Veteran actress Madhuri Dixit Nene is coming back with a family entertainer Maja Ma soon. In the film, she plays the role of a housewife who is the backbone of her family. In her last outing The Fame Game, she won accolades for her portrayal of a celebrity whose stardom is waning gradually.
After having done two back-to-back female-centric projects, Dixit recently opened up on how times have changed for females in the film industry and how actresses are getting the much-needed upliftment in terms of roles nowadays.
Talking about her character, Pallavi in Maja Ma, Madhuri said that the portrayal of mothers and women on-screen is very different today. “I am also a wife and mother. So, I know Pallavi’s emotions. Maja Ma is a story of empowerment. Be it in the cinema or on OTT platforms, today, women are looked at as individuals first; society [comes later]. They come from different walks of life, have different ambitions and their own set of rules,” she stated.
Her upcoming film depicts how women are constantly judged by people around them. Elaborating on the same, the Tezaab actress quoted, “It is a patriarchal society. Women are always judged for everything. [For instance], men can romance much younger women. But when a woman does it, [people say], ‘What does she think she is doing? Why is she doing this?’ Fortunately, things are changing now. In The Fame Game, my character was shown in love with someone younger than her, but nobody questioned it. So, things are [evolving], but we have a long way ahead.”
In an era where strong women protagonists were an exception, Madhuri always tried to pick up scripts that showcased female leads in a different light. “Be it Dil [1990], Hum Aapke Hain Koun [1994], Dil Toh Pagal Hai [1997] or Pukaar [1999], all these women were strong and had something to say in their way. I always looked for such roles. I like to play a character who has a mind of her own,” said the 55-years old actress.
The trailer of Maja Ma has received a thumbs up from the audience. Besides Mrs Nene, the Amazon Prime Video offering also stars Gajraj Rao, Rajit Kapur, Ritwik Bhowmik and Barkha Singh.