Madhuri Dixit and Nagesh Kukunoor interview: On crafting ‘Mrs Deshpande’ and challenging perceptions

Madhuri Dixit’s pleasant, infectious smile turns sinister as she becomes a serial killer in Nagesh Kukunoor’s upcoming thriller series, Mrs. Deshpande. The actor sheds some of her vanity as she steps into the mysterious mind of the character. It is a new territory for Madhuri, who has largely been revered as the ‘Dhak Dhak girl’ for decades. So, when Nagesh offered her the series, the actor was enthused.

“I love crime thrillers, and I wanted to be part of one for a long time but couldn’t find the right scripts. I just fell in love with Mrs. Deshpande when Nagesh narrated the story to me. There are just so many layers to the character, and I thought it would be fun playing her,” says Madhuri.

Madhuri Dixit in ‘Mrs. Deshpande’
| Photo Credit:
JioHotstar

Nagesh had her in mind from the start when he began writing the show with co-writer Rohit Banawlikar. “She was the first person to pop into our heads for the character. We wondered what if a woman with a million-Watt smile is a serial killer? Once that image came to our mind, we just ran with it,” says the filmmaker, who has brought his matter-of-fact storytelling to the OTT space in recent years with thriller shows like City of Dreams (2019) and, more recently, in The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case. He brings the same undramatic bite to Mrs. Deshpande, keeping the style quotient to the bare minimum. His version of a serial killer story is rooted more in narrative payoff than in aesthetic release.

“When the drama is well-written, you don’t have to elevate it on set. Every scene need not be taken to a certain pitch— that’s not the way I see the world. I downplay it,” says Nagesh, adding that he wanted to make the character seem real in order to make it seem authentic. “Some filmmakers like a lot of music to guide the audience every step of the way. I just want the audience to discover everything. It can only happen if you keep the scenes quiet,” he explains.

Madhuri Dixit in ‘Mrs. Deshpande’
| Photo Credit:
JioHotstar

The result of this downplay is apparent even in Madhuri’s on-screen appeal. The actor has timed her performance multiple notches below what we are used to seeing her. The peculiar tone of the show took some time for the actor to get familiar with. “The first two days were a bit of a struggle. But slowly, I started sinking into the character, understanding what Nagesh wanted. He would often tell me, ‘I want less MD (Madhuri Dixit) and more Mrs. D (Mrs Deshpande)’,” says Madhuri with a smile.

Mentioning her roles in Nana Patekar’s Prahaar (1991) and Prakash Jha’s Mrityudand (1997)— films that broke her happy-go-lucky mainstream image— Madhuri says that she has always tried getting away from how others perceived her. “I don’t want to give that image of ‘Madhuri Dixit’ every time. I want to show my acting chops with layered characters. It is like a hunger to do something new, to put yourself out there in a very uncomfortable position where you are playing something out of character, and you have to do justice. So, that nervous energy helps,” says Madhuri.

Even Nagesh has been bracketed into a particular kind of cinema. He is known for heartfelt dramas such as Iqbal (2005) and Dor (2006). “Fortunately or unfortunately, I carry the curse of these two films. Even though I have made a variety of movies since my debut, Hyderabad Blues, the industry still pigeon-holes me as a certain kind of director. But the OTT space has erased those boundaries,” Nagesh says.

For Madhuri, it was mostly her stint as a versatile dancer that is widely remembered. However, she feels the media has created that perception. “When you actually meet people, they remember specific scenes from films. The media tends to generalise things, but the fans notice you beyond your image,” says Madhuri as Nagesh adds, “The generalisation happens more to female actors than male actors.”

Madhuri, however, has been a complete performer. Her on-screen presence marked a fluent blend of her charming moves, along with a striking emotive ability in her performances. For her, acting is more about internalising.

“It is not about projecting but absorbing. That’s how I work by taking everything in and feeling it. If I am angry, I am not throwing it out at you; the anger is rather simmering inside. It stays in the eyes and skin of the character,” says the actor, adding that over the years, she has mastered getting in and out of her characters. “I have everything in my mind, but when the camera is off, I am just back to being myself. I am not the kind of actor who withdraws herself to be in character,” Madhuri concludes.

Mrs. Deshpande will be available to stream on JioHotstar from December 19