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 She’s
one of the most versatile and dare we say, the busiest actresses
on the small screen today. She’s doing five different shows on various
channels (Draupadi and Zindagi...Teri Meri Kahani on Sahara, Sonpari
on Star, Khel on Sony and Rangoli on DD). One is a mythological,
one a family drama, one a children’s show, one a corporate war and
in one she’s an anchor. One can’t get more diverse than that, we
suppose. Another thing we found out was Mrinal is a favourite with
most of the serial makers.
Like Cinevista’s
head honcho Prem Krishen says, "She’s so good that you
are 100 per cent confident that she will deliver the best. She’s
not only pretty but also a very learned actress dedicated to the
core. What more do you need? She fits the role of Draupadi to a
T." When we convey this to Mrinal she humbly says, "That’s
really a great compliment. I believe that when one is doing a job,
big or small, one should do it with full fervour. It not only saves
time but one can feel the contentment which is so much important."
What makes Mrinal
so steadfast in the cut-throat world of television, we wondered.
We didn’t have to go far as we realised that she comes from
a family of litereateurs rather than a filmi one. Her grandfather
is a well-known literary personality in the state of Maharastra.
Both her parents are lecturers in Pune University. Born and brought
up in Pune, Mrinal Dev was exposed to a cultural and literary environment
from the beginning. Few know that Mrinal is a double M.A (Marathi
and English Literature) and has done her research in Linguistics.
She avers, "From my childhood I have seen famous personalities
from literary and cultural fields coming to our home and I even
used to play with them. While I was growing up, I learned Kathak
for four years and three years I practiced classical music. It was
part of growing up and the cultural background that my family had."
Little did she realise that one day all these arts will help her
understand the intricacies of acting and help her perform better.
Her journey towards stardom unknowingly taught her all those things
that have become a part and parcel of her daily life now.
 While
Mrinal was doing her M.A, Gajanand Jagirdar approached her to play
the lead role in 1988 super-hit Marathi serial Swami. The historical
was based on the great warrior Madhavrao Peshawa’s life, where
Mrinal played the role of his wife Rama. The stupendous success
of Swami made Mrinal the talk of the town. She smiles and reminisces,
"Even today people relate me with Swami. It’s really amazing.
It was a historical with a beautiful love story woven around it.
I played Rama, who’s naive and as the story develops, matures
and become the strength of the mighty warrior. In the end Rama becomes
a sati. It was based on a Marathi novel. Life changed after that
but I thought that it was the only thing that I wanted to do."
At the time
of her success Mrinal was also in love and she got married in 1990.
Her father-in-law Jayaram Kulkarni, an actor himself and her mother-in-law,
a doctor encouraged her to pursue the field of acting. Unlike others,
Mrinal was choosy right from the word go. She took her time and
selected the best projects that came her way. Srikant, her first
Hindi serial with Faroque Sheikh happened in 1990. She didn’t
have to look back since then. Offers started pouring in but she
sat pretty and took her time to pick up only the best. She recalls,
"I guess I picked up all the best characters in the serials.
I was ready to experiment with each new character and it helped
me grow as an actress and win accolades." The varied range
of characters that Mrinal has played from a lover, wife, an angel,
the other woman, Ahilya Bai Holkar in Sanjay Khan’s Great Maratha,
Meera Bai in Ved Rahi’s Meera, Habba Khaton - the queen of
Kashmir in Noorjehan, Draupadi to being an anchor - have all registered
well with the audiences.
Apart from
serials, Mrinal has also acted in some of the best Marathi films
to date. For the role in Jodidaar, she won two awards for Best Actress.
Ghara Baher gave her the State Award. She also won Women Achiever
Award from the State of Maharastra for her international venture
Dr. Ambedkar, which was dubbed in 14 languages. In the latest critically
acclaimed Veer Savarkar, she played the lead role with great appreciation
from the audience and critics. What about Hindi films then? Instead
of answering, she counter questions, "When I am doing so well
on the small screen playing all the major characters, wouldn’t
it be a foolish move to play sister or bhabhi roles in Hindi films?"
Point noted.
Mrinal has
always given power packed performance in all her serials and films.
She enjoys playing the angel, a very unusual role, in Sonpari. "When
Neena Gupta approached me for the role, I was a little apprehensive
but then I took it as a challenge. We used to sit and talk about
how natural it should be and I am so happy that not only children
but even adults enjoy the serial." As for her anchoring the
song-based Rangoli she thanks Hema Malini. She fondly says, "Hemaji
was leaving Rangoli and it was very nice of her to suggest my name.
I have great respect for the beautiful actress." But it is
as Draupadi that Mrinal has really stood the test of time. She explains,
"Draupadi is also a period costume drama. In fact, many people
still don’t know how beautiful Draupadi’s character is.
The relationship that she shares with Shri Krishna is perhaps one
of the best relationships in the world, so passionate and yet so
pure. Draupadi is the complete woman in true sense. I remember when
I decided to play Draupadi, many of my friends really made fun of
me and used to tease me about Draupadi’s cheer haran. I am
so glad today they appreciate my performance and talk about Draupadi
at great length." she says happily. About her role as Dilip
Tahil and Priya Tendulkar’s daughter in Khel she elaborates,
"Khel is a very beautiful social drama. It’s very much
the story of today’s society. The relationship that I share
with my parents has been portrayed so beautifully that seldom you
get the chance to play such a role. I am really enjoying my role
in Khel." In Zindagi...Teri Meri Kahani, Mrinal is playing
the other woman in Parmeet Sethi’s life.
Which is her
best serial till date? Pat comes the reply, "Meera is my best
and favourite for the simple reason that Ved Rahi made it so real.
Meera as a person was not only beautiful but also wonderful."
As an actress, one has plus and minus points, what about hers? She’s
honest to confide "My sincerity is both my strength and weakness."
When we ask her to elaborate she says, "I am very sincere in
my approach because I understand the amount of money involved in
any project. Also the passion of the maker has to be respected and
an actor should always deliver with true conviction and dedication.
This attitude not only simplifies the whole issue but also will
take any actor to great places. But at times I realise that sincerity
doesn’t pay always. But I guess I cannot change myself, so
I give my best to what ever I am doing." Among her latest projects,
Mrinal has just completed a pilot for Ramanand Sagar’s untitled
serial with Mohnish Behl.
What is Mrinal
in real life? She smiles and says, "Mrinal loves reading, trekking,
music, is very homely and loves to be an independent lady. She is
a level headed woman, who has no hang ups in life." What does
she think about the present TV scenario? She shudders, "It’s
really very scary because viewers don’t watch TV for entertaining
themselves. Instead they try to emulate the ongoings of serials
in their real life which is a very harmful thing. TV has become
a waste of time and honestly speaking (the serials) have no moral
values to teach the audience. The audience should realise that all
the soaps are a work of fiction and do something creative in their
respective lives. Even though I belong to the industry I feel that
TV can and should educate people about the good things of life."
As she packs her bags to leave for her hometown, Pune, she concludes,
"Life is beautiful and one must make the most of it."
Mrinal, one must say, is not only a pretty looker but a beautiful
person.
—Johnny
D
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