The quirky entertainer Maa Behen released on Netflix three weeks ago and as expected, Madhuri Dixit, Triptii Dimri and Ravi Kishan have impressed viewers with their performances. However, the surprise of the film is Dharna Durga, who plays Rekha’s (Madhuri Dixit) younger daughter and Jaya’s (Triptii Dimri) sister, Sushma. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Dharna spoke about the feedback, her experience of working on the film and a lot more.
How have the last three weeks been for you and what has the feedback been like?
Honestly, it's been a little overwhelming in the best way possible. When you spend months shooting something, you have no idea how people are going to react once it finally belongs to the audience. The last two weeks have basically been me reading messages, seeing edits, seeing memes, and just feeling very grateful. The nicest part is that people aren't saying, “Oh, Dharna the creator was in the film”. They're talking about the character. That's the biggest compliment for me.
Has anyone from the industry reached out to you? Also, the film references Raja Hindustani's (1996) kiss during your flashback. Have Aamir Khan and Karisma Kapoor seen the film yet?
A lot of people have been extremely kind and generous with their messages. Some of them genuinely surprised me because they're people whose work I've admired for years. As for Aamir sir and Karisma ma'am, I honestly don't know if they've seen it yet. If they have, nobody has informed me. But if Karisma ma'am laughs at that reference, I think I'll frame that moment for life.
You were sharing screen space with talented, established actors like Madhuri Dixit and Triptii Dimri and yet you have maintained a strong position. Are you relieved to see that the audience has accepted it unanimously?
Relieved is probably the right word. When you're standing next to performers like Madhuri ma'am and Triptii, you're not trying to compete with them. You're trying not to faint. I went into the project wanting to do justice to my character. The audience accepting me alongside such incredible actors feels like a huge vote of confidence. It makes me feel like maybe I do belong here.
The film raises an important comment, but it seems a small section of the audience hasn't accepted it. Was that expected?
Absolutely. If a film is discussing something relevant and complicated, everybody isn't going to agree with it. That's normal. I think conversations are healthy. The goal isn't to make every single person think the same thing. The goal is to get people thinking and talking. And honestly, if people are debating the themes after watching the film, it means the film stayed with them.
The #JijuMainJaaun track was hilarious. How did this hashtag come about and were there any alternatives?
I wish I could take credit for it because it's ridiculous in the best way. Pooja ma’am (Pooja Tolani; one of the writers of the film) wrote it. I think it has that innocent playfulness to it, but also an underlying double meaning thing to it as well jo jija saali ke relationship ke baare mein people talk.
Madhuri Dixit said that you cried when you met her for the first time. Can you share details of that day?
This is 100% true. I met Madhuri ma'am and suddenly all my preparation disappeared. I became a child. I've grown up watching her films. She's one of those people who feels larger than life. I got emotional and she was incredibly sweet about it. Instead of making it awkward, she comforted me and spoke to me so warmly. Within minutes, she made me feel like I belonged there. That's a quality very few stars have.
You and Triptii Dimri are constantly fighting on screen. How was the bond off-screen?
The complete opposite (smiles). Triptii is one of the easiest people to be around. She's calm, funny and very supportive. We'd be yelling at each other in a scene and then discussing food between takes. Sometimes the director would call action and we'd have to remember that we're supposed to hate each other.
The scene where all three of you scream is so funny and unexpected. How many retakes did it take to get it right?
Honestly, not too many. We were imagining how scary and shocking that moment would be for our characters, so the reactions came quite naturally.
How was it shooting the last scene involving all three of you and Ravi Kishan, especially the tel maalish and selfie shot? Were there any funny incidents on the sets?
That was a really fun day to shoot because the scene itself had such a light and celebratory energy.
Working with Ravi sir was wonderful. He's such a respected and accomplished actor. Even the shoot of the selfie sequence was fun because there were all four of us in the frame and everyone brought their own little flavour to the moment.
More Pages: Maa Behen Box Office Collection , Maa Behen Movie Review
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