Stuck on the second rung
Lakshmi Menon

She is the Dharmendra of Hindi heroines — a lead performer in countless hits but never the No 1 in box-office rankings. While others like Madhuri Dixit, Manisha Koirala, Karisma Kapoor and of late, Aishwarya Rai have overtaken her, she remains perennially stuck on the second rung of the ladder.

Film analysts attribute this to the fact that Urmila Matondkar has never claimed credit for any of her achievements. If years ago, it was Jugal Hansraj who grabbed all the attention in her debut-making ‘Masoom’, costume designer Manish Malhotra took the credit for "reinventing" her in ‘Rangeela’.

‘Satya’ was attributed to director Ramgopal Verma, ‘Daud’ to her co-star Sanjay Dutt, ‘Kaun’ to the script and the haunted bungalow, ‘Jungle’ to Fardeen Khan and now, ‘Pyar Tune Kya Kiya’ to the cameraman and choreographer. Somehow, Urmila does not seem deserving enough for a pat on the back!

But then, that is not something she is overly bothered about. "At heart, I am a simple Maharashtrian girl who needs her ‘varan bhaat’(a rice dish) at the end of a hard day’s work," she declares. "Funny thing, even my parents are a bit too cool. They don’t seem impressed by anything I do. They’ve never lavished praise on me for any of my performances and when outsiders do so, they look genuinely surprised."

Urmila’s father was a small-time actor on the Marathi stage in Mumbai and as a child, she remembers tagging along with him to watch plays she "never understood". But then, the seeds of acting were sown and when Shekhar Kapur gave her the break in ‘Masoom’, she took to the camera as a fish takes to water.

"I was in school then, barely 12 years old," she recalls. "The film was a superhit and I received many offers after that as a child artiste. But my parents stopped me as my studies could have got affected. Later in college, as I was majoring in Psychology, N. Chandra gave me a role in ‘Narasimha’. I could not refuse."

Oddly enough, ‘Narasimha’ bombed. Thereafter, it was a long uphill climb till eventually, Verma took her under his wing, beginning with ‘Rangeela’. The association has lasted close to a decade, leading to widespread speculation that their relationship is more than merely professional.

Urmila takes offence at this. "Except for a couple of films with Ramgopal Verma, I’ve worked mostly with debut directors," she says. "This includes Anupam Kher. I’m there in his ‘Om Jai Jagdish’, a family drama about three brothers, their wives and how they adjust in a joint family."

What has been the most challenging film so far?

"In terms of physical discomfort and deprivation, I’d say ‘Jungle’," she replies. Today, when I think of it, I don’t know how I went through those days and nights without proper food, water, electricity or any kind of human communication, right in the middle of a forest.

"Those were awful days. My dress, shoes and hair were full of dust and thorns. There was no point shampooing my hair, because it got dirty within moments. It was a nightmare walking through those dark bushes, never knowing when an animal hiding in the shadows would pounce on you!"

But it was also a learning experience, and every subsequent film has been a cakewalk. "It does not bother me any more where and how I shoot, so long I am in the safe hands of an able director," she quips. "I would say I am a director’s actor, but I resent being spoonfed. There are some actors who blossom with pampering. I’m too shy for all that. I like having my space to reflect and grow with my character."

In the final analysis though, it does not matter what impression she creates: "Very early in my career, I had decided I’d do all kinds of roles, regardless of consequences. I am not even concerned if a film is a hit or a flop. In any case, when someone else takes credit for every success why blame me for failures?" (MF)

One man, many passions
Nutan Segal

Dalip Tahil's career can be best described as bordering on the illustrious. From on accomplished stage actor — stage remains his first love — to a passionate singer and a consummate film and TV star, Tahil has had a taste of all.

A ruthless corporate raider in ‘Baazigar’, a doting father of a whimsical vamp in ‘Hum Hai Rahi Pyar Ke’, a cunning army general in ‘Soldier’, a snazzy car dealer in ‘Kaho Na Pyar Hai’, cameos have been flowing in and Tahil has played each of them with grace and panache.

In fact, long before he started his stint in films, his acting abilities were well recognised on stage. One of his most famous works include playing Che Guevera in ‘Evita’ and the lead role in the critically acclaimed, ‘The Man Of La Manchd’. He owns a threatre company, Theatrix, where he is actively involved in every aspect of dramatics except direction.

