Urmila Matondkar made fitness fashionable much before Bollywood lapped up the gym culture. Her chiselled body and glam quotient, especially in Rangeela, and her dance moves in songs like Kambakth Ishq and Chamma Chamma were a game changer in the ’90s. When it came to her performances, the director with whom she delivered some of the highs of her career was Ram Gopal Varma (RGV) with films like Rangeela. Bhoot, Jungle, Kaun? and Satya. With Satya (1998) back in the cinemas, Urmila reunited with the talented cast and crew of the film recently, including RGV, who for the longest time considered Urmila his muse. Over the years, rumours of a fallout between the two have been a topic of chatter within industry circles. In an exclusive conversation with us, Urmila addressed the speculations for the first time and recalled her memories of Satya.

Talking about how she had to drop the glam girl image and remodel herself as a girl-next-door for the film, Urmila says, “When Satya happened, I was probably the only known face in the movie. Rest were talented newcomers. RGV was counting on me to pull it off. Rangeela made me a huge star and Satya made me unlearn that. When you have spent many years trying to become somebody and have to shed that status overnight to become a nobody, that was me in Satya. My character Vidya in the film has no identity of her own, she is literally relevant because she happens to be Satya’s neighbour. To step back into a girl next door avatar was a huge challenge. I remember using my mother’s old saris which she was on the verge of giving up and draping them because I felt it was perfect for the role. I am glad I could use my star status in a film that went on to become one of our finest.”

Appreciating RGV’s contribution to cinema, Urmila adds, “Ramu ji is undoubtedly one of our finest filmmakers. Look at his body of work and the kind of talent he got into the film industry. Not just actors, but cinematographers, technicians, writers and music directors. At the screening of Satya’s re-release, Sriram Raghavan, Madhu Mantena and Anurag Kashyap were there for him as they all had started out with him. He is an institution in cinema. I am proud of the work I have done with Ram Gopal Varma. If the right opportunity comes along, I would love to collaborate with Manoj Bajpayee and Ramu ji again.”

Dismissing rumours about their fallout, Urmila revealed, “There is no such thing as we stopped working. There was no fallout between RGV and me. I even did special songs in his movies like Company and Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag. The 90’s media was obsessed with everything about me except for my acting capability. Today, people openly talk about nepotism. Back in the day, too, there were actors around me who came from film families. Many couldn’t handle the fact that this nobody coming from a middle-class Marathi background was simply doing her work and shining. I made it on my own without anyone’s backing. I will say this proudly, that I am a people made star. My work has always spoken for itself.”

Urmila’s biggest grouse is her portrayal by the media in the 90’s. “My body of work included films like Kaun?, Bhoot, Ek Hasina Thi, Pinjar, Rangeela, Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara… but I was still slotted as an item girl or a sex siren. Rangeela is also about a simple girl, who dreams big. The sexy image you see of her is her screen image or a character’s fantasy. I am glad the media today has a deeper understanding and a different perspective on women,” she says.

Speaking of the process of working with RGV, Urmila says, “It’s not that I was in every movie that Ramuji made. I am sure he didn’t think that he would put me in every movie either. He is a director who gives you great freedom to explore and that is a lot of work. He expects the actor to do a lot of work. He puts you in a dark room and tries his voice to guide you through that room, but it is you, who has to find your way out. It is you who must take that character to the finality. This work process is great and not so great part of him. It grows you tremendously as an actor, but those who cannot find their own way will not be able to make it.”

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In a post on X, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma talked about Satya and wrote, “Some of my later films might have been successful but I do not believe that any of them had the same honesty and integrity which is in SATYA.”

He added, “When Francis Coppola was asked by an interviewer about a film he made after GODFATHER, whether it would be as good, I could see him squirming because I could see that it didn’t occur to him. No one asked me about any film I was about to make post SATYA whether it will be as good, but what’s worse is that I didn’t ask myself… whatever little of my life is left, I want to spend it sincerely and create something as worthy as SATYA.” Addressing Urmila, he added, "“Satya went so beyond the rangeela glamorous quotient you were already known for. It is you alone in Satya who made the film much more than just a gangster drama to give it a deeper soul. It’s no small feat to stand out in such a man’s world, but you did it unbelievably effortlessly.”

