Interview with Actress Maushmi Udeshi

By

Ratnesh Dwivedi

 

Maushmi Udeshi is a well known Mumbai based supermodel and actress. She has undertaken various advertising campaigns for Nescafe, Montecarlo, Galaxy,  and a large number of famous music videos like Bally Sagoos Noorie, Nitin Bali’s Neele Neele Ambar, Ahmed Khan’s video sung by Sonu Kakkar ‘Dil Chumbak Hai’, Jaan for Tseries sung by Balkar Siddhu, ‘Pani Sharab Mein’ by HMV Saregama, and DJ Sheizwoods video ‘Harjai.

As for Maushmi’s acting work, she recently played the lead in a short film ‘The Tight-Rope Walker’ which was selected in the Venice Film Festival for the Best 10 Films in the Short-Film Category. She also acted in the Telugu Movie as the main female lead ‘Oh Priyatama’ and some songs in Tamil and Mallu Films, the most famous being from the Tamil Film ‘Milaga’ with famous Bollywood star Natarajan Subramanium.

Below, read Indian journalist Ratnesh Dwivedi’s interview with this rising star:

 

 

Ratnesh Dwivedi: Which are your personal favourite food/cuisine choices? Do you cook? If yes, what do you like to cook most?

 

Maushmi Udeshi: I am a complete foodie and I love Indian gravy chicken and roti and I love all kinds of junk food from pizzas my favorite, to burgers to sandwiches, etc.

No, I hate to cook because I feel it’s the biggest waste of one’s life because I feel one rather does something more worthwhile than cooking food. It will save so much of your time. I can just make a very few things like simple grilled veg sandwich or potato/veg hot-dog or the most easiest which I make quite often at odd times when I feel extremely hungry for noodles.

 

 

RD: What is your mantra to stay fit?

 

MU: I am too lazy to exercise but I have a treadmill in my bedroom so sometimes I walk on it especially a few days before a nice shoot. Otherwise I am just lucky to have a comparatively good metabolic rate because I don’t put on too much weight even though I eat anything and everything and I am quite voluptuous and I love my curves and I prefer to be this way because in the beginning of my career I was extremely skinny and used to hate myself then and I used to pray to God that I put on weight and now that I have since a few years I am happy with myself because my idea of perfect female physically is to have a hot and voluptuous body. If you have tendency to put on weight then have more of a protein diet with less of carbohydrates and take smaller meals and more no of meals on a daily basis but I would never advice anyone to diet.

 

 

RD: Which are your favourite fashion brands?

 

MU: Forever 21, Benetton, Mango, Vero Moda, Only, Zara, Wills Lifestyle, etc, for clothes and Baggit for bags, etc. I mix match lot of stuff and I also visit lots of small garment shops from where I have always got some very different and interesting stuff at a very low price. In fact for 99% of my shoots I have worn my own clothes because the director always prefers my clothes to the designers’ clothes so I end up wearing my own.

 

 

RD: Which are your favourite travel destinations?

 

MU: I like all the Hill-Stations as I love cold weather and also Goa is fun whenever I have been there.

 

 

RD: What does good food mean to you? How hard it is, as an actor to maintain healthy diet?

 

MU: Any food that titillates your taste buds is good for me. I eat all kinds of food, I love gravy chicken with roti and as I mentioned before that I enjoy junk food too and at home we are vegetarians because mom cooks veg food which is equally tasty and healthy too. Healthwise and tastewise of course my Mom’s home cooked food because she is a fabulous cook and I haven’t yet got bored of eating it even though I have been eating the same food since I was a kid. While shooting too it’s not difficult to eat on time if one wants to because I have this bad acidity problem so I need to eat on time as soon as I feel hungry or I get bad headaches and I start puking because of gas formation so I have to take care of my food timings and so I avoid dieting completely. In fact you can order food of your choice in the shoot too if your too health conscious.

 

 

RD: What is it that you really enjoy about an actor’s life? Which has been your best project till date and why?

 

MU: The best thing about an actors life is that you get to play different characters everyday and that’s so exciting and challenging. Acting is my passion and I love getting into the skin of different characters that I play and get to show so many different moods and emotions. I feel acting is a great way to express myself in different ways which I cannot do in real life being Maushmi Udeshi. Also the best thing which goes with acting is you travel to different locations for shoots and wear different clothes and are dressed differently for every character that you play so I feel that’s very exciting especially because 99% of the time I am involved in designing my own look from clothes to hair, everything and make-up, anyway I have been doing my own right from the beginning of my career so for me I keep myself involved in every aspect of creativity related to my character as I go deep into the skin of my character.

All my projects including the smallest project that I take up, is special to me so my involvement is 100% in all my projects and I do my best in whatever I take up. The final results are of course in the hands of the whole creative team from the director to DOP to the editor, etc. My job finishes as soon as my shoot as an actor, model is over.

Recognition wise of course which got me instant fame and made me a popular model overnight was my first ad for Nescafe and my first two music videos, Bally Sagoo’s Noorie and Nitin Bali’s Neele Neele Ambar, my first Short-Film ‘The Tight-Rope Walker’ which was officially selected in Venice Film Festival and my new Short-Film ‘The Stolen Christmas’ which got overwhelming response and positive comments and reaction about my acting from the best industry people.

 

 

RD: Was there anything you thought you wanted to do before you started acting and modelling?

 

MU: No, even as a kid the only thing I wanted to do was become an actress and model. Wear different clothes and dance and enact to some scenes from films so since I was a kid I use to love watching movies and listen to music.

