This story is from September 24, 2016

Reema Lagoo: It is good to see women-centric movies in Bollywood these days

Reema Lagoo is all set to stage a comeback to soap opera after a long gap. She will be seen in 'Naamkaran' which is inspired by the 1990 film 'Zakhm' based on Mahesh Bhatt's life.
Reema Lagoo: It is good to see women-centric movies in Bollywood these days
Reema Lagoo (BCCL)
Reema Lagoo is all set to stage a comeback to soap opera after a long gap. She will be seen in 'Naamkaran' which is inspired by the 1990 film 'Zakhm' based on Mahesh Bhatt's life. Reema became a household name in the Nineties when she acted in serials like 'Tu Tu Main Main' and 'Shrimaan Shrimati'. Around the same time, she also started to make her presence felt in Bollywood movies.
So, if serials and movies remain her calling card, Marathi theatre remains Reema's first love.
Talking about her role in 'Naamkaran', Reema says she plays the grandmother Dayavanti, a stern, affectionate and humble person who has weathered the storm of life and come out unscathed and more stronger. She is the quintessential Mother Courage, one can say. Reema feels that viewers might even detect negative streak in her character. So is she comfortable doing this role? "Yes, I am absolutely comfortable slipping into the character because it is complex and multi-layered. I would always love to do roles that are off the beaten track and make you push the envelope," says the actress.
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Reema expresses satisfaction at the new trend of women-centric films that are ruling the roost in Bollywood. In other words, she feels that actors in their 40s and 50s can easily get roles of their choice which was not the case earlier. She cites the instances of Judi Dench and Meryl Streep, who can play their age with 'lan in Hollywood. Reema recently, along with Mohan Joshi, played a couple in their 40s in a Marathi movie.

When asked whether there are audiences for such movies, Reema says that movies which are content-driven have always been liked by people. 'Movies like 'Mother India', 'Deewar', 'Kitaab' and 'Chowringhee Lane' all had women character in lead roles, and became hits and popular among the masses.
Reema has noticed a discernible change in the portrayal of mothers on big screen. In movies like 'Hum Aapke Ke Hain Kaun' or 'Maine Pyar Kiya', the role of a mother, according to Reema, is that of a friend who makes her children share their problems with her.
Does she find anything missing in our movies? According to Reema, she sometimes finds the family no more an all-pervading presence like they used to be in movies made by the likes of Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Chatterjee in the Seventies and Eighties. 'Those movies were woven around middle-class family with their problems and sorrows. These days we have characters either living in slums or are super rich.
Even with her television and film commitments, Reema wants to be active on stage because that is what keeps her going.

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