Known for her acting skills, Neena Kulkarni has left her stamp on Marathi and Hindi cinema, television and theatre. Having been associated with the stage since she was nine years old, she has not looked back.
Neena has essayed the role of a caring mother in many films like “Badal”, “Kyaa Dil Ne Kahaa”, “Hungama”, “Guru”, “Kya Kool Hai Hum”, etc. Besides these, she has appeared in “Daag: The Fire”, “Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke”, “Nayak: The Real Hero”, “Bhootnath” and “Hasee Toh Phasee” among others.
The motherly trend continues with her latest television serial, “Yeh Hai Mohabbatein”. The show is based on Manju Kapoor’s novel “Custody”.
Neena portrays a South Indian mother. Here she talks about the role and how it is different from the other mothers she has played.
Excerpts:
Tell us something about your role in “Yeh Hai Mohabbatein”
I play the role of Madhavi Vishwanathan Iyer, the affectionate mother of the protagonist, Ishita.
The character is a Tamil Brahmin who dotes on her daughter and engages in humorous tussles with her Punjabi next-door neighbour, Mr. Bhalla. The role is very realistic and different from the generic soap operas which have a preset cluster of good-evil characters.
Do you connect to this role?
I really do. Being a mother myself, I understand the on-screen mother-daughter relationship. It has a lot of warmth and closeness. The fact that Divyanka (who plays the role of the daughter, Ishita) and I connect on a personal level as well helps to make the bond look more realistic.
You have done a lot of mother roles in movies and television shows. What inclined you to accept this role despite having played a mother several times?
This role is different from my previous characterisations as a mother. Its realistic portrayal has allowed me the freedom to explore the role further and given me more scope for expression. The show does not simply follow a linear story of a man and woman’s love affair. It also highlights mother-daughter relationships. The fact that this show was depicting relationships apart from just a man-woman affair was what attracted me.
You play a Tamil Brahmin in the serial, and we rarely see South Indian characters in Hindi TV shows. Do you think this has given the serial a fresh vibe?
I agree, we do not see enough South Indian culture on our television and if we do it is very stereotyped. The addition of South Indian characters has allowed us to show a lot of cultural exchange and explore the culture more deeply.
When we celebrate certain South Indian festivals on the show, sometimes even I am surprised at the beauty of the culture which has been missing from our screens for so long.
What do you think was your greatest challenge while playing this character?
I think my greatest challenge while playing this role was to stop it from becoming a ‘caricature’.
I wanted to play this role with as much authenticity as possible, without any allowance to the stereotypical image regarding South Indians shading my character.
I really feel that the moment we caricature a role, we end up getting disconnected from it.
