Thirty-eight years into her illustrious career as an actor, Madhuri Dixit is set to make her digital debut with Netflix India Original show The Fame Game. The fictional thriller drama revolves around Bollywood actor Anamika Anand's disappearance, and how the dark side of her fame unravels during the investigation.
Sri Rao has written the story of The Fame Game, which is directed by Bejoy Nambiar and Karishma Kohli.
In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, Madhuri Dixit and writer Sri Rao talk about The Fame Game, characters, the actor's journey, creating a legacy, ageism in the Hindi film industry, and much more. Excerpts:
What inspired you to work on The Fame Game?
Rao: I was inspired by Madhuri. She is an iconic star, and someone whom I have admired for a long time from a distance. I was born and raised in the US but her stardom and her talent have reached across the world. I was one of the people who fell in love with her. When Netflix approached me for creating a series, I knew immediately that if I am going to make something, it has to be with Madhuri. That’s how I started working on it, and the idea to make The Fame Game came to me.
I wanted to create a character and story for Madhuri, just like how American actresses like Julia Roberts and Nicole Kidman are doing compelling work in television.
The greatest living actor in India is Madhuri, and I wanted to try to create something of her caliber.
Madhuri, what made you say yes to it? Were there any reservations? It is a fictional character but portrays the life of a superstar.
There were no reservations because I loved the script. Sri has created this beautiful character called Anamika Anand. She is a huge star who has a seemingly perfect life. One day, she just disappears and then people start asking questions – Where is she soon becomes who she is. The curtain opens, and you get a peek into her life. All the myths start breaking, and secrets come out. I love mysteries and thrillers, and that added to it. The way Sri has written the characters, shown dynamics between each of them, is just beautiful.
This is your streaming debut. As an actor, how similar or different has the experience been for you as compared to that of working on films?
When you work on a film, the story is to be told in two or three hours, but in a series, you have eight hours of content to create – that gives you time to time to work on the backstories of each character. They become real and relatable. You can create a world of its own, and give people beautiful stories. You want to know what happens in their life, and that’s the fun of OTT platforms and series.
How difficult is it for you to detach from a character you have played?
I have a switch on and switch off mode. Once the camera is on, I am all into the character I’m playing, but once I am off-camera, I don’t take the character back home with me. I can do that. Sometimes, I might carry emotion with me, but my family helps me in forgetting that.
Were there any parts in the series that drained you?
There are a lot of emotional parts – the relationship with my daughter is not perfect in the series. There’s an emotional scene with my daughter, and that left me crying.
Sri: I was astounded seeing Madhuri on the sets. She can give you a masterclass on acting. She changes expression in seconds. It was remarkable to watch her work.
Sri, it is a bold topic. Actors do not talk about their personal lives usually. Are you worried about how people are going to take it?
I wasn’t worried about it at all. I am just like you – a complete outsider who has watched the superstars as a fan from a distance. I have no connections with Bollywood. I wanted to narrate the story as a fan, and this is my imagination of how things can be. It shows how life must be behind closed doors. It was so fun to write, and I hope audiences will have fun watching it.
Madhuri, you have given us some memorable performances, and have created a legacy. I wanted to know how has your journey been. Was there a time when people told you that you cannot do it?
Everyone goes through that. They get dejected, rejected, told that you are not heroine material or are very skinny, or she is this or she is that… I am thankful to my mom who was like a force guiding me throughout. She was a superwoman. There was a time when someone said that I can’t be a leading lady and I was dejected, but my mom advised me to not listen to them, and keep working hard. She said it will happen at the right time. Eventually, even if someone criticised me, it was like water on a duck’s back. I used to take constructive criticism, and used to work on it. Whatever I am a part of, I do it with sincerity and to the best of my ability.
I have nothing to complain about in my entire journey. I’ve worked with the best actors, directors, got good scripts, songs, have worked with amazing choreographers… what else I could have asked for. I’ve learned so much from them.
Do you think streaming is changing the game for women? Women characters are now being shown in a better light.
Sri: Absolutely yes, and it’s about time that we should be doing that. Thank God for OTT platforms because it has allowed women to take the center of their own story. The stories are being told from a different point of view, and not from that of a man. I hope The Fame Game joins that moment, and other directors and writers also do that.
Any BTS scenes that we will not see but have been special?
All the moments. I am working with Sanjay [Kapoor] after Mohabbat [1997]. We used to meet often but it is wonderful to see him grow as an actor. He feels OTT gave him a chance to showcase his talent. He has done so well with his character, and so has Manav [Kaul]. I think we shared a lot of camaraderie behind the scenes, and enjoyed each other’s company. We shot this during COVID-19 in a bubble in Nasik. It helped us bond well.
When we talk about Bollywood, actors need to look a certain way, be of a certain age. What do you have to say about that? How do you process getting older in a notoriously ageist business?
Ageism is everywhere, not just in the industry. We often hear, "Arey apki toh age ho gayi hai, ab aapko kya dance karna hai" [You are old now, you still want to dance?] or "ab to aap bhagwan ka naam lijiye" [just pray to God in your old age] kind of things. We love doing things, and why should we worry about how old we are? If we’ll start thinking about that, we won’t be able to achieve anything in life. I think it’s time that we break these stereotypes, and I wanted to come out and say that through The Fame Game. We have also addressed the fact that it’s always a comeback for a female actor, even if she was away for a few months, and never for a male actor, even if he was away for years. These things are important to be discussed.
Sri: We’ve said it all in the series, and hope things will change.
The Fame Game will release this Friday on 25 February on Netflix India.
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