Urmila ready to show it all!
Urmila ready to show it all!
Urmila
Mandotkar is in the process of taking Bollywood to the next dimension. She is in the process of signing the first true “Show it all” on the screen. The whole thing is at a very early stage of planning and execution. This will be the biggest of hits!
Urmila Mandotkar speaks to Subhash K Jha about her fascinating exploration:
2003 has been your year.
Really? If you say so. I feel privileged. But at the same time grant me the credit for taking risks with my career. A lot of actresses shy away from pushing the envelope thinking of the repercussions. When I cut my so-called crowning glory, my hair, people frowned. Not for a second did I stop to think that my star-appeal was in my hair.
Tehzeeb mein aapki performance bahut tehzeeb se bhari hui hai.
Yeah you have to. When you have an actress like Shabana Azmi standing in front of you, you have perform with a lot of tehzeeb. When I heard the script what appealed to me was that the mother-daughter relationship transcended any one specific situation. I want the film to appeal to mothers and daughters. Though there’s no dearth of father-son films, Tehzeeb gives us a rare insight into the heart of a mother-daughter relationship. I play a very strong and obstinate girl. She takes hard decisions in life and sticks by them. Like Bhoot and Pinjar, Tehzeeb once again took me out of myself and placed me in an entirely different personality.
Your own family life is so different from Tehzeeb.
Yeah I come from a very well-adjusted family. No friction with my mother (laughs). I had to make my character iron-willed. My character Tehzeeb doesn’t show her emotions. It’s alll simmering under the surface. Interestingly Shabanaji who specializes in implosive characters is over-the-top while I , the boisterous one, am an introvert. I saw Tehzeeb as a selfcomposed angry young woman. Her resentment is very focussed and muted. Shabanaji and I have managed to project both the perspectives without prejudice. We make quite a wacky mother-daughter pair.
What was it like working with Shabana?
When you work with someone of her calibre you automatically begin to hone your talents. Sparks fly on screen because both of us have got under our characters’ skin. Every person can identify with a mother’s determination to make her child walk in her own footsteps and the child’s obstinate determination to walk her own path. We all go through these turmoils. Shabana is a cult figure. She’s done it all. My feelings for her were a mixture of respect and adulation. I was very comfortable with her. We chatted about movies and directors. The same is true of my vibes with Arjun Rampal and Diya Mirza.
You’ve also worked with Arjun Rampal for the first time?
Apart from being a very goodlooking guy he’s a nice humanbeing. He came into the film with a lot of apprehensions. But once he was in, it became his responsibility as an actor to see the project. He plays an extremely endearing husband. He’s the Ideal Man, the kind all women want, but seldom does. For the first time we see such a relationship of equality between a husband and wife. The chemistry between the husband and wife, played by me and Arjun Rampal is uneasy. My character shies away from love. She’s in many ways frozen. Tehzeeb brings a contemporary feel to our films. I enjoyed that.
How was Khalid Mohamed as a director?
Wonderful. We argued over a few scenes where he wanted me to come on stronger. But I felt it was necessary for me to strike a balance so that both mothers and daughters in the audience would empathize with my conflicts. Khalid has been brought up by a household of strong women. This is reflected
in his writing. And he knows exactly how he wants the characters to be played. He’s a director perpetually on the tenterhooks. He was perturbed about the way I‘d tackle Tehzeeb until I explained my take on the character. After that he was relaxed.
What makes Tehzeeb such a special film?
For the first time we see a working woman, played by Shabanaji. who loves her work passionately and isn’t portrayed as a victim of financial constraints but a woman who chooses to work unapologetically. Then there‘s me, Tehzeeb who says, to hell with others’ expectations and refuses to walk in her mother’s footsteps. To me my characters make a very big feminist statement. According to me feminism is about being comfortable happy and guilt-free in your own space. That’s what Tehzeeb does.
There’re two 'item'songs in Tehzeeb.
