Mugdha Godse won critical acclaim in her very first role, Madhur Bhandarkar's Fashion. And then for six months, she sat idle, prompting the media to speculate whether she would become a one-hit wonder.
But the negative tongues have been stilled now. With a clutch of powerful roles under her belt, Mugdha is back in business. We talk to her about her upcoming release.
How confident are you?
I am as confident as I was in Fashion because that's what gets me good results. All I have is my confidence and I'm sure people will love All The Best because I have a good and a positive feeling about it
Your first film etched out your character pretty well. Does All The Best give you the depth that Fashion did?
All The Best is a full on comedy. This film is all about timing and making people laugh. There are no emotions and strong characterisation like Fashion had. But yes, my character is etched out in terms of what she does.
She is into Vedic science and believes a lot in lucky stones. I have tried to do something different. I wanted to make people laugh and that's what defines your success in a comedy film. I have done my bit and now it's all up to the audience. I'd like to wish my audience All The Best.
Do you believe in Vedic science off camera?
There are a few things I believe in. I am not as mad as Vidya, my character, in All The Best. In the film, I connect everything to a stone or a pendant. Off camera, I do believe in lucky charms.
Which is your lucky stone?
A diamond
And has it helped?
When I bought a solitaire for myself, a lot of good things started happening. I’ve also been wearing a yellow sapphire for six years, and it's been progressive. But diamonds are a girl's best friend, right? So I'm sure people will give me more diamonds now they know it’s my lucky stone (laughs).
I'm sure it's a hint for the man who will propose to you.
(Laughs) Yea! I will definitely take the diamond from my man and tell him 'tata bye bye'
This is the first time you're working with established Bollywood heroes. How was it to interact with them?
They came across as quite cool. Cooler I should say. I thought they would have a lot of ego and starry attitude, but no. They are so chilled out.
Ajay Devgn is a complete prankster but, luckily, I was not one of his 'bakras'. Sanjay sir is very down to earth. I hope all my male co-stars in the future are as sweet, cool, mad and confident.
Which is your favourite comedy film?
I've loved Rohit Shetty's Golmaal and Golmaal Returns. They were both hilarious. But I can keep watching Andaz Apna Apna. It's one of my all time favourite comedy film. And, of course, who can forget the classic, Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro?
What did you learn from your co-star Bipasha Basu?
Oh my God! There were so many similarities. We have both worked with Madhur Bhandarkar. Her last co-star was Neil Nitin Mukesh in Aa Dekhen Zara and my next co-star too is Neil, in Jail.
She is so sincere and knows how to look her best all the time. That's what I have learnt from her. We did interact a lot about Jail and Madhur.
What about the man who is known to shoot the most expensive songs in Bollywood - Rohit Shetty?
What about him? Man, he knows how to blow up a car in mid air and get another car coming through the same car. He is an expert in action and not many know that. I even asked Rohit, after seeing the first promo, whether All The Best is a comedy film, romantic film or an action film (laughs).
His answer was that it's a 'masala' film with all the ingredients. You won't believe it, but All The Best was one film where I found out how bullets sound when fired from a gun.
How diverse are the two directors - Madhur and Rohit?
Both have their own niche. Rohit's films are larger than life, while Madhur’s are more to do with emotions and drama. He captures his character in a different note. Both explore different genres.
Rohit always thinks about how he wants people to laugh after watching a particular scene. Madhur will make people laugh off the camera, but when the camera rolls, he comes back to his serious get up. It's interesting that both are wonderful human beings and both are in demand.
How about a joke from you to end this interview?
I am very bad at this. Ok, here goes: Two friends were having breakfast and one of them questioned, 'Tumhe butterfly dekhna hai kya?' The other friend replied, 'Kaise?' His friend answered, 'Butter ko bahar fek do aur woh fly karega.'
