Namrata Shirodkar turns down a film with Sanjay Dutt 
By Subhash K. Jha, September 17, 2008 - 11:58 IST
She couldn't be happier even if she tried. Though a cloud recently fell over Namrata Shirodkar's paradise when her mom passed away last week, marriage and motherhood suit the actress, best remembered for her stellar performance as a streetwalker in Mahesh Manjrekar's Vaastav opposite Sanjay Dutt.
"In fact," she laughs from Hyderabad as her 2-year old son Gautam constantly demands her attention. "Sanju who's a dear friend sent me an offer through Rikkuji (Rakesh Nath, who looked after Namrata and her sister Shilpa's work) for a T Series film. I was tempted. But then I looked at my son, and that moment was over. Really, at this moment I want nothing more than to look after him. And he's quite a handful. On some days, I just want to sit under a shooting umbrella in a sunny outdoor location all over again. But then nothing gives me more happiness than Gautam."
Namrata brightens with maternal pride. "I don't want to say it myself. But Gautam is a very good- looking boy. He has my eyes and Mahesh's smile."
Namrata's husband Mahesh Babu is the reining superstar in Telugu cinema, and she has now started taking interest in his career. "I recently supervised his clothes for a film, and enjoyed the diversion. Whenever his movies need an artiste from Mumbai I tap my old contacts, like recently I contacted Malaika Arora for a song in Mahesh's film."
Mom's going has left a wound within Namrata. "But it's ok. I'm done with the grieving. She didn't have to suffer much. The only lingering sorrow is that my sister Shilpa couldn't be down from London when our mom was gone. Shilpa's passport had been taken away because she has applied for British citizenship. My sister was much closer to mom. Mom accompanied my sister to all her shootings. I made my way on my own."
Now Namrata is planning a trip to London to share her sister's sorrow. "The only problem is, will Gautam be able to take the long flight?"
For now, Mahesh Babu is taking time off from his hectic shooting schedules to take his lovely wife and cute son on a holiday to Singapore before he leaves for a 40-day outdoor in Rajasthan.
Does Namrata miss Mumbai? "I don't miss the city. I miss my friends. Most of my closest friends have come to visit me in Hyderabad. So I feel I'm always linked with Mumbai."
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Namrata Shirodkar speaks on 'Charas'
