BEING SEDUCTIVE IS PART PF WAMANHOOD: URMILA
Actor Urmila Matondkar says there’s a very thin line between being seductive and vulgar
From being the bubbly girl in Rangeela (1995) to a filmstar in Mast (1999), from a psycho lover in Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya (2001) to her recent appearance in the song Bewafa Beauty (from the recently-released Blackmail), Urmila Matondkar has never failed to prove her acting prowess, dancing skills and desirability. The actor says, as a woman, she always finds the tough but right chord to be seductive and not vulgar as the line is very thin.
“Being seductive is a part of womanhood and if a woman feels it strongly as a part of her personality, it is never represented in a wrong way. There is a very thin line between being seductive and vulgar. I think I never fell in the grey area or went over the top because I am a strong-headed actor. So whatever bold dance that I performed on-screen, it never looked vulgar,” she says.
It is very interesting how Urmila’s song Bewafa beauty teases the intellect of a man in the film. “Wasn’t that fun to watch?” Urmila laughs. “Lyrically and contextually, the song is very interestingly put out and I liked that part. Having said that it was not my conscious decision to be a part of this song, but I was just trying out something very different that has not happened in the recent past,” says the actor.
In times of social media, several actor are often the target of trolls. Ask her if she thinks people are becoming over critical, and Urmila says, “Yes, that is happening. But in the era of social media, when we are putting out our videos, photos for promotional purpose and giving our audience a chance to share their opinion, we should expect both good and bad. Otherwise, one shouldn’t put it out there at the first place.”
She is quick to add, “There is a difference between constructive criticism and personal attack. As actors, we should identify that before considering the opinion. One should never take the latter to their heart, never.”
Urmila has done a mix of mainstream and contentdriven films like Pinjar (2003) and Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara (2005). Was it a conscious decision to balance out both kinds of cinema? “Not really, because for me, every character that I play is an experience. So, the criteria were to try out something that I have never done before. Then of course overall story and the director,” she says.