After grabbing attention with the delightfully cheeky title of their upcoming Netflix film Maa Behen, actors Madhuri Dixit, Triptii Dimri and Dharna Durga, along with director Suresh Triveni, landed in Delhi for a fun and candid conversation at HT City Stars in the City with Sonal Kalra, Chief Managing Editor, Lifestyle & Entertainment, Hindustan Times. Here are some highlights from the session:

For Triptii, sharing screen space with Madhuri was still a pinch-me moment. “This is my second film with ma’am after Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, but we didn’t get much time together then. During Maa Behen, we became friends and I’m very proud of that. Main toh bahut show off karti hoon, ‘Main Madhuri ma’am ko personally jaanti hoon. I talk to her every day’,” she laughed.

Madhuri, meanwhile, revealed that the cast bonded quickly during workshops. “My only rule was: besharam bano. Say whatever you want to each other. We had so much fun and I think that translated onscreen.”

Before the camaraderie came the casting challenge. As director Suresh Triveni put it, “The biggest question was, ‘Maa kaun banegi?’”

Recalling how Madhuri signed on, he said, “We narrated the script to her in August 2024. Me and my writer overacted like hell and used all our advertising tricks. In the end, she said, ‘I’m doing it’. After that, she became my trump card. With Triptii, it was, ‘Madhuri Dixit has said yes’. With Dharna, I just said ‘Madhuri’ and she was in.”

Dharna readily agreed: “I was so excited and nervous when I met Madhuri ma’am, like any die-hard fan would be. She said hi to me and I was like, ‘Whoa!’”

While Madhuri has played mothers onscreen before, this one felt refreshingly different. “I have grown-up kids of my own, so there was never any hesitation,” she said. What sealed the deal was the character’s unpredictability. “We always put mothers on a pedestal. Here (in Maa Behen) she says, ‘Agar main jail gayi toh tum dono ko saath mein lekar jaungi.’ I loved that!”

- DHARNA DURGA

Actress Triptii Dimri, known for her performances in films like Bulbbul and Laila Majnu, has finally spoken out about the constant rumours surrounding her personal life. The actress, who is reportedly dating model turned businessman Sam Merchant, chose to not address the speculation directly, instead focusing on the importance of staying true to oneself in the face of intense media scrutiny.

When asked about how she deals with the constant rumours and speculation surrounding her personal life, Triptii admitted that it can be bothersome at times. "Sometimes, yes, sometimes, no. Sometimes you have a chat with yourself and you're like, this is a parcel of the game... You know you're a celebrity now, so people will have interest in your life. People will want to know what you're up to," she reflects. 

She also adds, “Sometimes it really bothers because I love my freedom and I miss the days where I could just walk on the roads without having to worry about anything; without a mask.”

Ironically just last week reports of Triptii holidaying with her partner in Finland made headlines.

The Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 actress however emphasizes the need for honesty and authenticity, particularly when it comes to social media.

“I try to be as honest as possible because I am not someone who likes to post everything about my personal life on social media and I'm not someone who would post on a daily basis, unless I'm promoting a film. I'm off Instagram most of the times and I get a lot of complaints from my team that you are an actor, you have to be active. How will people get to know you? But I feel you have to be true to yourself. I don't want to lose myself trying to fit into a box. I just want to do what I wanna do and I think that's what's kept me sane till today. If I feel like posting anything I'll post. If I don't feel like I won’t. Half the time I'm posting flowers and my friends are like, ‘Dude, just stop it. It looks so stupid’. But I like those flowers and I want to post them,” the Animal actress concludes.

On Independence Day today, actor Triptii Dimri talks about the one thing she would want freedom from. The actor, who is known for films like Laila Majnu (2018) and Animal (2023) reveals that she pauses before posting anything on social platform media for the fear of judgement. 

“I have to think twice before I post anything on social media, as I don’t know how people will perceive it. That’s why I want freedom from judgement. Everyone has the right to present their opinions, but sometimes when you post something and it is taken in the wrong way, it breaks your heart. You can’t explain everything to everyone,” says the actor.

Talking about how she celebrates Independence Day, Dimri says, “When at home, I watch the festivities, flag hoisting and patriotic performances on TV. We also wait for the Prime Minister’s speech at Red Fort,” she tells us, adding that she has “wonderful memories” of celebrating I-Day while growing up.

“I still feel the same excitement [about I-Day] I had as a kid. Every year, our school would have many cultural events where everyone participated, won prizes and went home with goodies. Back home, my dad was the head of our [residential] society in the Air India colony, Vasant Vihar, Delhi. He used to organise functions with themes and games for every age group. Now that we have moved out, we [fondly] remember those celebrations that made us feel like a part of the community; they bring a smile to my face. That is something I miss even today,” Dimri concludes.

After Laila Majnu (2018) and two OTT films, Triptii Dimri had wondered whether she’d ever see herself on the big screen again. Today, she may have a small part in Animal, but the joy it has brought her is immense. While a huge section of the audience is discovering her through the Ranbir Kapoor-led film, director Sandeep Reddy Vanga discovered her through Bulbbul (2020) and signed her on to play a woman, who is sent by her lover to con the protagonist.

“He told me, ‘She is a mole. She has come to kill him and his whole family. But I don’t want to see [even a shred] of negativity in her eyes.’ I was immediately excited about the role,” she says.

Dimri’s role also entailed an intimate sequence with Kapoor. She credits her co-star and director for creating a safe space on set. “The day sir offered me the film, he told me about these scenes. He said, ‘I promise you it will be aesthetically shot. But if you aren’t comfortable with it, we’ll think of a different way to do it.’ The rape scene that I did in Bulbbul was traumatic. I had to leave myself behind to portray that. I used the same [approach] here. There were four people on set—Ranbir, Sandeep sir, the DoP and I. [I] felt I was surrounded by people who respected me.”

Animal is being criticised for the brazen misogyny of its lead character and some disturbing sequences, including one where Kapoor’s character asks Dimri to lick his shoe. “We did discuss it a lot. Prior to that scene, my character is talking about killing him, his wife, his kids. So, there is a lot at stake for him.”

Even as she acknowledges and respects the different opinions surrounding the movie, Dimri points out that Kapoor’s character is not glorified. “His wife leaves him, his father is going to die. He is left with nothing. We see our mothers as figures of perfection, who have to do everything right. Why do we view our heroes the same way? We forget he is also a human being and is allowed to make mistakes.”

From playing a supporting role in Poster Boys (2017) to the lead in Laila Majnu (2018) and then winning critical acclaim for the web film Bulbbul last year, Triptii Dimri has made her presence felt in showbiz. In conversation with Bombay Times, she opens up on how destiny has had a huge role to play in her journey in showbiz and more. Excerpts…

Frankly, I did not expect much. I hail from Delhi and I started off as a model and was doing commercial ads there. I didn’t want to pursue acting as a career, even though it did cross my mind. I never made an effort in that direction as I had no contacts and didn’t know how to go about it. Besides, for a career in movies, I would have had to shift base to Mumbai, which my parents would not have allowed. It was through social media that the team of Poster Boys spotted me and approached me. I told them that I don’t know anything about acting, yet I auditioned and to my surprise, got selected. It was only after the release of the film that my parents thought it was time for me to move to Mumbai. Soon after, I bagged Laila Majnu as the female lead. Luck seemed to be on my side as I realised where Bollywood enthusiasts complained about struggles, here I was... with good projects coming my way right from the beginning.