Ravi Kishan Steals The Show From Madhuri Dixit, Triptii Dimri…

From Madhuri Dixit’s Dhak Dhak nostalgia to Triptii Dimri’s emotional reflections, the Maa Behen trailer launch turned into a delightful event.

Netflix’s new film Maa Behen stars my childhood crush, Madhuri Dixit, and the nation’s current crush, Triptii Dimri. The film also features content creator Dharna Durga, known for her viral reels, and actor-politician Ravi Kishan, who himself frequently goes viral for his memorable verbal slip-ups.

So yes, it was quite exciting to see all of them come together on one stage to promote their upcoming film Maa Behen, which is set to arrive on June 4.

The event took place on May 22 at The Lalit hotel near Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj international airport, and it turned out to be quite the eye-catching affair.

The hall hosting the event had been designed to resemble the middle-class living room of the protagonists from the film, especially the stage setup. Photograms of the three actresses in character lined the sides of the backdrop, while a large central screen stood ready to unveil the trailer.

My eyes also drifted towards a clock frozen at 5:30. I wondered whether it hinted at the film’s inciting incident involving the discovery of a dead body. The event was scheduled to begin at 3 pm, so naturally it started more than an hour later. Thankfully, the food counter kept us functional enough to survive the wait.

The crowd was packed with media personnel, influencers and fan clubs, with the media seated somewhere near the middle. Okay then, we officially know our place in the priorities of the entertainment industry. Just kidding.

Host Sachin Kumbhar kicked off proceedings by introducing the three leading ladies of the film: Madhuri Dixit, Triptii Dimri and Dharna Durga.

Madhuri plays the mother Rekha, while Triptii and Dharna portray her daughters Jaya and Sushma. If those names ring a bell, you would instantly remember the iconic Nirma jingle: ‘Hema, Rekha, Jaya Aur Sushma, sabki pasand Nirma‘ (‘Hema, Rekha, Jaya and Sushma, everyone’s favourite is Nirma’).

Which made me wonder: is there a Hema somewhere in the film? And perhaps even a Nirma?

Saanp Seedhi Aur Sawaal

Anyway, the characters were individually introduced in the style of a sensationalist Sansani-type crime show, which is called Khalbali in the film. Anchor Shrivardhan Trivedi did the honours through a mock news broadcast.

The actresses, fully in character, were then made to play a modified version of saanp seedhi (Snakes and Ladders) merged with truth and dare.

The game was definitely rigged so that every dice roll conveniently landed the players either at the mouth of a snake or the foot of a ladder.

If they reached a ladder, they had to answer a question about the next player, which mostly led to playful complaints about each other’s annoying habits. If they landed on a snake, they had to perform a dare.

The best moment of the segment came when Madhuri landed a dare and broke into a few steps from her iconic Dhak Dhak number from Beta.

She danced alongside a few female journalists from the audience who had dressed in saris and sleeveless blouses matching her look in the film and at the event itself.

Paisa vasool just to watch Madhuri dance live.

However, despite repeated and enthusiastic requests from the media, Triptii did not join Madhuri for the dance.

The host then invited Ravi Kishan aka ‘Guptaji’ onto the stage. He entered wielding a wooden club, throwing in a couple of dramatic hip sways before flirting with ‘Rekha’ and whisking her away, followed by ‘Jaya” and ‘Sushma’, so the trailer could finally be unveiled.

WATCH: The Maa Behen Trailer

Then came the main event, the trailer reveal.

Directed by Suresh Triveni and written by him and Pooja Tilani, Maa Behen revolves around a single mother and her two grownup daughters who can barely stand each other.

Rekha, the mother, is attractive and admired by men in the locality, including their neighbour Guptaji, played by Ravi Kishan, much to Jaya’s irritation.

Sushma, meanwhile, is a content creator.

The real trouble begins when Guptaji’s dead body turns up inside their house, forcing the women to work together to hide and dispose of the corpse.

Matters get worse when the nosy residents of their Adarsh Colony keep barging into the house while a suspicious cop, played by Arunoday Singh, begins sniffing around.

The trailer carries a light-hearted black comedy energy, and the three actresses share crackling chemistry with each other.

It is also nice to see Triptii holding her own opposite a veteran like Madhuri, especially in the comic exchanges and the accent work. The standout moment comes when Rekha explodes at her daughters, threatening them that if she goes to jail, they are coming along with her.

Madhuri’s First Reaction on Hearing The Title

Back to the event.

The host called the cast back onstage, this time joined by Director Suresh Triveni, Netflix Director of Original Films Ruchikaa Kapoor and Abundantia Entertainment’s Vikram Malhotra.

Other cast members including Marathi veteran Geetanjali Kulkarni, Arunoday Singh and Shardul Bhardwaj joined them.

The team then opened the floor to questions from the audience and media.

Some of the responses were genuinely entertaining.

Madhuri was asked about her reaction to the title when Suresh Triveni first narrated the script to her.