"I'm not confident about directing. I find it impossible to explain to anyone how a scene should be done. For an actor this should come naturally," says Tahil.

Starting with the first mega TV soap, ‘Buniyaad’, where he played the good boy image to the hilt, Tahil has been picking up television roles selectively. Some months ago, he anchored a moderately-successful film-based show on Star TV. Now he goes on the air with ‘Khel’, a soap with plenty of bubble every Sunday on Sony Entertainment Television.

Produced Smita Thackery — her first foray into TV — ‘Khel’ revolves around Tahil who plays a powerful businessman, Deven Oberoi, whose home life is in a shambles. He also has a dark secret — years ago he ditched a woman from whom he had a daughter. Today the lady is an IAS officer and lives with her daughter whom she has brought up on her own.

Set in an emotional battlefield where high stakes of business are poised against personal relationships, ‘Khel’ is a sensitive and powerful story of Oberoi and the people he forgot in his quest for fame and fortune.

"There was immense challenge in the role," says Tahil. "I instantly accepted it when I heard the story." Given his sophisticated looks, the character fits Tahil like a glove. The serial has a star-studded cast that includes Moon Moon Sen, Priya Tendulkar, Mrinal Kulkarni and Nirmal Pandey.

Apart from anchoring, the serial marks Tahil's return to television serials after a gap of nearly five years. In the meanwhile he has been busy with his film and theatre career where he has notched up success after success.

But Tahil's triumph has not come overnight. He started his career in Bollywood, with the multi-starrer ‘Shaan’, which did little for the debutante. For the next three years he struggled to get a foothold in Bollywood. In 1988 he hit the jackpot when ‘Qyamat Se Qyamat Tak’, turned gold at the box office.

The success of the film — where he played Aamir Khan's father —instantly catapulted Tahil into the league of some of the most-sought-after fathers in the film world. There's been no looking back since then.

Today he's deluged with offers. But the film he's really looking forward to is Rajiv Rai's ‘Pyar, Ishq Aur Mohabbat’ where he plays a negative role. "I've never consciously scouted around for such roles but some filmmakers think I make a tough villain," says Tahil.

In 1995, after nursing a secret ambition for years, Tahil recorded a music album, ‘Raza Ki Baaten’. It was a straight-from-the-heart kind of music in which experimented with a variation of reggage, swing and tempo and upbeat dance tunes. And those who knew him weren't surprised when the album became a moderate hit.

One of his regrets is that with his increasing occupation with films and television, he is left with little time for theatre. "I don't want to clutter things up. So, I decided to take a break from theatre. But I have something exciting planned for the end of the year," says Tahil, who is also planning to make a comedy serial for Star Plus.

Films, television and theatre. How does he manage to balance all three? "Since I enjoy all three forms of art, I don't find it tough to balance them. I'm not in a position to say which medium is better as I have never rated them. For me they all mean acting. And I try and give my best to all." (NF)

A casting coup
Arun Roy

Filmmaker J.P. Dutta has pulled off a major casting coup. For his forthcoming film, ‘Tiger Hill’, he has signed ten top heroes — Shahrukh Khan, Sunil Shetty, Akshay Kumar, Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Saif Ali Khan, Sanjay Dutta, Akshaye Khanna, Ajay Devgan and Abhishek Bachchan.

In what is being billed as "Bollywood’s biggest multi-starrer of all time", the film will be in line with Dutta’s earlier patriotic sagas like ‘Border’ and ‘Refugee’. At present, he is in the process of signing "an equal complement of heroines", according to industry sources.

Responding to these announcements, trade analyst Komal Nahata pointed out that such decisions are influenced by distributors anxious to reduce their risks in financing films. "We all know that no star is 100 per cent sure of getting an opening today", he observes.

"So producers and distributors feel it is better to have a multi-starrer where they are at least assured of a good return. Directors and script-writers are accordingly instructed to come up with story-lines which have something for everybody. The days of single hero-heroine films are over". "The more the merrier for the public", says producer-director Rajkumar Santoshi, who is about to release ‘Lajja’ — another multi-starrer with Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Ajay Devgan, Rekha, Madhuri Dixit, Manisha Koirala, Mahima Chaudhary, Sonali Bendre and Urmila Matondkar.

"A film with many stars is definitely very expensive", concedes Karan Johar, director of ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Ghum’, which boasts of three of Bollywood’s biggest stars — Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan and Hritik Roshan. "But since profit margins are so high, producers do not mind spending money." (MF)