Sushmita Sen

We admire her in the earthen avatar. We worship her in the pandals. We devote five days of the year to her. But what if Ma Durga was to come calling on the big screen, several decades after Devi? Metro asked an eclectic bunch about the celluloid Ma Durga of choice?

Mahesh Dattani, playwright: South Indian actress Shobana. She has a powerful presence and would be able to mirror some of the universal energy that is associated with Ma Durga. Shobana has an electric personality and is blessed with an abundance of strength and grace in her dance. I cannot imagine using a non-dancer in that role and I don?t like light-eyed actresses. Although Shobana has the Meenakshi (fish-eyed) look, I would have preferred a pre-Aryan face (when goddess cultures were predominant), but can?t think of any known dancer/actress with such attributes.

Mahesh Bhatt, filmmaker: I would go for Angelina Jolie. She is not just surface dazzle and has a tremendous depth in her personality in an age that is largely skin-deep. You have to go beyond her superficial dimensions. Angelina is like a cave ? the appearance and reality are not the same. As you enter, you discover unexplored depths. She can whip up your primal instincts in a jiffy. When I was small, Ma Durga used to give me the same feeling, where any masculinity got crushed once face to face with her overpowering force. Also, there is a loneliness to her image ? alone and on top of the world. So Ma Durga has always been a low-angle shot for me. You can scar her but never kill her. Just imagine Angelina with her eyebrows raised and a tika on her forehead!

Shobana

Ken Ghosh, filmmaker: It has to be Madhuri Dixit. Her wide gamut of expressions will make for a very good goddess. And I am not talking about Madhuri of yesteryears. I am talking about her especially now. There?s something in her presence that makes her what she is. Also her face ? it is so serene and yet it can transform into one of sheer power and strength.

Prahlad Kakkar, adman: I have always found my Durga in Shobana. She is the perfect goddess with her expressive features and her big eyes. She is a stunning dancer and a stupendous actress. Whenever I meet her, I tell her that you remind me of Ma Durga and she laughs it away. Her whole aura is such that you can?t help but feel the divine presence. The manner in which she carries herself, the fire-and-ice dance pose, all contribute to her image. It is the coming together of power, dignity and ferociousness.

Angelina Jolie

Makrand Deshpande, actor-filmmaker: I just made a film on the goddess named Hanan where Sonali Kulkarni played the role of Bhagwati. But as far as Ma Durga goes, I think Sushmita Sen comes close to the representation. It is said that a woman is not only a woman but a mother too. It is this mother aspect in Sushmita that makes her a goddess. She reflects more of compassion, affection and love and there is also the strength in her ? the inner power. Durga is someone jiski sharan mein ja sake manav jati. And Sushmita is someone you can surrender to.

Cyrus Broacha, actor-anchor: I would go for Margaret Thatcher. More than anything else, she looked very powerful. But she has to be a bit more feminine because Ma Durga is the very embodiment of a woman. Thatcher is actually a cross between the sexes. She is fiery and is the actual ?righter? of wrongs. I would have picked Mayawati but she is not ready yet. But if it is a sexy Durga you are looking for, who else but the Bengali babe Bipasha Basu? She?s? well, everything.