Urmila Matondkar: I was too busy being an actor

Actor Urmila Matondkar says she has had a fulfilling journey as an actor, and wouldn’t want to change a thing about her journey in films. While some may wonder why she wasn’t as regular at film parties or other social gatherings, Matondkar shares that her focus was always on being an actor, and not a star.

“I was too busy being an actor than being a star; running to parties and doing PR stunts was never on my list. Till date, I have no PR and I would like to maintain it this way… And trust me, I never ever regretted it. In fact, why should I? When I was looking for projects that were a notch higher than my previous work, people were busy getting on magazine covers. It was very gutsy of me to have let go a lot of money just to be able to do the kind of work that was truly different from what was being written and made at that time,” says the actor, who has featured in hit films such as Masoom (1983), Rangeela (1995), Satya (1998)and Pinjar (2003), to name a few.

While the industry is known to be a place where competition is cut-throat, Matondkar was never really perturbed by it. “I have always been in competition with myself. That’s the way I defined and redefined myself. When actors were busy coming up with their versions of Rangeela, replicating my clothes and hair, I went ahead and did a film like Judaai (1997). So, the beauty of my craft is to be able to achieve the best out of the ordinary. You can go back and see the kinds of projects I have done. They are so diverse in terms of stories and characters,” she points out.

Acting aside, she has also set foot in politics, recently. And this move, she says, was a result of her desire to give back to society. “For me, entertainment is the best way to connect with people and that is why you will see me entertaining my fans, be it through films, television or OTT. I am at a place in my life where I am very happy and feel secure. My political inclination is because of my extremely deep social sense where I want to give back to the society that made me what I am today,” says Matondkar, who is presently judging a dance reality DID Super Moms on television.