Anyone who grew up watching 80s Hindi cinema has an indelible impression of Rohini Hattangady. The veteran actor has played memorable roles in films like Arth, Chaalbaaz, Saaransh and Agneepath. Many of them had strong mother roles for her, a trope largely missing from contemporary Hindi films — which is possibly why we don’t see much of the BAFTA-winning actor currently, she says. Rohini reflects with self-deprecating humour, “Hindi makers are not offering enough roles for sure. Maybe they have forgotten me. I am also busy with Marathi films and theatre. I was slotted as a mother very early on, and now there are rarely any mother's roles in our films.”
Meetha Mein Kya Hai, the recent Netflix film, marks Rohini’s comeback to Hindi cinema after nearly 4 years. Talking about what drew her to the role, she notes, “The whole script was so saral (simple), so subtle. There is no big drama here — just these characters placed in front of each other. That creates the drama - characters behaving a certain way. When I finished reading it, the script lingered in my head.”
In Marathi cinema, Rohini in 2023 headlined Baipan Bhari Deva, which was a massive Marathi blockbuster. A film entirely centred on women, a trend rarely seen in Hindi movies nowadays. Rohini says, “Marathi films today are coming up with different subjects, handling different Themes. That’s not happening in Hindi. Hindi audience is so influenced by films like Dhurandhar. I don’t know why but it's happening. People are liking violent or larger-than-life films more now; these genres are overpowering others. So there has to be somebody who can show this kind of film will work with the audience. I hope ours will be that film.”
Debutant filmmaker Radhika Bansal shares why she felt compelled to write this story of an affluent family in Lucknow. And it comes down to how Lucknow has been portrayed in Hindi cinema. “I just wanted to write about a family, following the characters and their relationships, without artificially introducing a conflict. I have seen how family unions happen at festivals, where people always arrive with big news. There is always that big revelation, invariably one intervention, and that drama. We are naturally dramatic people, so there is always a conflict.” Another big drive for Radhika was to show a Baniya family on screen. She explains, “We don't often see Baniya families on screen. When a story goes to UP, it becomes a lot about violence and crime. Lucknow too becomes a very fetishized version of itself, with a period vibe. I was like, I don’t see our families anymore. It's always Punjabi families. So the idea was to stay true to that family and their dynamics."
Ritwik Bhowmik, who plays Jai Rastogi, the protagonist in MMKH, too has been rather selective. One would expect the actor to be more frequent in his on-screen projects following the breakout success of Bandish Bandits. Ritwik clarifies the notion, “I feel like I have to keep working. I come from a middle class household, and it's our innate characteristic to keep working, no matter how much money or fame we earned. We can’t sit idle. If left up to my agents, I would do lesser work (laughs). I am also working on other things besides acting, trying to build things. But honestly, the way everything’s going, it’s all good.”
In MMKH, Ritwik plays a grieving 35-year-old man who is amidst a transitory phase in life when he strikes a friendship with his 13-year-old neighbour Meera, and the two bond over their shared grief. The film navigates a tricky space for a relationship between the two. Ritwik credits his director for sensitively handling the subject. He notes, “It was a very important scene, where Meera confesses to Jai, and it could go either way. It was important to be in the center. I completely surrendered to Radhika’s vision. All I had to do was stay open enough to be regulated and guided by her.” On a lighter note, Ritwik adds he personally related to Meera’s character a lot. “I was madly in love with Preeti Zinta when I was 12-13 years old. Madly.”
Meanwhile, Radhika Bansal talks at length about the Jai-Meera friendship. “When I was writing it, I thought of it as the most innocent thing – a 13-year-old having a crush on a grown man. It's a universal feeling, the purest form of love. I knew it could be tricky. Whenever I wrote their scenes, I would imagine whether I’d feel icky if this was happening to someone close, like my best friend’s daughter. I was conscious that it shouldn’t become uncomfortable. Also, Jai is not a shady person. When a girl has a crush on him, you understand. Also, I didn’t want any adult to tell Meera her feelings are not valid, or that she will get over it. Jai had to navigate her gently without looking down on her, and Meera is smart enough to take the cue.”
Films like Meethe Mein Kya Hai — with minimal drama and quiet pacing — are very rare nowadays. Why exactly, though? Ayesha Raza Khan, who plays Jai’s mother Amrita in the film, has strong views on the subject. The actor reflects on the influencer culture and how it impacts the audience’s taste for comedy. “I was talking to a director friend who has made many hit comedies. He said, ‘Now, the audience’s comedy quotient is getting fulfilled with reels. Now an influencer will play those 10 characters for you, giving you that comedy.' Why would people go to comedies then? That’s why people are talking about larger-than-life experiences in movies now. That’s a big factor in why people are not investing in making slice-of-life dramas anymore.”
Rohini Hattangady, meanwhile, expresses a hope about the times of simpler films coming back to popularity. “People are getting bored of OTT too now. If you see Marathi theatre, it is blooming now. Log bheed kar rahe hain (People are flocking to auditoriums for theatre plays). Shows are housefull. So maybe, it’s a cycle.” Radhika agrees with Rohini, “For long enough now, people have been trying to create a community around sending forwards. You don’t ask about each other’s lives, you send a forward. But I feel this has been in our ecosystem long enough now where people are tired. I feel exhausted, being wired in. Now, people want to watch something which is pleasant and not at a hectic pace. Which is why K-dramas have picked up so much. I think there is room for everything. I hope more such films are made. Ultimately, one also needs comfort,” she concludes.