After taking the internet by storm with the unconventional title of their Netflix film Maa Behen, actors Madhuri Dixit, Triptii Dimri and Dharna Durga along with their director Suresh Triveni landed in Delhi recently. The team sat down for a fun chat with Sonal Kalra, Chief Managing Editor, Lifestyle & Entertainment Hindustan Times, and met the winners of the HT City Stars In The City contest. Here’s how the chat unfolded with Rekha, Jaya, Sushma and their director!
Talking about doing a film with the icon, Madhuri Dixit, Triptii shared, “Maine bilkul bhi composed act nahi kiya. I was very happy. This is my second film with maam, I have worked with her before in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3. Uss waqt humein zyaada interact karne ka mauka nahi mila but Maa Behen mein hamari jo dosti hui hai maam ke saath, I’m very proud of it. Main toh bohot show off karti hoon, ‘Main Madhuri maam ko personally jaanti hoon. I talk to her every day’.”
When asked if she realises the effect that she has on people and how the team got the onscreen chemistry right after recovering from it, Madhuri explained, “When we all came together, we did a workshop where we went mad. Ek hi mera yeh hai, besharam bano. Jo bolna hai bol do ek doosre ko. So we all got together, we had so much fun. That’s how we formed this camaraderie. Jo ek hota hai na, ‘Oh my god, we are working with her’. For me I’m just normal, what’s wrong, just chill. We had a blast and I think all that translated onscreen.”
Before the team came together on set and got comfortable with each other, director Suresh battled the biggest task at hand: “Maa kaun banegi?” Revealing how Madhuri came on board, the filmmaker shared, “In 2024 August, we went up to her, narrated. Me and my writer overacted like hell, and used all our advertising tricks. At the end of it, she said I’m doing it. I used that trump card to get all of them: ‘Triptii, ek film hai, Madhuri Dixit ne confirm kar diya’. Dharna ko maine ‘Madhuri’ bola, (she said) main kar rahi hoon.”
Madhuri has played a mother onscreen before. Back then, it was to smaller children and now it is to grown up daughters. Explaining the same, the actor said, “But I do have grown-up kids of my own, so there was never a hesitation.” She also shared that the “deliciously chaotic and modern” character of Rekha is what made her say yes. “When you talk about a mother you always place her on a pedestal, she’ll sacrifice for her children. And here I’m saying, ‘Agar main jail gayi toh tum dono ko saath mein lekar jaungi.’ For me it was a refreshing character, someone I would love to like dig my like teeth, a role like that.”
When asked if playing a mother to two daughters onscreen was any different from being a mother in reality to her two sons, Madhuri replied, “Nahi, jaise mere bacche ladte the, waise hi yeh dono ladte hai. Zyaada farak nahi tha. Kids are the same, but a woman has to wear so many hats at home, kabhi woh doctor hoti hai, kabhi woh therapist hoti hai, kabhi woh referee hoti hai. That’s what I did here.”
Dharna, who plays Triptii’s onscreen sister and Madhuri’s younger daughter, also spoke about her transition to films from content creation. Crediting her co-stars and the director for making her feel comfortable, she shared, “Jab title Maa Behen ho, toh woh feeling hona bohot important hai ki aapko woh emotion aaye, in a good way (laughs). Maa maan pa rahi hoon, behen maan pa rahi hoon. Main actually waisa feel kar paa rahi thi off-set bhi inke saath. Main maa maan paa rahi thi kyunki woh maa jaisi thi mere saath.”
In the end, Triptii made an elevator pitch for the audience, saying, “Baap-bhaaiyon pe bohot filmein dekh li hai…” To which Madhuri chimed in and added, “Ab maa-behen ki baari hai.”
The film is set to release on June 4.