Madhoo: Watching Deepika Padukone in her ‘Padmaavat’ outfit reminded me that I had missed out on playing such roles in my career – Exclusive | Hindi Movie News
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Menaka according to our Indian epic Mahabharata is a beautiful apsara, who is very influential and sensuous. What was your first reaction when this role was offered to you?
I don’t take anything for granted in life. When nice things happen to me, I don’t think I deserve them or that it was fated to happen that way. That isn’t how I feel. I accept everything gratefully and with humility. I was approached by Neelimaji, the producer of “Shaakuntalam,” who stated her desire to have me join the project and complimented me on how youthful I still appear today. She claimed that even though I’m older now than I was in the 1990s, people still think of Menaka as a young woman. Because she lives on Earth, her daughter Shakuntala ages, but Menaka, an Apsara in Devalok, never ages and remains evergreen. The producer claimed that because of how similar I have always appeared, she couldn’t see anyone else playing this part. As a result, I was also considering whether it would be a good idea to portray Samantha’s mother when she said these things to me. Obviously, I’m portraying a mother in other movies, but I had some amusing ideas. However, Neelima’s explanation to me about me not playing Samantha’s mother; but Menaka, who represents everlasting beauty and youth, was crucial. She went on to say that she and director Garu see me in that light. The whole story simply moved me to tears. And I simply thanked God for preserving my looks so that I could take up this role with people who are showering me with praise and admiration. Furthermore, I accepted the opportunity without any more queries and doubts. I have done this role proudly and joyfully, feeling good that I was given this responsibility. Even though I only had a minor cameo, it’s one of my best. The focus of the film is not Menaka. The focus of the film is Shaakuntala. Despite the relatively small amount of screen space, I feel like it’s my movie. And I’m happy to have worked on this movie with these guys.
What was the first thought that struck you, when you finally saw yourself in the Menaka look?
Mythological and historical dramas were not as frequently produced when I was working in the film industry as they are now. The change came about largely due to Sanjay Leela Bhansal’s ‘Padmaavat, ‘Devdas’ and other recent productions. These larger-than-life films with expensive sets and stunning costumes have made an impact. We’ve also been influenced by films like Ashutosh Gowariker’s ‘Jodhaa Akbar’. Watching Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Deepika Padukone donning the queenly attires I began to think that I should also dress up and star in a costume drama. I’ve always wished I could dress like the beautiful Rajasthani Queen. After getting ready as Menaka, I realised that my outfit—which I often considered in my dreams—really made me appear like an Apsara. It seemed as though my aspirations, dreams and prayers had been answered.
When I saw Deepika Padukone in the ‘Padmaavat’ outfit, I thought to myself that I had missed doing roles and characters like that during the early phase of my career. Back then, female leads were wearing miniskirts. Fortunately, I got the opportunity to dress up with elegance by playing Menaka. I had to don that embellished costume and sit around for 2-3 hours to portray Menaka but I never cribbed about it.
A lot of credit for my attire and look goes to Neeta Lulla ji. She wasn’t a run-of-the-mill designer who just comes with clothes and designs and sells them to the producer. She was actively involved even during my look test. She was there when I was getting ready on a daily basis. She was always present with me. It took that kind of involvement by these experts to create Menaka’s look. I just gave myself in the hands of the makeup artist, Neeta Lulla ji, Munir Shekhar ji and I never questioned anyone. I never told Neeta ji what I want or what needs to be done with my eyes or which lipstick to apply. I allowed her recommended process to happen as is.
What sort of compliments have you received for your portrayal of Menaka?
I was dying to post my photos on my social media handles and WhatsApp groups, but I was warned by everyone that till the makers release the look, I cannot share it anywhere. So I got ready in the makeup room and I walked towards the big set of the King’s Palace because I had a trail and so much heavy jewelry, five people were walking me to the set. There was somebody who was holding my trail, my makeup artist was touching up my makeup, and I walked with a battalion of five or seven people every time I wore that costume. And I truly felt like a Queen for those few days when I was doing the role. I can’t tell you how I felt at that time. I remember, when I walked on the sets, my manager who was with me, told me that he had never seen me walk like that. To which I replied – I am walking differently because I am the Queen. I am not Madhoo dancing around like a young chutput (laughs).
How was the experience of working with director Gunasekhar?
I worked with Jisshu Sengupta, who plays Indradev. And I shared the screen space with Kabir Bedi, sir. But the real experience of working on the film was with the director, Gunasekhar Ji, because right now I am working with a team of young people. The industry is very young right now. The directors are young. Everybody is young. And I really reinvented myself. I love working with youngsters because it keeps me young, new, relevant, and contemporary. Having said that, to work with names from the old industry, like Mani Ratnam sir, Raghavendra Rao sir, Subhash Ghai ji and Yash Chopra ji was something else. The way they treated their talent, the way they talked to the artiste, the respect they gave the actor, and the courage they gave us to speak was incredible.
Many years ago when I was working with Raghavendra Rao sir, we were shooting for a song and when I came on the set, perhaps my face was looking swollen. Raghavendra Rao sir canceled the shoot for the day. He said, “You are my heroine and we are doing a song sequence, I need you to look your best. You can’t have puffy eyes.” He actually canceled the shoot without looking into the losses of the day. Director Gunasekhar ji has the same approach. He made sure, he never hurried me, he never said ‘we are all waiting’, and ‘so much money is being wasted’, he waited patiently every time I got ready. It just felt like we were doing something amazing. It felt like we were creating an epic. It didn’t feel like we were making a movie for a business. And that feeling made me feel very, very special.
Have you read Shakuntala? What sort of preparation did you do to play Menaka?
These are the stories that I grew up listening to. My grandmother and my mother told me stories about Shakuntala. That was our childhood. Today’s children are watching gossip girls on TV while growing up. My entertainment in Chennai was my granny telling me stories of Ramayana and Mahabharata. Shakuntalam is a part of my childhood.
If you had to choose a yesteryear actress to play Menaka, who would it be?
I can’t think of anybody but Hema Malini ji. I’ve seen her in these kinds of outfits and she is a cult favourite. No matter what her age, whether she plays Parvati, Meera, Ganga or Sita, she always looks divine! Nobody ever says that she’s old or how can she play these characters? She can play any of these godly, divine characters because she’s just like them.
Are you in touch with Hema Malini?
Of course, I am always in touch with her. She’s a very busy person and I get engaged with my work, too, so sometimes we are not able to meet as often as we did when I was younger. But she’s always on my mind. She’s my family and I’m always in touch with her. Thanks to WhatsApp, we are in the same family group. We all know where the others from the family are and what everyone is doing.
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