"Lights!, camera!, action!"
Jaya Bachchan dressed in a simple white sari, steps into the `field'. There's a lady curled up on the floor. Jaya gently prods her awake. Hem, who's the household help, jolts awake. "Khoka, you're back," she mutters. "I'll get you some milk." It's a moment before she realises it's not Khoka but ma who tells her firmly to go up to bed. "Main hoon na." But before Hem can trek upstairs there's a sound... a key turning. And in walks Khoka (Joy Sengupta) with a sheepish grin on his face. "Aaiye,"Jaya welcomes him, "Hem has kept some milk for you..." .
Jaya may be facing the camera 16 years after Silsila but she has not lost her touch. Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Ma may be a thought-provoking subject but on the sets there's no sign of nervous tension. The Guddi giggles often, and despite her star status and her reputation of being a tyrant, her co-stars do not show any signs of weak-kneed awe. Even Govind who's normally a stern-faced director on the sets is seen smiling often.
But there'll be no traces of this light-hearted bonhomie in the film. Mahesweta Devi's novel set in Naxalite Bengal doesn't have too many light moments. Jaya Bachchan has made a comeback in front of the camera, not as a star but an actress. She's here to give serious cinema a chance, and she's convinced there's an audience for it. "Because life is not just about having a good time, notching up personal triumphs." The films she's doing present a positive picture of women and Jaya is optimistic that they will prove to be a turning point in the lives of many.
One late evening after pack-up she stretches out outside Rajkamal Studio, to talk about cinema, censors and the NCFYP.
