‘I can’t rubbish any claims just because I had no bad experiences’
Everyone has a perspective of their own, which comes from the experiences they’ve had,” says actor Madhoo, on the subject of multiple debates — nepotism, favouritism, drug culture — raging around Bollywood, as well as the spat between Kangana Ranaut and Jaya Bachchan.
Actor-turned-MP Jaya Bachchan was upset by the allegations against Bollywood, that “people who’ve made a name in this industry called it a gutter”. Ranaut hit back with a tweet, asking if Bachchan would say the same thing if it was her children who were “beaten, drugged and molested”, and “found hanging one day”. Refusing to take sides, Madhoo, 51, says everyone has their own journey. “Kangana might have been through bad experiences but Jayaji probably didn’t. But just because I haven’t been through anything bad, I can’t say that what the other person is saying is rubbish,” says the actor, who is part of Ranaut-starrer Thalaivi. Asked about working with Ranaut, Madhoo adds, “She’s a wonderful actor and doesn’t throw her weight around on the set. I’m a professional; for me, it’s a great role.” On the nepotism and favouritism debate, she feels that it is being taken too far. For the uninitiated, Madhoo is the daughter of producer P Raghunathan and the cousin of actor Hema Malini. “I did have easy access. But did that turn into film projects? I don’t think so. No one will work with you if your films don’t do business... Ultimately, you’ll have to be loved by the audience,” she asserts.
She also points out that back in the day, alcohol culture was prevalent as people wanted to escape their dark moments. “Now, it might have become the drug culture... But then this is everywhere. So, the clean drive shouldn’t just be about Bollywood, but the entire society,” Madhoo concludes.