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Taking Lahore by storm: Urmila Matondkar
Whenever a Bollywood personality comes to Pakistan, headlines are made. Recently, when Indian actress Urmila Matondkar visited Lahore, a media frenzy ensued, as the star was under the media glare for almost the entire three-and-a-half day duration of her trip. Her visit was unique for many reasons, as she was the first Indian artist to cross the Wagah border after the Kargil conflict.
She is also the only Bollywood star who has acted in any kind of film production on Pakistani soil. Earlier, artists including Rekha, Vinod Khanna, Shabana Azmi, Shyam Banegal, Javed Akhter, Raj Babbar and Shatrughan Sinha had visited Pakistan from time to time, but their visits were only limited to participating in cultural gatherings and shows.
Urmila was invited to perform in a video, which was made to reflect a message of peace and harmony between Pakistan and India. This video, Deewanay, is part of a documentary film, Moving Closer, which is being directed by Dr Farooq Beg. A project of the UNDP, it is being executed by Serendip Productions of Islamabad. From the Pakistani side, actors Resham and Shamyl Khan have worked in the video, and the featured song has been selected from popular rock group Fuzon’s debut album. Different locations in Lahore were used as backgrounds.
‘We have waited 57 long years for the politicians to create peace, and they have failed. Now, actors, singers and sportsmen should come forward and take the responsibility, as they are closer to the masses than the politicians are’
“I was approached for this video when I was shooting my film Pinjar. The movie is about Partition, and it focuses on all the bloodshed and miseries that took place at the time. I met Huma and Farooq Beg in Shyam Benegal’s office through my friend Pralad Kakar, who himself is a known video director. I instantly expressed my willingness to do it, in fact, I was very happy to have been selected for this prestigious project. Both countries were at the verge of war last year, and no one wants such a situation to emerge again. I agreed to act in it instantly, especially because of my personal experiences during the shooting of Pinjar. In the movie, I played the role of a Punjabi girl who loses everything in the ’47 riots. When I visited Wagah, I felt, at that time, that this particular land had witnessed the death and suffering of millions of innocent men, women and children, and I was really horrified that these atrocities happened in the name of religion. Moreover, my father Srikanth Matondkar is himself a well-known peace activist. He has been an active member of the Pak-India peace forum for the last 20 years. If I would have not have come to Lahore for this video, I would surely have gone to Karachi to participate in the conference,” Urmila said, talking about her participation in the peace video.
For the last five years, Bollywood has constantly been churning out movies with virulent anti-Pakistan propaganda, portraying Pakistanis as paranoid extremists. When asked about this particular tendency of the Mumbai movie machine, Urmila was, for lack of better words, diplomatic.
“I think both nations have such elements. There are people on both sides who don’t want peace to flourish. If Bollywood has been producing such movies in the recent past, then, to balance it out, some very positive movies are due in the future. My new movie Pinjar is one such example. I hope it will be released in Pakistan. Personally, I have not worked in any movie that has tried to create hatred between the two nations. Furthermore, do you think it is fair, on your part, for me to comment on these negative elements, which are working against the common interest of the two nations? I think the best thing one can do is work for peace to counter these negative elements. That is why I am here,” she explains.
Does she think artists from both sides will be able to help normalize relations between the two countries?
“Yes. The whole team of this project shares this idea. We have waited 57 long years for the politicians to create peace, and they have failed. Now, actors, singers and sportsmen should come forward and take the responsibility, as they are closer to the masses than the politicians are.”
Almost as soon as she crossed the Wagah border, Urmila announced that she would be happy to sign any offer from Lollywood film-makers. After this, Syed Noor, Farooq Mengal and Shehzad Gul showed interest in signing her for their projects. Is she serious about this?
“It is true. I would like to sign movies here, but it doesn’t mean that I’ll sign projects without giving it a thought. Besides, I have not received any formal offer from any Pakistani producers yet. But, there is a great prospect in joint film-making between the two industries. I think both countries should instantly lift the ban on each other’s movies. This will go far in creating harmony because Bollywood movies are very popular here. I think that Pakistani movies will also be quite popular in India, especially in East Punjab and other northern states. Mahesh Bhatt and Pooja Bhatt have come to Pakistan and have plans to meet President Musharraf in this regard. I hope the outcome of their tour will be positive,” she says optimistically.
A few years back, Urmila was considered the number one heroine at the Bollywood box office. Now, Aishwariya Rai, Kareena Kapoor and a few others keep rotating the top slot. When she was asked to comment about her position, she brushed it aside, trying to focus on her current mission.
“I am here on a peace mission and I don’t want to talk about other professional issues. I have been working in Bollywood for the last 12 years. When I started my career as a heroine, all my contemporaries were either the daughters or sisters of senior film artists and had sound backing and connections. I earned my position through hard work and the love of my fans. Rangeela was certainly the turning point in my career. I worked very hard to reach this position.”
When asked what her overall impression of this visit was, Urmila became emotional.
“I can’t describe what my sentiments about this visit are. I can’t express the amount of love I have received here. I only wish that my eyes could become the eyes of the whole Indian nation, as they have seen the love and respect everyone here has given me. I am not a politician, nor am I a preacher, but I want to convey these feelings to my friends and colleagues. I wish I could have stayed here longer and also gone to Karachi, but due to several constraints, that was not possible. But my father is in Karachi to participate in the Pak-India peace forum.”
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