Hiren Kotwani (DNA; April 2, 2018)

She was last seen in EMI: Liya Hai Toh Chukana Padega a decade ago. While she did a few cameos in Hindi cinema and the Marathi film Ajoba in the interim, one missed seeing Urmila Matondkar on the big screen, where she truly belongs. With the song, Bewafa Beauty, in Blackmail, the actress, who has films like Drohi, Rangeela, Kaun?, Judaai, Daud, Deewangee, Bhoot and Pinjar and chartbusters like Kambakht Ishq (Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya), Chamma Chamma (Chinagate) to her credit, is once again grabbing eyeballs. We catch up with Urmila who talks about her sabbatical, marriage and more. Excerpts from the conversation...

It’s great to see you back on screen. Why did you go missing for so long?
It’s not about going missing; but there was nothing interesting or exciting enough to take up. If you notice, I had done a variety of roles in diverse genres within a short span. Unless something that was offered to me went beyond that, it didn’t make sense to do it. Also, over a period of time, there are other things that you want to do and they become your priorities. I wanted to travel. It’s different when you’re not married. That’s not the reason in my case. It’s just that unless I was doing something I hadn’t done before, I wasn’t going to take up any and every offer that came my way.

Talking about marriage, one didn’t even hear a whiff of a love story brewing till you announced that you were tying the knot with Kashmir-based model-businessman Mohsin Akhtar Mir.
I’ve always been a private person. There was nothing to talk about. People got to know about my marriage, which was the important part, when it happened.

Having been away from the screen for quite a while, what prompted you to break the hiatus with just a song for Blackmail?
When you listen to the track, you’ll understand the reason. The magical duo — composer Amit Trivedi and lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya — has done a superb job. When director Abhinay Deo approached me, he said I don’t wish to do just another item song. And though this dance number will have thumkas, nakhras, jhatkas, it will have more to do with expressions, rather than just movements. I thought it would be amazing to do something like this. Moreover, Abhinay’s humour is also different. The way the song has been treated is important and the expressions had to be more sultry. My character is trying to convey the lyrics through her eyes and expressions. I’ve also been known for my glamorous and out-and-out dance numbers; and I’m game for something new and exciting.

Earlier, you had said that marriage would happen at the right time. In the two-odd years you’ve been married, how have you changed as a person?
Not much. If you have to change yourself or the other person too much, the purpose is lost. Marriage makes life fulfilling, you explore more things with a partner than when you are alone. When it happens at the right time, with the right person and for the right reason, only then does it have a meaning. There are not too many changes. I travel more often now. And since both of us like to travel, we take the opportunity to do that more than before.

Since your husband Mohsin is based in Kashmir, do you stay there more often now?
I do visit Kashmir a lot, but we don’t stay there for long. His work is managed by his team. If someone asks me if I’d love to go (to Kashmir), I’d say yes every time. You’ll find it strange but despite having travelled all over India for work, Kashmir is the only place I had not gone to. It’s a breathtakingly beautiful place. And the food is awesome.

Today, actresses are venturing into producing movies. Do you want to step behind the camera?
No, producing or directing is not my cup of tea. I’m happy being in front of the camera. It’s a big high and if it’s not a high, it’s no fun. So, I’m going to stick to acting for the time being.

For someone who started early — you were barely four when you debuted as a child artiste in B R Chopra’s Karm (1977) — how does the long break feel?
It doesn’t feel like a break. You’re very much part of films, being on the jury of award ceremonies or constantly mingling with the fraternity. At the same time, I also believe that there’s a beautiful world out there. It’s better to explore what the world has to offer. You realise that one lifetime is not enough to experience it. While it’s amazing to be in front of the camera, you need to do a lot of other things as well. When you’re acting, you can’t do all that and I’ve never been the kind of person to do 10 things at a time. So, it’s good to have a break and do other things. When something excites you, then you take it up.

Will it be this long before we see you on screen again?
As I said, if something exciting and interesting comes up, then I’ll take it up.