While comparisons with Chandramukhi are inevitable, actor Madhuri Dixit tells Saimi Sattar that it is the treatment of Bahaar Begum in Kalank which sets it apart
As soon as the teasers of Kalank came out, the comparisons between Madhuri Dixit’s portrayal of Chandramukhi in Devdas and Bahaar Begum in the new film became inevitable. However, Madhuri feels that while the appearance might be similar, in grain, they are different women. “Bahaar Begum is a very reticent person. She is an introvert and is emotionally scarred because of a past tragedy which has made her what she is. She is silent, yet conveys a lot through her eyes. As compared to her, Chandramukhi wore her heart on her sleeve. Her love for Devdas was there for everyone to see. She could go all out and sing Maar Daala,” says the actor, who critics say, “lit up the screen in every frame” in her newest outing.
Madhuri, known for her dancing prowess, reunites with Sanjay Dutt in Kalank, to whom she was rumoured to be romantically linked in her younger days. But she values the co-star bit. Besides, she stepped into the shoes of Sridevi who was supposed to essay the role before her tragic death. She says, “There was an emotional context to taking up the role. They were about to start and then things went haywire. Karan (Johar) is a friend and I decided to help them.”
The film talks about ‘Eternal Love’ and Madhuri believes that it does exist. “I am a romantic person and I do believe it exists as whether you find it or not is your journey. There was a dialogue in Dil To Pagal Hai where I said Kahin na kahin, koi na koi mere liye banaya gaya hai... aur kabhi na kabhi main usse zaroor milungi. And I used to believe in that and I did meet Ram (Shriram Madhav Nene). He is my soulmate,” she says.
The film also stars younger actors Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Sonakshi Sinha and Aditya Roy Kapur and she says, “The characters are complicated as their lives are not straight and each of their paths is interwoven with the others. All characters have a lot of angst and regrets. They are all grey and that is what makes the story interesting.”
She is all praise for the four with whom she has worked this time around. “They are very professional. They are always on time. They learn their lines and work hard.”
While the youngsters often imbibe the nuances of acting from her, there are tricks that they have taught her. “You see a new side to everything with them. It is wonderful to see this generation which is not only acting in movies but has a presence on the social media. There are so many different things that they do. You get to learn from them and they get to learn from us. So we inspire each other. It is a symbiotic relationship. There is a lot of synergy,” she says and as someone, who too has signed up on various platforms, goes on to add, “I enjoy social media as it is a great tool to connect directly to fans. One can voice anything that has happened or if you have been misquoted, you can reach out to your fans directly through Twitter. You can share things whenever you want to.”
Not just the stars, but even the way that the film industry functions has changed drastically since the time she made her debut in Abodh in 1984 and ruled the silver screen during the greater part of the nineties. Madhuri saw both commercial and critical success and received six Filmfare Awards, which she topped up with a Padma Shri in 2008. She says, “Films are made professionally now. When I was doing a film like Tezaab, the only women that we saw on the sets were the co-stars, hairdressers and me. There were only two women directors, Sai Paranjpye and Aparna Sen. Women could only be hair dressers and not make-up artists as men blocked their entry and made sure that they were confined to one role. However, when I walk on to the sets today, there seem to be women everywhere. There is no concept of you can do this and you can’t. Every department has women.”
This is also reflected in the kind of stories that are now being told. With more women writers, there are characters with more flesh and blood. “Men perceive women in a different way. Earlier, it a was very patriarchal, male-dominated view that was put out in the films. Women are no longer caricatures. They are not victims or avengers, they are roles and characters. The thought process of this generation is very different and this is reflected in the scripts. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have a Badhaai Ho, Gulaab Gang or Dedh Ishqiya,” says the actor who proved her acting chops with a film like Mrityudand (1997) by Prakash Jha. She also famously served as a muse for painter MF Husain who made Gaja Gamini (2000) starring her.
So, would she say that it is a better time for women like Alia to be in the films as there are more roles for women? “Why just them?,” she asks and adds, “It’s a great time for me as well. The audience has matured and wants to see different kinds of subjects. In Andhadhun, Tabu’s character is so different from the usual.”
Clearly, there is a lot more on the anvil from the actress.
Photo: Pankaj Kumar
