Mahesh Manjrekar is playing the character of Begum, which is testing his acting abilities, while the elaborate make-up and hairdo are testing his patience.
Mahesh Manjrekar laughs, “Getting ready is a big issue for me as it takes hours. The make-up, the hairdo and donning an elaborate costume consumes so much time. I now realize what our heroines go through day in and out.”
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| MAHESH MANJREKAR in RAJJO |
Manjrekar says that he accepted the role because he had never played a eunuch before. He explains, “It was something very out of the box for me. Also, I have taken utmost care not to give a stereotypical portrayal of the character. Eunuchs are human beings experiencing the same emotions. I have tried to keep the depiction as normal as possible. If there is a bad side, there is a good side too.”
Debutant director Vishwas Patil says, “Mahesh fits the part to the T. He is a versatile actor and has done a brilliant job.”
Talking about the film he reveals, “RAJJO is a love story of a Muslim nautch girl and a Brahmin boy. Though primarily a love story, it also looks into the issue of the mujra houses that are dying a slow death in today’s competitive world of high rises and corruption. There was a time when areas like Mumbai Central and Nagpada were known for kothewallis and their kothas. In fact, I have seen life closely in those areas when I used to be there a decade ago. I met eunuchs too. It has now inspired me to write the script.”
Besides Manjrekar, RAJJO also stars Prakash Raj, Jaya Prada, Paras Arora, Tanushree Chakraborty, Dalip Tahil and Swati Chitnis.
