Urmila

Mumbai, Jan. 14: M.F. Husain has chosen comedy and Urmila Matondkar as his latest muses.

The painter, who opened an exhibition of his paintings today at the National Gallery of Modern Art, said he will start shooting for a film in April called Komedi.com featuring the actress.

He said he chose Urmila because she was particularly suited for comedy. “Unlike Madhuri Dixit, who is a classical beauty, and Tabu, who is down-to-earth, Urmila is suited to comedy because of her poker face and her body language,” he said.

Madhuri and Tabu acted in Gajagamini and the yet-to-be-released Meenaxi, respectively, the previous films by Husain.

“There will be three women — Rohini from Pune, Devi from Patna and Jasvinder from Patiala. All will be played by Urmila,” he added. They are lookalikes who bump into each other.

“My film will project a very Indian sense of humour,” the octogenarian said. “It is a difficult kind of humour. It will be subtle and there will be very few words,” he explained. He is writing the script of the film that will be ready by the end of this year.

Husain said he prefers to make films on his own stories and avoid adaptations because “the film should be my own child”. He also said that of all art forms — painting, writing and cinema — the last gives him the greatest pleasure.

“Film is the most dynamic form of art. It is the complete medium, employing visuals, literature and movement,” he said.