Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit Nene on Friday said she has consistently chosen films that portray women with agency and strength.
Speaking at the trailer launch of her upcoming film Maa Behen in Mumbai, Madhuri said the movie presents women as powerful individuals despite their flaws and societal judgment.
“I’ve worked very hard in my acting career. Talking in reference to Maa Behen, I’ve always tried to do films where women have a powerful role. I’m thankful to Survesh (Triveni) and Vikram (Malhotra, producer) that they thought of me for this role, which is completely different for me to do. I’m glad I got to play yet another powerful role,” she said.
Directed by Suresh Triveni of Tumhari Sulu, Jalsa and Subedaar fame, the film also stars Tripti Dimri and influencer Dharna Durgaa.
The film follows Rekha (Madhuri), a single mother whose life spirals into chaos after a dead body turns up in her kitchen. She teams up with her daughters Jaya and Sushma to hide the truth while dealing with nosy neighbours and mounting suspicion.
Calling the movie a story about imperfect people, Madhuri said her character navigates the stigma often attached to single mothers in society.
“All the women in the film are powerful. It’s a story of a dysfunctional family; there’s nothing perfect, even my character is dysfunctional and not perfect. Like, she stays in a society where single mothers are often looked at differently, she is facing that trouble as people are judgmental,” she said.
Madhuri also recalled her reaction when Triveni first revealed the title of the film. “When he narrated the story to me, I asked him, ‘What’s the title of the film?’ and he said, ‘Maa Behen’, and for a second, I thought he is kidding, and I laughed. He was just looking at me. I asked him, ‘Is this really the title of the film?’, and he said, ‘Yes’. When I heard the story, I felt this is the apt title,” she said.
Maa Behen also stars Ravi Kishan, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Arunoday Singh and Shardul Bhardwaj. The film will premiere on Netflix on June 4.
