PremiumMadhoo on her debut with Ajay Devgn in Phool Aur Kaante: We were not nervous newcomers
The actress recently appeared in Telugu film Shaakuntalam, starring Samantha Ruth Prabhu
Madhoo; the actress with Ajay Devgn in a still from the 1991 film ‘Phool Aur Kaante’
Last Updated: 05.52 PM, Apr 23, 2023
Most recently seen as Menaka in the Samantha Ruth Prabhu-starrer Telugu mythological drama film Shaakuntalam, Madhoo was one of the leading actresses in the 1990s. Her debut film Phool Aur Kaante (with Ajay Devgn), followed by Mani Ratnam’s Roja (opposite Arvind Swami) are still counted among her most memorable movies. Speaking during an interview recently, the actress - who has worked across the Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada industries - opened up about her experience as a newcomer in Bollywood back in 1991.
When asked if she felt any anxiety or nervousness working with her co-star Ajay in the Kuku Kohli-directed action-romance film Phool Aur Kaante, which went on to become a blockbuster hit, Madhoo told ETimes, “Ajay had a nice group. It was all his fight masters and fighter friends on the set. He was being trained for the film under the guidance of his father, Veeru Devgnji. He was not a nervous newcomer, and for some reason, I wasn’t one either. Maybe, I didn’t feel nervous because Ajay was my co-star. Agar samne Govinda, Anil Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Jackie Shroff aur aise koi established actors hote toh I would have felt nervous. But Ajay and I were from Mithibai College, so we had that Juhu vibe and Veeruji was my father’s friend. Working on Phool Aur Kaante was like meeting friends. I think that worked in my favour.”
Describing Phool Aur Kaante as a fresh film, the actress said, “Everyone - from the director and producer to the actors - were new and fresh. At the time when Yash Chopraji and Subhash Ghaiji were ruling the industry, and their films were called ‘magna’, our film became a ‘magna’, because of the hard work put in by the people. Regardless of whether my debut film was a hit or a flop, getting the opportunity was the biggest thing.”