Madhoo EXCLUSIVE Interview: I was part of an era where action heroes got the whole movie

‘Phool Aur Kaante’ and ‘Roja’ fame Madhoo Shah is every die-hard Bollywood fanatic and favorite with 90s kids. Her sizzling chemistry with Ajay Devgn in the popular song ‘Maine Pyaar Tumhi Se Kiya Hai’ or her role as a shy village girl in Mani Ratnam’s Tamil hit Roja, she left a lasting impression in the hearts of audiences.

Next, Madhoo, née Madhubala, will appear as ‘Apsara Menaka’ in Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s ‘Shaakuntalam’. Ahead of the film’s release, the actress talks in an exclusive conversation with Pinkvilla about taking a long sabbatical from acting, pay differences, feeling typecast during the early stages of her career, and more.

Excerpts from the interview:

You took a long 15-year sabbatical from acting and came back. Considering how quickly film changes over time, did you face any challenges?

Yes, I took a very long gap. I’m not sure if it’s exactly 16 years, because every now and then I would do a shortfall that, oddly enough, would take me away from home for two or four days. Anyway, coming back as a pro, it was around that time and yes, a lot has changed. However, the emotions and the feeling about film making don’t change… what changes is the economist of it, the globalization and we are really one world today as Hindi cinema is seen in America and everywhere else at the same time and of course with OTT platforms is everything for everyone. So in that sense, the exposure is pretty daunting. There’s no escaping anything and for me to make a comeback after so many years always makes me feel like a newcomer. I always have that feeling of uncertainty and uncertainty and I always feel like I’m new and have to try my best. yes, there is a certain amount of confidence and a sense of knowing that you’ve been in the industry and worked so much. But I always experience that nervousness. when I worked in the 90’s I was new and my acting was different from the acting of the older generation/veterans. Now the 90s have gotten old and the new party is very different from what I felt and expressed.

You belong to the Mani Ratnam era, the romance and the kind of cinema. Do you think times have changed and now we don’t see the same chemistry in the main characters?

Even though Mani Sir is known for making social drama and now, historical with the base and backbone of the film being political but the detail is in the romance he portrays in all his films and all his characters. Even the chemistry of Manisha Koirala and Shah Rukh Khan in Dil Se, the romance is just so beautiful and yet, without even a single touch or even wearing any exposed clothes… that’s how romance is the soul. That’s why the heroines in his movies look divine and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work with him on two movies. Right now we’re kind of merging, westernized and so our culture that kept us from not doing a few things, the barriers are being broken down. We all like to wear clothes that are sexier and do things that were once considered private to show off on screen. Many barriers have been broken. Times have changed but the chemistry between the actors isn’t about what you do or the project it’s about the feeling of the actor in him so to that extent cinema has changed everything is shown explicitly but not necessarily the chemistry palpable so they are two completely different things.

Be it Neena Gupta or Sarika, the opportunities and the roles they get are very different. How do you see the change and the opportunities for older actresses?

There are many actresses like Sarika ji and Neena Gupta ji who are playing great roles because yes, it has been opened up to all age groups. You don’t have to be locked in because of your marriage, age or size and that’s the best part of today’s industry. It gives us the so-called actresses of yesteryear to actually come back and live your dream. I don’t have to relegate myself to playing single character roles, but doing roles that make me even prouder than my initial career.

Did you experience sexism or feel typecast in the early stages of your career?

Speaking of sexism and typecasting, I played the heroine role, so all the heroines at the time were typecast. We had some great songs to dance and sing to and then we had some romantic scenes, but I was lucky enough to do some movies like Yeshwant and Pechaan and even in my first movie, Phool Aur Kaante. I played different types of roles in different languages ​​and have no complaints about the roles that came my way but yes at some point towards the end of my career I decided to quit as I started to feel I wanted to do more but I wasn’t getting those kinds of roles. I was part of an era where action and action heroes got the whole movie. they were all about action and revenge with Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty and Ajay Devgn in the rides. and after doing movies like yodha and roja in the south i wanted more movies like this to come my way but it didn’t happen and i found my life partner so i decided to leave and have no regrets there by.

Pay difference?

Speaking of pay differentials, I never questioned it, but accepted it as a norm. So kudos to the girls of today who have completely transformed the status of heroines in the industry today. these days film goes and sells in the name of a female actor and so do box office collections based on it be it Priyanka Chopra, Deepika or Alia. So on the cash register tab they should get what is duly correct. The girls really stand up for it and are really proud of them.

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