The precious negative reel of the film ‘Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara’, which was stolen from actor Anupam Kher’s office in Andheri, was found in the nullah outside Jogeshwari railway station. The two accused, who are drug addicts, stole the reel and cash from Kher’s office and kept the money in a safe place. However, they discarded the reel in the nullah believing it held no value. Kher informed mid-day that the film reel is in police custody, and he will retrieve it through court proceedings. Police sources told mid-day that the film reel is secure and hasn’t been damaged.

The two accused, Rafique Majid Shaikh, 35, and Mohammad Daler Raheem Khan, 30, have committed a series of break-ins, including at Anupam Kher’s office located in Anupam Building on Veera Desai Road (Andheri West). The police discovered the film reel inside the nullah next to Deewan Shopping Centre in Jogeshwari West.

According to police officials, the incident occurred between 9 pm on June 19 and 9.30 am on June 20 at Anupam Kher’s office in Andheri West. The actor’s employees found the door lock broken when they came in the morning and immediately informed Kher and the Amboli police.

During the investigation, the police reviewed CCTV footage and found that the accused used an auto-rickshaw to travel between locations after each break-in. In total, they committed around four break-ins in Andheri, D N Nagar, and Vile Parle areas. They stored the stolen cash in a safe place and used some of it to purchase drugs.

Following the FIR filed by Kher, Amboli police began investigations and found that the same accused had committed break-ins in the D N Nagar area. They contacted the D N Nagar police and started a joint operation to trace the accused.

“The accused were unaware of the value of the film negative reel, which is quite precious. They purchased drugs and consumed them near the nullah near Deewan Shopping Centre. On June 21, we located and apprehended them near the nullah. We also recovered the film’s negative reel. It appeared to have been discarded like garbage in the nullah. Fortunately, there had been little rain, so the nullah was not flooded,” said an officer.

Speaking to mid-day, Kher said, “I cannot express how important this film’s negative reel is to me. It is an integral part of my life. I thank the Amboli and D N Nagar police for recovering it. I have not personally inspected the reel as it remains in police custody. I will retrieve it through legal procedures for the return of property.”

Mumbai: Two unidentified individuals broke into the office of Bollywood actor Anupam Kher, stealing a locker containing Rs 4.15 lakh in cash and the negative of his 2005 film, “Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara”.

The burglars were caught on closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage as they fled in an auto rickshaw waiting on Veera Desai Road in Andheri (West) on Wednesday midnight. Amboli police, who retrieved the CCTV footage, are analyzing it to obtain clear images of the thieves who sped away with the stolen locker.

“Last night in my Veera Desai Road office two thieves broke two doors of my office and stole the whole safe from the Accounts Department (which probably couldn’t break) and negative of a film produced by our company which was in a box. Our office has got an FIR done. And police have assured thieves will be caught very soon. Because in CCTV both can be seen sitting in an auto with the luggage. May God give them wisdom. This video was made by my officers before the police came!,” Kher posted on X.

The actor has been operating the three-room office on the first floor for the past 30 years. “The break-in was discovered by one of my office staff on Thursday morning, who found the main door broken and the locker missing. I am upset as the thieves have stolen my film’s negative. Police have assured that they will apprehend the thieves soon,” Kher told TOI.

The burglary was noticed by staff member Vilas Sangu, who informed the actor’s accountant, Pravin Patil (59), of the robbery at 9:35 am on Thurs. Kher visited the office, and a case was subsequently registered. According to the complaint by Patil, the locker had Rs 4.15 lakh cash for daily expenses. 

The thieves also stole the locker worth Rs 2,000, along with a bag and a brown bag, each valued at Rs 1,000. “I closed office on Wednesday at 9 pm after keeping cash in the locker. The break-in occurred at midnight,” Patil told cops.