Manjari Phadnis believes that negative stories are more interesting to hear. By Kritika Dua
Noises in the dark disturb the newlyweds in the short film The Cot, a humorous take on a bed which is centuries old making bizarre noises. The fallout is due to an over-anxious husband unable to consummate the marriage. Directed by Gaurav Bakshi, the film is a must watch for the comic element brought to the fore by the stellar cast — Manjari Phadnis and Rahul Bagga.
Sarla, a housewife is miffed with her husband when he is distracted from sex by a small squeak (chun-chun sound) emerging from a wooden cot, which makes him believe that his parents are listening to them. The audience is privy to his daydreams that not just his parents but the police, watchmen and some neighbours are surrounding him. In spite of Sarla’s constant nagging (with the result that he starts having nightmares of a divorce), he is unable to get the cot replaced as his parents’ emotions are attached to it. But one day when he comes home he is surprised to see the bed replaced, with the old one being shifted to his parents’ room. Excited, they finish the dinner soon but when they try to get intimate, he hears the same noise again. On close observation, they figure out that this time it is coming from the adjacent room.
Phadnis spilt beans on how she was approached for this role. “I have had a long relationship with Humara Movie productions who have produced this film, owing to the few short films I have done with them. So, when they were making this film, they approached me and that’s how I got on board. I loved the script and Sarla’s character the moment I read it. It was really humorous.” The film has been nominated for Filmfare Short Film Awards and she has her fingers crossed, hoping that it will get its due.
Added she, “My only concern was that how would my parents react to this bold portrayal and how would it be madeIJ But, Gaurav Bakshi is a sensible director with great aesthetics. So, I decided to trust him and follow his instincts. It gave me an opportunity to play a character that no one imagined me in, including myself. I found the role challenging as an actress and took it on.”
The three-day shoot was like a rollercoaster ride and Phadnis had an enjoyable time trying new things for it. “We all decided that we are going to have a blast, enjoy the moment while shooting it and not think too much.” The shooting was not a difficult aspect, however, convincing herself for it was. She even donned the singer’s hat as it’s her sensuous voice in the song that comes at the end. “I was supposed to sing it in a sultry voice, the words were funny but had to be sung seriously,” she said.
She trusted Bakshi with his filmmaking skills and he would make it look classy (not shoddy) and present it decently. “I had faith in myself as an actress that I will make sure that she maintains sophistication,” she said. She warned her parents about this role and told them not to disown her for her choice.
Recalling a funny incident, Phadnis said, “I got a call from the producers that this film has been nominated for Filmfare Short Film Awards. I was busy with the rehearsal of a play, Double Deal Reloaded and hadn’t watched the final cut of the movie. So, I saw the film quite late, tucked in bed with headphones on and watched it quietly. My parents had come down from Pune to meet me and I wanted to make sure that I could show it to them.”
However, she didn’t. “My mother saw the film when I shared it on a social networking site for people to vote for it. And she said, ‘I like the film’, my dad has still not spoken about it but interestingly, he has shared it on his facebook account. I am proud of them for always being supportive of my choices.”
She believes that the issue of lack of privacy is prevalent in our country as the culture of a nuclear family still hasn’t seeped in. In most cases, newly-wedded couples live with their parents in small houses or joint family. But, nobody talks about it and The Cot highlights it in a light-hearted manner. “Intimacy is a need and a crucial aspect of a man-woman relationship. It’s such a hush-hush thing here, especially when one is living with in-laws and they hope that the noises stay within the closed doors. In the film, the bed’s noise is creating a panic situation.”
Sarla aptly portrays a modern Indian woman who has her needs and is vocal about it. Phadnis agrees to it and added that woman have the right to speak without any hesitation about their physical needs to their partners.
Beyond Cot, Phadnis believes in choosing films which have interesting content to offer to the audience and the ones backed by a strong production team. “I look at the setup first as it’s important that the film is backed by a good production house so that it is marketed well.” This is something she has realised during the last few years in the industry.
“I give a lot of importance to script and it has always been my first priority. It does happen at times that one chooses a script seeing solely the content but if the setup is not good, the film can go down the drain with our efforts as it’s not presented and promoted well,” added Phadnis. Though this is not always the case as she sometimes goes by her instincts, one such film was Warning, produced by Anubhav Sinha. The actress is keen to work in a full-fledged romantic comedy with a good script.
Directors Imtiaz Ali and Rajkumar Hirani are on her wishlist and she can give an arm and a leg to work with them. Phadnis thinks that predominantly she is a spontaneous actor. “I have evolved as an actress since the time I started my career with Rok Sako Toh Rok lo. My journey has been slower than I would have liked it to be but it’s still a beautiful one. I have met some wonderful people along the way as opposed to what I heard before coming into the industry, all the scary stories that people feed into your system. I feel that because Bollywood is so glamourised, the negative stories are more interesting to hear.
“And people don’t really care about the positives. It’s not a fairy tale land but has pros and cons like every other industry.” Her forthcoming projects include a murder mystery — Nirdosh that will release on January 19 and a dark comedy titled Baa Baa Black Sheep, which will release later this year.
