Madhugandha has won prestigious awards in acting and writing and is a prolific writer, an actor, film writer, television serial writer & a Producer. She is an ardent animal lover and finds peace and tranquility in Nature. Pandharpur to Mumbai & Entertainment industry are stages of your life.
How has this changed you? Are you happy with what you are doing currently?
I don’t think it has changed me as a person, I have definitely grown, have become more understanding but that has more to do with age than where I come from and what I am doing. Truthfully, I never felt the need to change. The way I function is important. Adhering to deadlines and being professional about delivery is important to me and I focus on the same. This has always been my way of working. This style of working is applicable when I work on an assignment for someone and I expect the same when somebody else is working for me. The biggest benefit of being a Writer is we don’t need to make too much of an effort to pretend to be something which we are not comfortable with. I don’t think a person really changes. As the result of exposure and experiences, behavioral pattern may alter but the core remains the same. I am certainly in a happy state currently. In my initial days in Mumbai the one thing that I was sure about was not getting into a 9 to 5 job scenario. Being a part of the Entertainment industry appealed to me. I began by working in theatre in my younger days. In due course of time Writing became the mainstay in my life and by this time I was not happy with the roles offered to me for acting. The kind of recognition that I have got is as the result of my writing and that makes me very happy. As in the film Elizabeth Ekadashi the cycle was shown as a representation of attachment.
What are you most attached to?
More than things I am attached to people. The real treasures of my life are my entire family, friends & people around me. Talking about the film, the soul of the film is my personal experience. The basic story is inspired by my life as a kid so to say. Some scenes from the film are situations that have actually taken place in the past and have made a huge impact on my life. The very famous bangle scene from the film has a really interesting story, I was 8, and me and my brother actually used to sell bangles to help our mom, and I had miscounted the bangles once and was accused of stealing. That has left a mark and I can never forget that feeling. It has in many ways motivated me to do better in life.
How difficult was it as a woman to get a break as a writer for television serial?
I have been fortunate to get the right breaks at the right time! And I really don’t think it matters if it’s a male writer or a female writer as long as you are good at what you do. Fortunately or unfortunately writing is not something that can be taught. It’s like a chip that god inserts in you. You can’t learn to write. A writer is someone you are, you can’t become one. I have not acquired to be a writer. It is like a god gift to me. Being aware of the surroundings and reading a lot helps a writer to be impartial and accurate. And television today as it is needs good writers so I don’t think I had to struggle a lot.
Which are the writers you look up to?
Naming one is very difficult as I read a lot. But Mr. Vijay Tendulkar is my all time favorite. Then there is obviously Pu. La. Deshpande, Ram Ganesh Gadkari, these people are such legends that it’s impossible to become a writer without reading them. A name I would definitely want to mention is Mr. S L Bhyrappa, the Kannada novelist. Also I love my husband’s writing. I think he is brilliantly hilarious. I can be funny too but leaving aside reality becomes a huge task for me and this is what Paresh as taught me.
Who inspires you the most? What is your big dream?
Nature inspires me the most. Instead of God, I prefer nature The immense varieties of plants, trees & animals are astounding. Take only humans for example and consider God as a writer, the amount of characters he has built and the plots and stories he has created… Ohh I can think about this for hours. I mean the force of nature is something else and makes you feel like you are such a little part of something so big! . It makes one feel very small. Nature & mankind is precious. We all are responsible to be better human beings and be harmonious with nature. Which brings me to my dream, I want to build an Animal sanctuary or shelter where various animals can be kept together and cared for in a manner they actually get to live. Humans use these animals for various reasons forgetting that the animals are also living beings, I have rescued so many animals from slaughter houses and labs but now the question arises as to where to put these poor creatures after being rescued. The animal shelter I will build will help me solve this problem and to rescue more and more animals
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