Home | Movies
Urmila is an actress, period
An actress with a lot of style and a fair amount of substance

It has been a while since Urmila Matondkar really set the screen on fire with her presence.

Her last release, Anupam Kher's Om Jai Jagadish did not count. Now, Urmila plans to make a strong statement with her performance in the forthcoming Deewangee.

Directed by Anees Bazmi, and starring Ajay Devgan and Akshaye Khanna, the film is said to be inspired by Hollywood's Primal Fear, starring Richard Gere, Ed Norton and Laura Linney.

Urmila looks stunning, as always. This is her take on the film:

I am very excited about Deewaangee.

Ajay [Devgan] saw the film recently; he sounded very excited about it. He is not the kind to say good things for no reason. I am quite upbeat about the film.

When director Anees Bazmi came to me with the script, I knew I had to do the film. Aneesji once told me that the audience can tell within five minutes whether it likes a film or not. Likewise, an artiste can tell whether a film is worth doing within five minutes of narration. That happened to me with Deewaangee. The screenplay and performances are the film's USP. Aneesji is completely in control of his script.

Deewaangee has turned out a 'complete entertainer'. I have done a thriller before. But Kaun was not really a mainstream film.

I play a pop star in this film. Never done that before, though I have done quite a lot of floor dancing in my films (laughs). Dance is just one aspect of my role.

The film revolves around the three characters -- Ajay, Akshaye and me. Both the heroes have done a wonderful job.

I have always tried to make life interesting for myself by doing different roles that connect mainstream cinema with its offbeat counterpart. I guess I have been daring and lucky with my roles. I am not quite turning into a serious actress. I have never made tall claims.

I am an actresss, period.

I want to do every kind of role with a reasonable amount of panache. I want to be a fair combination of style and substance.

Urmila Matondkar spoke to Subhash K Jha