‘I am looking for something challenging that excites me enough to go on the set and work every day.’
Key Points
- ‘The heroine no longer needs to be whitewashed.’
- ‘Working with Triptii Dimri and Dharna Durga has been amazing.’
- ‘We had a blast on this movie.’
Madhuri Dixit shows us yet another thrilling side to her in her new film, Maa Behen.
She turns into a ‘silly, starry-eyed, sly and sentimental‘ mum to two grown up daughters (Trimtii Dimri and Dharna Durga) in the Suresh Triveni comedy, where the trio have to hide a dead body!
Madhuri tells Subhash K Jha, “At first, I was surprised with the title. But after I heard the script, I thought it was very apt because it is a story about a mother and her two kids, who are sisters.”
What do you look for in your characters?
I think I look for something different to do every time I come on screen.
Mrs Deshpande was very different from The Fame Game and both are very different from Maja Ma.
In Maa Bahen, I don’t mind being a little wicked. The heroine no longer needs to be whitewashed.
My role in this film is also, as you can see, extremely different from what I have played before. I think I am looking for something challenging that excites me enough to go on the set and work every day.
‘The biggest turning point of my career was Tezaab‘
Which films would you consider the turning points of your career?
The biggest turning point of my career was Tezaab because it was my big, big success.
How different is it working on a digital platform as compared to the big screen?
I don’t think there is anything different. When you play on the big or small screen, you are playing characters. But there is one difference between films and serials.
What is that?
When you are doing shows, you get more time to set up the characters. The back stories of the smaller characters also add to who you are in the script.
In a movie, I think it’s a smaller arc. You have to say everything in lesser time. But it doesn’t change what we do as actors.
‘Women are always placed on a pedestal, especially if they are mothers’
How easy or difficult was it working with the Maa Bahen team?
It was easy because we got along famously. I had always wanted to work with (director) Suresh Triveni after I saw Tumhari Sulu. When I got this opportunity, I was very excited.
Working with Triptii Dimri and Dharna Durga has been amazing.
Ravi Kishanji and all the other actors… we had a blast on this movie.
What magnetised you towards the project?
The characters were amazing. It showed a very chaotic family. They are not perfect. There is a kind of a madness going on. They are dysfunctional.
The mother’s role, which I am playing, is a very strong woman in her own right. She breaks all the rules. She is chaotic and pulls her kids into her chaos. That’s what I liked about the character.
Women are always placed on a pedestal, especially if they are mothers. But in this film, they have broken every rule in that sense. She is not like the ideal mother. She is a human first. That’s what brought out this character and the attractiveness of it.
What was your initial reaction to the title Maa Behen and the theme?
At first, I was surprised with the title. But after I heard the script, I thought it was very apt because it is a story about a mother and her two kids, who are sisters.
Also, it is a little tongue-in-cheek because the whole film is that way. It is a comedy. It is a drama. It is a mystery crime thriller.
Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
