Mother India is a patriotic‑drama adaptation of Mehboob Khan's classic Mother India set in rural India. The story follows Radha, a strong‑willed village woman who struggles to raise her sons after her husband abandons the family, leaving them in debt to a ruthless moneylender.
As hardship after hardship strikes-poverty, natural disasters, and social injustice-Radha holds the family and the village together with sheer determination. Her elder son Ramu becomes honest and dutiful, while the younger Birju grows bitter and turns into a bandit driven by rage against the moneylender. In the climax, when Birju kidnaps the moneylender's daughter and returns to wreak vengeance, Radha chooses her duty to the village over her maternal love and shoots her own son to save collective honour. The film ends with her standing as a symbol of sacrifice and "Mother India" herself.