Urmila Mahanta “My Journey Has Begun Just Now“

The sprightly and vivacious Urmila Mahaanta talks to JYOTHI VENKATESH about her journey as an actress right from the film Vazhakku Enn 18/9 (Tamil) to her last release Viraam and her future plans

What is your role in the recently released film Viraam?
In Viraam, I played the male female protagonist of a young and vivacious girl called Matun who has several shades including grey. She was pious as well as temperamental too.

To what extent could you relate to the role with your real life?
Matun was poles apart from what I am in real life. That was the main reason I decided to take up playing the role as a challenge to the actress in me.

How tough was the role?
It was quite tough because I played some one with grey shades, which I am not in real life especially as I have not come across circumstances as Matun had. I should thank the director and the script for the role because it was so well written that I did not have to struggle at all to get into the skin of the character.

You come from Assam. Did you have to face any discrimination in the industry because of your looks?
Luckily I did not have to face any kind of hassle because I do not have the typical Mongolian looks with which every North East Indian is associated in Bollywood. On the contrary I can pass off as a typical Indian, whether Bengali or a Tamilian and hence I did not face any kinds of discrimination in the industry.

How open are you to act in a web series? What do you think about web series?
I think web series are becoming more and more popular and getting a big reach like films and television today. I am in talks with a few producers and would be ready to be part of web series and when I stumble upon a meaty offer.

You started out as an actress with a Tamil film. How did you bag the break?
I made my debut with the Tamil film Vazhakku Enn 18/9 way back in 2008 with director Balaji Shaktivel who spotted me at Goa where I had gone to attend the IFFI. I was with a friend of mine at the booking counter to buy the tickets for a film when Balaji Sir spotted me and sent word through my friend who knew him and asked me to meet him. My friend told me that Balaji had directed Kalluri which was being screened in the festival then. Balaji Sir asked me to watch is film Kalluri to know his style of working and after I saw the film offered me my debut film. The film took quite some time to release as his film Kalluri had flopped.

Viraam was certainly not your first film in Hindi!
Yes. Viraam was not the first. I had earlier acted in Ballad of Rustom, which went to the Oscars followed by Ketan Mehta’s Maajhi The Mountain Man opposite Prashant Narayanan and last but not the least Murgadoss’s film Akira, in which I was the bad girl who traps Sonakshi Sinha

How ambitious are you as far as your career is concerned?
I am not ambitious but I am hopeful that I will be able to make my way through in Bollywood because of late Bollywood has started accepting actors not just on the basis of their complexion or on the basis of whether they are tall or short and whether they are Assamese or South Indians but on their own intrinsic talent. There are many such actresses who have been able to make a cut like Radhika Apte, Tanishta Chatterjee and Vidya Balan. I am hopeful that there will be a place for even Urmila Mahanta.

You are a FTII graduate from Pune. In what way has your life changed after your stint at FTII?
I should say that my horizons, both as a person as l as an actor have widened after I joined FTII. Before joining the FTII, I used trio watch only films from Bollywood but after going to Pune, I started watching gems of films from not only Hollywood but also different parts of India like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

What’s your take on the syndrome of the casting couch?
Frankly speaking, though I had heard a lot of tales about the infamous syndrome of the casting couch, till date touchwood, I have not gone through such a thing even once. I used to work only with casting directors of repute like Mukesh Chhabra, Honey Trehan and Shruti Mahajan. Even down South, I was not at any time subjected to any such demeaning proposals, though I have given several look tests and auditions as an actress.

How would you describe yourself as an actress?
I would say that I am very balanced as a n actress since I have been taught basically at the FTII that I should do a role whether an ultra glamorous role in a mainstream film or for that matter a deglamorised role in offbeat art house film effortlessly. I believe strongly that I can do both.

What exactly is your approach towards a role?
I have a theater back ground as an amateur one when I was studying. Now that I have a filmi background, I can say that I am not theatrical and have always believed in having a realistic approach h towards any role that I essay.

Do you have inhibitions on that count to do a lip lock or a scene which requires you to appear in a two piece bikini?
If the script demands that I do a scene in a two piece bikini or indulge in a lip lock with my leading man, I am game for it. It is a must that he script should have substance

Which are your five best films till date as an actress?
I have acted in around 15 films in different languages including Hindi, Bengali, Assamese and Tamil. Out of them my five favorites are Vazhakku Enn 18/9, Majhi The Mountain Man, Bokul (Assamese), Chirodhini Tumhe Je Amaar (Bengali) and Viraam.

Who are your favorite actors in Bollywood?
Naseeruddin Shah, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Adiul Hussain, Irrfan Khan and Smita Patil, Vidya Balan, Konkana Sen Sharma, Kangana Ranaut and Alia Bhatt are my favorites .

Which are your forthcoming films?
I am playing a Kolkata girl who migrates to Kerala in Rosagulla (Malayalam) and a typical chulbuli village girl in the UP based satirical film Pareshanpur and Chakkalaspur which is on the plight of the farmers. My journey as an actor has just started now and I think I have many more miles to go ahead and reach my destination as a good actress who can do any type of role.