And why not? We weren’t making an arthouse film. The believability of the film comes from the performances rather than a deglamorized visual content. But yes, you won’t find me in a zaree sari and full makeup ladling the dal in the kitchen.
Is that a comment on the current soaps?
Ha ha. That’s for you to know.
Tehzeeb is your first true ‘feminine’ film.
I agree. No other film of mine has held the feminine gaze so steadily. I’ve tried to bring in a tremendous amount of seething quiet anger through my character’s tense body language and troubled eyes. My ‘look’ for Tehzeeb is totally unplanned. I just walked into the part looking how I do in real life. Half the time I’ve no makeup on.
After Bhoot and Pinjar do you think you’ve conquered more peaks in Tehzeeb ?
I never look at peaks. I’m on my own little journey. When seven years ago I did Judaai many actresses refused to stand up to Sridevi. If I’ve stood up to Shabana Azmi in Tehzeeb it’s just one more beautiful incident in my career. Evolution is a natural part of my life. I could’ve done fifty Rangeelas. Instead I chose a different path. I’m quite happy with the direction my career has taken.
Full Name: Urmila Matondkar
Birthday: 4th February
Place of birth: Goa, India
Mailing Address:
93/14 Sangam,
Lokhandwala Road,
Andheri (w)
Mumbai - 400 058
India
Films:
1981 KALYUG - Rekha
1982 MASOOM - Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, Jugal Hansraj
1989 CHANAKYA - Kamal Hassan Dimple Kapadia, Om Puri
1991 NARSIMHA - Sunny Deol, Dimple Kapadia
1992 CHAMATKAR - Shah Rukh Khan, Naseeruddin Shah,
1993 ATAM - Nagarjuna,
1993 GAYYAM - Jagapathi Babu,
1993 SHREEMAN AASHIQ - Rishi Kapoor, Bindu
1994 AA GALE LAGA JA - Jugal Hansraj,
1994 DROHI - Nagarjuna,
1994 KANOON - Ajay Devgan, Reema Lagoo
1995 ANAGANAG OKA ROJU - Chakravarthi,
1995 RANGEELA - Jackie Shroff, Aamir Khan,
1996 HINDUSTANI - Kamal Hassan, Manisha Koirala,
1997 SATYA - Chakravarty
1997 AFLATOON - Akshay Kumar, Anupam Kher
1997 DAUD - Sunjay Dutt, Paresh Rawal
1997 JUDAAI - Anil Kapoor, Sridevi, Kader Khan
1997 MERE SAPNO KI RANI - Sanjay Kapoor, Madhoo
1998 JAANAM SAMJHA KARO - Salman Khan, Shakti Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor
1998 KHOOBSURAT - Sunjay Dutt, Om Puri
1998 KAUN - Manoj Bajpai, Shusant Singh
1998 KUDRAT - Akshay Khanna, Kader Khan
1998 MAST - Aftab Shivdasani, Dilip Tahil, Antara Mali
1999 JUNGLE - Fardeen Khan, Shusant Singh,
1999 HUM TUM PE MARTE HAIN - Govinda, Paresh Rawal, Dimple Kapadia
2000 DEEWANE - Ajay Devgan, Mahima Chaudhray, Johnny Lever
2000 KUNWARA - Govinda, Om Puri, Kader Khan
2001 PYAAR TUNE KYA KIYA - Fardeen Khan, Sonali Kulkarni
2002 OM JAI JAGADISH - Anil Kapoor, Fardeen Khan, Abhishek Bachchan
2002 DEEWANGEE - Akshay Khanna, Ajay Devgan
2003 BHOOT - Ajay Devgan, Rekha, Fardeen Khan, Nana Patekar
2003 PINJAR - Manoj Bajpai, Sanjay Suri, Isha Koppikar
2003 TEHZEEB - Shabana Azmi, Diya Mirza, Arjun Rampal
2004 EK HASINA THI - Saif Ali Khan, Seema Biswas