Actress Madhuri Dixit prioritised emotional depth over graphic depictions of violence and gore in the upcoming JioHostar series Mrs. Deshpande, she said in a recent interview.
“The responsibility is always there. But we are actors, we play different kinds of roles and we cannot be responsible for everything. As a director, he (Nagesh Kukunoor) was very clear that it's not the violence that we're talking about, it's not the killings, it's the emotion, it's not like gore and all,” Dixit told news agency PTI.
“It's the story, it's her character, it's the revelations and what's happened with her, those are the important parts of the story. So, when people watch the series, they'll realise that it's not about just that (violence). We were never going for shock value,” she added, reflecting on her character of a convicted serial killer in the show.
Director Kukunoor also highlighted that they had consciously chosen to avoid gore and violence. “It was a very, very conscious choice to make sure that we kept the drama and the twists and the relationships working as opposed to the gore and the violence,” he said.
Dixit shared that she was first taken aback when the makers approached her to play the role of a serial killer. However, she soon realised that the story was more nuanced than it seemed.
“It's not just about the killing, but it's more of the emotion, and that's what I liked about the character,” the 58-year-old actress told PTI.
“With Nagesh being the director and Applause Entertainment being the producers, I had faith in them that they would make it, relatable, something that people can watch and make the character believable, it won't be like outlandish or what's going on, and put it in an Indian context,” she added.
Mrs. Deshpande is loosely inspired by the popular French series La Mante (The Mantis), which portrays the protagonist as a convicted serial killer whom the police enlist to assist them in their case.
Starring Carole Bouquet, La Mante revolves around a notorious serial killer named Jeanne Deber, known as The Mantis, who has been in solitary confinement for 25 years.
However, she offers to help the police catch a copycat killer who is emulating her past murders. Her sole condition is that she will only work with Detective Damien Carrot, her estranged son.
Mrs. Deshpande is set to premiere on JioHotstar on 19 December.
Madhuri Dixit was recently seen in the horror comedy Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 (2024), starring alongside Kartik Aaryan, Triptii Dimri, and Vidya Balan. The film emerged to be one of the highest-grossing Hindi films of the year.
