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ShareMUMBAI: Noted actress and censor board Chief Sharmila Tagore says that she is not attached to her image and was capable of taking risks.
Tagore, who is making her debut in Marathi film opposite actor-filmmaker Amol Palekar in 'Samantar'(parallel), said that regional cinema has strong roots.
"Being a Bengali, I have kept in touch with the cinema of my mother tongue. Besides having lived and worked in Maharashtra for several years, working in a Marathi film was quite a challenge," she added.
About her association with Palekar, Sharmila said, "We worked in a Bengali film several years ago, which he happened to direct as well. When Amol approached with this subject, I was taken aback and asked him why he wanted me in the film when a Maharashtrian actress could have done the role. But, he convinced me that I was best suited to essay the character.
"We are likeminded people who believe in good cinema," she added.
She said working in 'Samantar' which has been shot near Kolkata, has been a positive experience.
"My role turned out to be better than what I had expected. There was dignity and depth in it which I identified myself with. I like playing such kind of characters. Amol was supportive and it was a role where there was nothing I should not be doing. I am not playing a teenager in it," Sharmila said.
She said Marathi was rich in literature.
"The nuances of the language like pronunciation are difficult. Amol would give me the Marathi dialogues and I learn the lines. The film is not shot in sync sound. It will be dubbed. But cinema now has become a pan India concept. The demarcation of regional, mainstream cinema is not there as it used to be," she said.
Sharmila said she plays a Maharashtrian character in the film, which is a story about man-woman relationship.
"I know my performance will be closely watched. There will be lot of interest in the film I presume. I am waiting for the audience response. Hope I pass the test," she added.
To a question on whether she would consider doing a film with her children Soha and Saif Ali Khan, Sharmila replied, "It would look gimmicky. More than mother and children, we are actors and need our own space. I would not want us to feature as mother and children on screen. Until some substantial script comes up, it looks difficult for us to be together in a film."
When asked about her son Saif's relationship with Kareena Kapoor, Sharmila shot back, "My children's personal life is off limits for a media discussion."
To a question about her forthcoming projects, she said apart from 'Samantar', she was doing a Bengali film and Nagesh Kukunoor's film with Akshay Kumar and Ayesha Takia.
