‘Maja Ma’ is your first film in the OTT domain. What about the script appealed to you?
The film is set in a colourful festive season with the quintessential Indian wedding as the backdrop. It’s a story of a perfectly imperfect family, centred around Pallavi Patel, who is a doting mother and a perfect wife. She is someone the community looks up to, but somewhere she begins to lose her identity as can be seen in the trailer. She says, ‘
Main ek maa hoon, ek biwi hoon, lekin uske alaawa bhi mera wajood hai’. It’s a beautiful, warm, and funny film, but with a message told in a simple and non-preachy manner.
Tell us about your interaction with the cast. Your co-actor Gajraj Rao seems to be in awe of you and has mentioned that he would change his name to Anil Kapoor just to work with you. How does it feel to have so many admirers wherever you go?
The entire cast bonded like a family on the first day itself and the love reflects in the film. Even though there were emotional scenes, we enjoyed each other’s company. There was a lot of appreciation for each other and Gajrajji especially. He is also a director with a string of commercials to his credit. I remember once after I completed a scene, I was confused about whether I got it right. I wanted to ask Anand (the director), but he was busy on the phone. Gajrajji saw my face, came up to me, and said, ‘
Bohot achha tha’. So, his attention to detail is admirable and his comic timing is terrific. One look at his face and you want to laugh. It was so difficult to keep a straight face while enacting certain scenes with him. I literally had to sing a sad song in my head or else, I would have burst out laughing! We also have these bright young actors (Ritwik Bhowmik, Barkha Singh, and Srishti Shrivastava) who are so good. Of course, Anand (Tiwari, the director), who is also an actor, producer Amritpal Singh Bindra, and the Leo Media Collective team make everything on the set so easy and comfortable. It was a cohesive unit. We shot during COVID, but we made sure to protect each other.
After watching the promo, one realises that apart from complex dynamics in human relationships, the film also touches upon how a couple’s sex life changes after marriage. How important is it to be open about such topics and have a more sensitised approach?
It’s very important to talk about love and relationships with friends, your husband, and your family without feeling uncomfortable. It’s important to keep an open dialogue because without that, it is difficult to maintain joy and relationships in family or in life. Communication is important for any relationship to thrive.
The Garba track, ‘Boom Padi’ in ‘Maja Ma’, has become quite a rage and has everyone grooving to it this festive season. Dance has been a huge part of your career and you are still called the queen of dance in Bollywood. How important is it for you?
Dance for me is like breathing. It’s a very spiritual thing. Even now, if I want to work out, I dance, so it’s an extremely important part of my life. It makes me feel happy and connected with the universe. Everybody should try dancing, it changes not only your body but mind, soul… everything! There is a lot of beauty in it and there is a lot of joy you get from it.
You have an enviable body of work. What continues to drive you as an actor and draws you to a script?
By taking up challenging roles and going with my gut. I played a different character in my first web series, which dropped earlier this year. It’s the same with ‘Maja Ma’. I have to challenge myself with every role I select. That’s what I am trying to do. When you take on something challenging, it keeps you on your toes and pushes you to walk that extra mile. I also love exploring different art forms other than acting and dancing. I tried singing because I love it. What’s important to me basically is to be serious about my craft, but have fun while I am at it as well.
You played strong characters even when it was believed there was a dearth of such parts for actresses compared to their male counterparts. Now, you have forayed into OTT. Do you think that the medium has opened a floodgate of opportunities?
Absolutely. You have a series being carried by actresses at the centre of it. I would say that life imitates art and art imitates life. There are all kinds of people and not just youngsters who make up society and life. There are many age groups that have stories to be told and that’s what is happening on OTT. Brilliant actors, who were struggling to find their place in cinema, are getting to show their talent on the web because there is space for everyday people and relatable characters. That’s the one thing I find really great about OTT is that everyone is getting to showcase their talent, which is amazing.
You had entered the film industry at a time when opportunities were directly proportional to your stardom. The focus, today, is shifting from stars to actors. You’ve been a superstar for decades. How does it feel to be working in an era when the concept of superstardom is fast changing?
Talent has always been important. Talent
nahi hoga toh how can you even make it on screen? You had to be talented, but you had to be a star as well. If you think about it, cinema was the only source of entertainment at that time. We didn’t have so many channels and OTT platforms. Today, there are stars everywhere, be it on Instagram, Twitter, OTT, or TV. If you are a star today, you have to manage your social media as well. Back then, stars had to have a certain mysteriousness around them. But today, they want to know all about you. So, things have changed and you have to adapt to changing times.
