The slot of the docile Bollywood mother who is perpetually teary-eyed and obsequious is easy to slip into with some glycerine and unkempt hair. The mould was cast in Nirupa Roy’s matronly image only to be broken by Kirron Kher in Dostana (2008). Kher’s character Rani Kapoor is unable to tie a Gordian knot with her pallu around her unrestrainable son Sam’s (Abhishek Bachchan) neck. In Dostana, Rani comes to terms with the possibility of her son’s sexual orientation not being heteronormative. It is a conundrum few Bollywood mothers had to deal with but have since been facing more often.
Mona Ambegaonkar has had her fair share of playing the fawning mother but in her recent roles she has become a champion-mother in coming-of-age stories. In the February release Kuchh Bheege Alfaaz, she gently nudges her daughter played by Geetanjali Thapa, who has leukoderma to follow her desires. In her upcoming movie Evening Shadows, she defends her son’s homosexuality in a family where it is considered unacceptable. The role is similar to her mono-act in the play Ek Madhavbaug, in which a mother discovers her son’s sexual orientation through his diary and begins to understand him. In last year’s hit film Secret Superstar, Ambegoankar appeared in a cameo role, playing a lawyer fighting for women’s rights, an extension of her personality as an activist campaigning for civil rights both on Twitter and on ground. In an email interview, Ambegaonkar talked about the joys of acting, activism, and her new-found fame as the modern-day maa .
In Kuchh Bheege Alfaaz , you played the doting mother and despite the brief length of your role, it is a memorable cameo. You will be seen as yet another doting mother in Evening Shadows . Did you shoot simultaneously for both films, and was there an overlap in the two characters?
Each film was offered to me independent of the other. There is no overlap between the two characters. The mother in Kuchh Bheege Alfaaz is very urban, a working woman; the mother in Evening Shadows is a small town woman, steeped in tradition. My role in Evening Shadows is a principal part. It was offered to me by the writer, producer, and director (Sridhar Rangayan). I have grown with the script for the last seven years, which is the time it has taken to actually put the film on the floor.
Do you see your role in Evening Shadows as perhaps an extension of a role you have been playing for a while in the play Ek Madhavbaug , as a mother grappling with the reality of her son’s sexual orientation?
No. They are distinctly different people, who come from distinctly different backgrounds and life situations. The only thing common is the sexual orientation of the son. The process and circumstances by which the two characters have to deal with the situation, has nothing in common.
You may have unofficially also become the pride-wali maa through roles like this where you are accepting and embracing coming-of-age stories. Did these characters have any personal impact on you, or changed your perception about something? Could you please share an instance or response while interacting with audiences after your mono-act in the play?
I am proud to be the unofficial pride-wali maa , as you put it. I have earned the love and trust of so many people, of all ages, because of the outreach and counselling work I do through Ek Madhavbaug . It is an ongoing endeavour and I have become part of many lives that have gone through much suffering. It is my mission to walk with all people who are victims of human rights violations. There are many stories about the response and reactions of people after each show of Ek Madhavbaug . Some of them can be shared and some can’t. One day you will read them in a book I intend to write, after taking into account privacy issues and the rules that govern counsellors.
Do such roles prompt you to actively participate in the LGBTQI+ community and how have you contributed, or seen changes, since you started to do so?
I have been working on sensitisation and spreading awareness about health and human rights issues of the LGBTQI+ community for eight years now. The journey began when I first read the script of Ek Madhavbaug and it continues today through my participation in various LGBTQI+ forums. There are some changes and some things remain the same. Legally, our country has regressed since the Supreme Court quashed the ruling passed by the Delhi High Court with regard to Section 377. However, the battle towards social awareness and acceptance continues and the community is more visible and vocal now than it has ever been before.
Does the film Evening Shadows have a message for the audience?
Yes. But I believe each member of the audience must decide what that message is, individually, for each of them. The journey has just begun.
In Secret Superstar you played a women’s rights lawyer, three years after your scheming character who impinges on women’s rights in Mardaani. It is a superb range even in those few scenes you have, but why such a long gap in between films?
I do whatever is offered to me, given that dates and fees work out to my satisfaction and if I want to work with the people involved and vice-versa. There is no hidden or deeper reason for the long gap, as you put it. Thank you for the compliment about the superb range. That really made my day.
You have working in films since 1990, in Zakhmi Zameen , where you were cast opposite Aditya Panscholi. Can you recall your first experience in film?
Oh gosh! I don’t quite recall how that film came to me but I do recall being naive enough to believe the guy who made it. I remember being rather irritated by all the extras that seemed to be a part of being a Hindi-filmy leading lady, all the fussing and hair-styling and blah. There was also this constant undercurrent of having to be sexy, whatever that means. I remember rejecting that pressure. I never repeated that experience again, so it’s kind of needless to say what I thought of it.
Your Twitter profile says you are a very angry Indian citizen. What is making you angry presently?
A lack of common sense and decency. It also says that on my Twitter profile. Why did you quote from it selectively?
How are you keeping your calm then?
I don’t intend to be calm. I work from a place of rage and unrest. It is where my creative energy dwells.
