Azhar said I should do more Telugu films: Madhuurima

In a tête-à-tête with Hans Talkies, Madhuurima shares about her experience of turning an assistant director for ‘Azhar’ and meeting the real Azhar

Actress Madhuurima got a firsthand feel of what direction is all about on the sets of Hindi film ‘Azhar’, a biopic on former Indian cricket team captain Mohammed Azharuddin. The bong beauty assisted the film’s director Tony D'Souza.

The actress insists that to (better) understand what filmmakers want from her – ranging from expressions, body language and diction– she decided to go behind the camera. “I wanted to understand the director’s vision and how he thinks and sees the film. Secondly, we shoot in various complex outdoor locations.

Naturally, the camera is very far, and we have no idea about the frame. But an assistant director knows exactly how the frame would be and which lenses and camera angles are being used for such scenes. I wanted to know such modalities,” she states.

Ask the actress why she chose this film, she says, “The film’s director is a good friend of mine. I’m starring in his wife Jasmine D'Souza’s directorial ‘One Night Stand’. So when I asked him whether I can be part of the direction team, he readily agreed,” adding, “I worked more in South films and the roles I played are similar unfortunately.

I have not got the opportunity to experiment. In Bollywood, roles and scripts are different. Since I’m doing a couple of Bollywood films, I wanted to work on sensitive areas and understand the nuances of the trade.”

Madhuurima says she bonded big time with the former Indian cricket captain on the sets in London. “He was actively involved during the making and used to share his experiences with Emran Hashmi, the protagonist. Azhar greeted and conversed with me in Telugu.

I remember, once he came to Mumbai, he bought the Hyderabadi biriyani to me and Tony. I told him it was yummy. He also advised me to do more Telugu films; he also saw the rushes of ‘One Night Stand’ and appreciated my performance. Gosh, he’s a sweet guy,” she guffaws.

Naturally, the conversations were not complete without the mention of cricket. “To my surprise he even asked me to play cricket with him. When we were not shooting, we joined him for a game. It was so much fun. He was still in the best of shape. People mobbed him at the stadium for seflies and autographs,” animatedly signs off the bombshell.

By Sashidhar Adivi