has been very refreshing for us.