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'There's scope in masala films'

Urmila Matondkar. Click for bigger pic!

Mrudula Rajadhyaksha

It is easy to spot the heroine's make-up van outside the sets of London at Mehboob Studio in Bandra, northwest Bombay.

At the appointed hour and the appointed minute, a bored gentleman waiting for the end of lunch hour motions us in. As the door of the van opens, we blink a few seconds before we espy a pretty girl who looks like she's hardly out of school sitting on the long and comfy couch. Urmila Matondkar's got an orange, striped, full-sleeved T-shirt above and tight, tight, oh-so-tight jeans below. She's sipping coffee from a mug that offers some competition to her own. She smiles at us and points at two small chairs built into the vehicle.

While we busy ourselves clumsily with pens, notepads and what not, we peek around the small cabin.

There are thick cotton curtains over the tinted glass windows. And with a couch, two chairs and a built-in table there's hardly place to move. On the right is a door leading to what we guess must be... Oh well, let's get on with it.

Urmila's still waiting for our questions, holding onto the mug with long, slender fingers. It is pleasant seeing the enthusiasm on her face. A change from those bored mugs you see at every interview.

We tell her she looks surprisingly younger, offscreen. She has heard that one before, even from rivals like Manisha Koirala whom she met by chance. But, we also begin to surmise, lurking somewhere behind and above that face is a mature brain, one that has ensured she isn't affected by her success.

You are looking so much better than your Narsimha days. Did you change your make-up man?

(Laughs) No, I haven't. If I have changed, it's because I think every artist should change after every four years. It's a process. As you grow older, maturity naturally comes to you. And it shows on your face. It's true not only about looks, but your maturity should also reflect in your performances. Maybe, four years later, I will look different again!

In comparison with Rangeela, you look very different in Satya.

It's not a deliberate attempt to look different. In Satya, I play a girl you can see at any bus-stop, railway station, on the street... So get-up blends with the character.

Click for bigger pic!

Is Satya an art film?

(Shocked) Oh, no! It's not at all an art film. Maybe the promos or my plain looks are giving the impression.

Definitely, the subject and treatment are different from other commercial movies, but that's about it. It's the story of an ordinary person like you and me, and things happen to him, like they can happen to any common man, anywhere, anytime. But otherwise, it's a pure, commercial film.

Why are you scared to call it an art film? Is that because audiences might run away from the theatres?

(Sharply) Why should I be scared? Don't you think I would be proud to call it an art film? (Very sarcastically) I will also then fall in the category of 'arty' types.

So you never will do an art film?

No, not for the heck of it. If my role is big and meaningful, only then I will consider (it). Otherwise, I'm happy doing the films I'm doing. There's a lot of scope for performing in masala movies. Today, I don't think we need the vehicle of parallel films to prove our talent. Many artists have proved it before.

Do you think actresses contribute anything to masala films? Aren't they just painted dolls?

That's a matter of opinion. There are some -- though very few -- heroine-oriented movies coming up. Of course, they are exceptions. But in the normal set-up of masala films there is a little scope. As I said, opinions vary. Some people say, heroines just have to look good and provide the glamour. Some say, from dance-n-song routines, heroines have come a long way. Today, the heroine's name adds weight to the film, though maybe they can't carry the whole film on their names. I believe, yes, we do contribute a lot to films.

Tell us about your forthcoming films.

There's Kudrat opposite Akshay Kumar, Khoobsurat with Sanjay Dutt, Janam Samjha Karo with Salman and Kunwara opposite Govinda and, of course, London.

What is your character in London like?

Click for bigger pic!

I play an NRI girl. My costumes are very casual, simple. And, like in Satya they go with my character well. Of course, that's the director's contribution. Sunny is a fine director. Having worked with many talented directors, Sunny himself has become very good. You don't feel you're working with a debutant director. The detailing, the homework, the script, is perfect.

Do you always relate to the characters you play?

To some extent I relate to them. Like, I am convinced about the character, her reactions, her behaviour. But I can't relate completely. Some characters I cannot relate to. Like, I play a typical housewife of an MCP husband. I can never be like her in real life but I can place myself in her place and react. Only that is required of me as an actress. I don't have to relate there.

So it depends on the characters. As long as I don't look down upon any characters that's fine. The moment I do that -- the moment I think I'm superior or that others are inferior -- I'm finished. As an artist and as a human being.

So you believe a good artist has to be a good human being first.

Of course, or else how do you understand people? And if you don't, then how will you play them, thinking only about yourself?

But the limelight and your profession make you selfish, right?

You mean, one gets used to the attention and the glamour? Yes, that happens. But that also makes you a good person. Unless you look good who would like to look at you? It also depends how seriously you take your image. For me, after the studio lights go off, I'm the same old Urmila. So, it depends. You can't say that every actor is self-centred or selfish. In fact, we have to be nicer because we've to deal with so many people every day.

Once the studio lights are off, do you also try to look good?

Consciously, no. I can't say I don't care at all for my looks. But I won't spend hours trying to look good off-screen. The beauty should come from within. If your inner soul isn't beautiful, no amount of lipstick or eyeliner can make you look good.

That is when a make-up man comes to tell her it is time to retouch her face. In her native Marathi, she asks him if it is for a close-up or mid-shot. She turns to us. Time, that motion tells us, for us to be going. But we decide to test our luck and ask her if we can see her at work.

"No," she says almost in panic. "Sunny hasn't allowed the press on the sets."

And who wants to take up a panga with that Jat anyway?

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Rangeela Re!