If anyone doubted Urmila Matondkar?s star power just because she hasn?t been seen in a film for over a year ? her last release was the laudable Ek Hasina Thi ? here was an eye-opener.

In Varanasi this week for four days to shoot Pankuj Parasher?s film, simply titled, Varanasi, Urmila was mobbed so vociferously she was shocked by the adulation. ?I?ve been to non-metropolitan towns for shooting. But nowhere have I witnessed such a staunch and soaring mass of fans. Wherever I went there were people flocking for attention. It was amazing!?

Urmila isn?t the first star to shoot in Varanasi in recent times. Abhishek Bachchan shot in the city of temples and ghats for a few days for Goldie Behl?s Bas Itna Sa Khwab Hai. Later, Aishwarya Rai was down at the ghats of the Ganga doing scenes for Rituparno Ghosh?s Chokher Bali.

However, not all film units have been that lucky. Some years ago, Deepa Mehta and her unit of Water comprising Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das, had to return from the holy city without a single shot when news spread that Mehta?s script allegedly belittled the city and its culture. The director had to finally shoot the film in Colombo.

Urmila?s sojourn in Varanasi also involved a great deal of riverside spiritualism. She?s all praise for the people of the city. The rapidly evolving actress has just wrapped up a thriller for the production house, I Dreams, called Naina which she shot in London. ?From London to Varanasi is quite a long way. But it?s a journey worth taking. There?s so much to learn from the cultural differences among people all over. I?m lucky to have travelled to many parts of the world for my shootings. I think an artiste needs to broaden her perspective constantly.?

Urmila returns to Varanasi in March for another spell of shooting. ?This time I?ll be pitched against a formidable cast of actors including Naseeruddin Shah, Dimple Kapadia and Raj Babbar. I love the idea of being part of an ensemble cast such as this where every character creates a space and distance.?

The last time she worked with Naseer, Urmila was just a child in Shekhar Kapur?s Masoom. ?How time flies! In 2003, I got to work again after Masoom with Shabanaji in Tehzeeb. We became really good friends. Now it?s Naseer Uncle. Just goes to prove my point. Cinema is now a small world, both in terms of time and space.?

Interestingly, Urmila?s romantic lead in her two new films are relatively new faces. It?s Anuj Sawhney in Naina and Ashmit Patel in Varanasi. ?To me it has never been important who my costar is. The script is always my main consideration. In Varanasi the script is a superstar,? she quips, happy about her popular-award nominations for Ek Hasina Thi.

SKJ