‘2020 has been a tough year, but I take it one day at a time’

Says actress Mayuri Deshmukh, as she opens up about personal tragedy she faced last year

Mayuri, who rose to fame with Zee Marathi’s KhultaKaliKhulena, has had a tough 2020. Her husband and Marathi actor Ashutosh Bhakre allegedly committed suicide at his residence in Nanded town’s Ganesh Nagar in the Marathwada region. “2020 has been a tough year but I take it one day at a time because that’s the only way to deal with whatever it is that I am going through,” Mayuri says. But, the actor is now slowly getting to work again.

Mayuri’s play, DearAajo, which she wrote three years ago, will be shown as a tele play on certain platforms as part of Zee Theatre. DearAajo is a contemporary drama that explores the relationship between an Indian grandparent and his American granddaughter.

Speaking about how she came up with the concept, Mayuri says, “I was doing my Masters in Theatre Arts from Mumbai University and joined theatre legend Shafaat Khan’s playwriting course. He is an excellent teacher and I became really interested in writing even though earlier, my focus was only on acting. I began to ideate these two characters and that is how ‘Aajo’ and 'Shanu’ emerged. I commenced weaving a story around them and they were such contrasting characters that I was enjoying the process of detailing their journey together. What emerged as a writing exercise to fit in the grammar of what I had learned in my syllabus finally became, DearAajo.”

When asked if she anticipated the impact of her story, she says, “It is overwhelming when your first piece of writing gets such adulation from so many discerning people. I am extremely grateful for the kind of love it has received and continues to receive. It moves me so much whenever someone comes up to me and says how the play touched their heart.

“I couldn’t have imagined it would have such a reach and impact. Every piece of creativity has its own destiny and I didn’t want to control where the play would go though, I did know it would resonate with people and move them. And it has,” adds Deshmukh.

Theatre was one of the segments in the entertainment industry that faced a major setback amid the ongoing pandemic. While television and OTT held the fort, Mayuri still thinks that the kind of viewing experience theatre can give with its performances remains unmatched.

She says, “Theatre is a live medium where the energy exchange and give and take between the audience and the performers is absolutely exhilarating and cannot be recreated anywhere else. This high is incomparable and cannot be matched by what you experience in a movie hall or while watching an OTT show or your phone. That is why theatre stands tall, is very secure in its own universe, and will live on forever.”

Speaking about what’s next on her list of professional commitments, she says, “It’s just the beginning of my journey and there is so much more to achieve and to do both in terms of writing and acting. I want to act in good projects and language is no barrier. I really yearn to be a part of sensible projects that impart something meaningful to the audience and add value to their life and make a positive difference.”

DearAajo is directed by Ajit Bhure and will be showcased on Dish TV & D2H Rangmanch.