“The first time we met and he came to narrate the story, I asked, ‘What is the name of your film?’ So he said, ‘Maa Behen‘. For a moment, I thought he was joking, so I just looked at him like this… (laughs). I genuinely thought he was pulling a prank.

“Then he simply kept staring at me. So I asked again, ‘Really? This is the title of the film?’ And he said, ‘Yes.’ I thought, okay, let’s hear the story first. But once I heard it, I realised this was absolutely the correct title for the film.”

“I have always done films where women have strong roles. I am very thankful that Sureshji and Vikram thought of me for this part because it is very different from anything I have done before.

“It is a dysfunctional family where nobody is perfect. My character is flawed too. She lives in a society where single mothers are judged differently. People are constantly judgemental about her. Yet she is modern in her thinking and believes in moving forward.

“At the same time, she has survival instincts because of the society she lives in. Her relationship with her daughters is strained, but she can do anything for them.”

When a reporter cheekily asked whether there was anyone in the world she would personally like to call “maa behen“, she burst out laughing before replying, “No, there is no one like that.”

Ravi Kishan’s Reaction on His Viral Moments

Ravi Kishan had the audience roaring with laughter when he was asked about his tendency to go viral for accidental verbal blunders during interviews, including his recent ‘home from work’ moment.

Speaking sheepishly, he said: “I swear on Mahadev, mujhe nahi pata main kyun viral ho jata hoon (I swear on Mahadev I don’t know why I go viral).”

“I once said ‘home from work’ instead of ‘work from home’. I was heading to Parliament and it just slipped out. People look at me as though I’ve arrived from some other dimension. But I’m human, just like all of you, and humans make mistakes. Mujhe aap log viral kyun karte ho, mujhe nahi pata (Why you people make me viral, I genuinely don’t know).”

He then added, sending the audience into another fit of laughter: “Meri party mein bhi log puchte hain, ‘Aap karte kya ho? (Even people in my party ask me, ‘What exactly do you do?’). I don’t know. But this film is also going to go viral.”

“Aur main bhi hun aur mujhe to bas aana hai aur viral hona hai (And I am here only to make sure it goes viral).”

A Comedy Reuniting Madhuri Dixit and Anil Kapoor?

Suresh Triveni spoke warmly about the casting process for Maa Behen: “When I first started writing this film, I got stuck. Then my co-writer Pooja came in and completely brightened the script. After that, the casting became surprisingly easy because everything just fell into place.”

“I genuinely feel blessed to have all of them in the film. Sometimes things simply happen when the time is right. We wrote the film in 2019 and are making it in 2026. Everyone’s time eventually comes.”

Though he is not part of Maa Behen, Anil Kapoor also found his way into the conversation.

And the reason for that was Suresh Triveni himself.

For the unaware, Maa Behen is actually Triveni’s second directorial film release of 2026 (Third, if you consider the OTT series, Daldal).

His first film this year, Subedaar, starred Anil Kapoor in the lead. And now, he has directed Madhuri Dixit in Maa Behen.

Speaking about this rather enviable achievement, the director said, “I mean, it’s been a dream for me, the same year I worked on project one with Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit.”

Naturally, the obvious question followed: Would Suresh Triveni now direct a film that reunites Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit together on screen?

Triveni and Madhuri threw the question back at the audience, only to be greeted with loud cheers from the fans present at the venue.

The director then smiled and said, “The verdict is here so… mera toh mann hai (I definitely want to). In fact, Pooja and I were discussing that we should try a comedy with them together.”

Interestingly, the last film Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit appeared in together was also a comedy, the 2019 entertainer Total Dhamaal.

Why Maa Behen Made Triptii Dimri Apologetic

Triptii Dimri ended the Q&A session on a serious note while speaking about the silent struggles of women within households.

“There is a very common perception, especially about women, where we put them into fixed brackets. We decide what their responsibilities should be and what roles they are expected to perform, whether in films or in real life.

“I remember growing up and seeing my mother continue doing everything for the family even when she was unwell, without receiving any real credit for it. And as children, we would still complain: ‘Yaar, aaj ye nahi kiya, aaj woh nahi kiya (She didn’t do this today, she didn’t do that today).’ We never looked at the human side of her.

“But now that we’ve grown older and she shares her struggles with us, it genuinely brings tears to my eyes. How did we never see the human being behind all those responsibilities? I think this applies to almost every woman.”

Triptii also shared a personal anecdote explaining why she connected so deeply with the film’s themes: “When Suresh sir narrated the story to me, I remembered two women from my old society. They lived alone, they were fashionable for those times, and people constantly judged them. Adults would tell us children, ‘Don’t go near them, don’t become friends with them, they are strange.’ That memory stayed with me.”

“So when Maa Behen came to me, I immediately thought of those women. Society judged them without even knowing them properly. And if I ever get a chance to apologise to them, perhaps this film is my way of doing it.”

Maa Behen streams on Netflix from June 4.

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Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff