No Interest In Playing Ajay Devgn's Mother: Madhoo On Ageism

Several female actors have opened up on ageism in the film industry. They narrated their stories about how it affected their careers, whereas their male counterparts are still at the top of their career. The recent addition to the list is actor Madhoo Shah, who revealed why she quit the industry at the peak of her career.

Actor Madhoo Shah, known as Madhoo for many films in the 90s voiced her discontent regarding the ageism in the film industry in one of the recent events. Madhoo Shah known for her films like Roja, Phool Aur Kaante revealed that she was unhappy with the roles she was offered and expressed her dissatisfaction with the way her film career was shaping. 

Actor Madhoo On Ageism

In a report by Pinkvilla, Madhoo pointed out that she had no interest in playing the mother of a leading star on-screen. Giving an example of Ajay Devgn with whom she made her Bollywood debut in Phool Aur Kaante in 1991, said that I have no interest in portraying the character of Ajay Devgn's mother and were both launched in the industry at the same time and are age is almost same. Madhoo realised she was deeply unhappy with the shift from films like Roja. She found that her true passion lies in being 'an artist and doing meaningful work'. 

Bollywood has indeed come a long way in the representation of Women in films, but it is quite visible that the male actors are dominant over the female actors, be it the pay or playing the lead roles. Age factor has always restricted actors from playing lead roles, while on the other hand, it never stopped male actors from doing so, in fact male actors have a long-run in Bollywood. 

According to Madhoo, she was offered roles that mainly involved dancing, shedding tears with parents, and delivering a few romantic lines. So, after giving almost nine to ten years to the industry she decided to quit and used marriage as the reason. It was only after quitting, she realised her identity and value as an artist and wished to make a comeback. She also appreciated how the industry is changing and giving meaningful roles to women irrespective of age. 

Suggested Reading: Prajakta Koli: Conversation Around Gender Representation On-Screen Is Loud And Clear