 

 

RD: What is your greatest achievement to date?

 

MU: I guess (this has) yet to come in my life in the literal sense but my goal has always been very basic which is to have a comfortable and secured, peaceful life which I have lived always on my own terms and with the grace of God I have bought a flat of my own in my building in suburbs in the same society where my Parents live and I have given it on rent as I prefer to stay with my Parents because living alone is a huge responsibility. So this itself is my greatest achievement in life that I am able to live my life peacefully and survive on my own terms in this Industry which is capable of making any normal person insane with the kind of pressure we live in this glam profession.

 

 

RD: What’s the toughest thing you’ve had to do in your job?

 

MU: I am one person who loves cold weather and so I am a complete AC person and can’t survive without it. When shooting outdoors in hot weather it’s extremely tough for me because I sweat a lot and since I do my own make-up I have to take care of that too which melts in hot weather so I have to make sure it’s looking perfect and so I hate outdoor shoots for this reason even though I keep going to my make-up van as and when I get a chance in between shots, to freshen my make-up but still acting or modelling and looking good in hot weather in outdoor shoots is difficult but I am always the happiest when I see the results of any of my outdoor shoots because natural light makes me look the best somehow on screen so all the hard work is paid off in a very positive way after the final results are out so that’s the best thing about shooting outdoors and without AC. The worst was when I was shooting in the desert of Dubai for a Dubai based hair brand campaign and in the desert of Jasalmer for Balkar Sidhu’s Tseries Jaan Music Video. I was almost fainting so I kept sipping glucose and fresh juices for energy. These were the most difficult shoots of my profession because of the hot weather.

 

 

RD: Tell us a little about where you came from

 

MU: I am born and brought up in Mumbai and I thank God for the same because at least I stay with my parents because otherwise it’s extremely difficult for people who come from far away places to struggle in this industry in Mumbai because I feel it’s important to have emotional support from your family, especially in this profession.

I started modelling when I was 13 so definitely studies took a back seat as I was never interested in studies and making a career from it but somehow I managed to finish my SYB Com but could not take my graduation exams as I was not prepared to study hard for my TYB Com exams as I had lost interest completely in my studies.

As for hobbies, I love watching movies, listening to music, eating out with my close family and friends, designing my look in my different events and different shoots as per my character sketch from clothes to shoes to accessories, to hair to the entire look. That’s definitely my favourite pass time when I am not shooting.

With regard to awards and appreciation, I received the Golden Achiever Award on 9th March, 2016. Some years back too I have been conferred upon Suvidha Gaurav Achiever Award and Rashtra Shakti Gaurav Award for my contribution in the field of modelling and now acting. Awards and tokens of appreciation like these keep me going and motivate me to work harder with complete zest because at the end of it, v all work for this appreciation and recognition and God has been kind.

 

 

RD: Are there any kind of roles which you don’t like doing?

 

MU: Yes, I hate doing complete negative roles because I somehow can’t relate to them and don’t feel good about doing them. Grey characters are still okay but positive characters are the best to play and I enjoy playing them a lot.

 

 

RD: How have you grown as an actress?

 

MU: With every acting experience one definitely grows and becomes more confident as an actor so the same is true with me. My first short film ‘The Tight-Rope Walker’ got officially selected in Venice Film Festival, my new Short-Film ‘The Stolen Christmas’ has reached more than 10 Lakh Views on the net, my Feature Film ‘Parakashtha’ got selected in Jaipur International Film festival (JIFF), my newly released Hindi Film ‘Yea Toh Too Much Ho Gaya’ where I played a strong character along with Jimmy Shergill and Murli Sharma got me lots of praises from the audiences so all this success definitely encourages me to work harder and do my best in films.

 

 

RD: Do you have stage fright?

 

MU: Yes, I always had stage fright and get cold feet as soon as I step on stage. I almost shiver when I have to speak a few lines on stage. It’s scary for me. I am most comfortable in front of the camera and absolutely love it. There are many great actors who have proved their talent in front of the camera all over the world but they never do stage, so I feel good when I see such actors and can relate to them.

 

 

RD: How do you stay motivated?

 

MU: Without the support of my Parents I wouldn’t have survived. I am the most luckiest to have the best Parents in the whole world. Some work or other keeps coming with the grace of God in modelling and acting and the appreciation which I get from it motivates me to keep trying harder and keep going further in my life with full zest.

 

 

RD: What are your personal and career goals/aspirations for the future?

 

MU: I take each day as it comes and have stopped planning long back as it never goes as per plan. I believe in working hard and doing my best and leaving the rest to God. My goal has always been very basic, to have a comfortable and secured life which I already have with the grace of God as have bought a flat of my own in my building in suburbs in the same society where my parents live. I have given it on rent as I prefer to stay with my Parents and have basic luxuries in life like a big car, etc. I always want to be busy doing decent work in front of the camera and I believe if God has helped me till now, he will help me in future too.

 

 

RD: Your philosophy on life?

 

MU: Keep working hard and do your best and leave the rest to God. People who do bad to us will go through much more shit mostly in this life itself and I have seen their downfall and death happen too so I am pretty chilled out about my enemies because somehow most of them have not survived with the bad that they have done to others. May their souls rest in hell I believe in power of God and I have seen that he does justice always, sooner or later.

 

 

RD: Which city are you from?

 

MU: I was always Mumbai based and I thank God for the same because I always have lived with my parents and can’t even think of living without their emotional support in this Industry which can make anybody insane. It must be so difficult for these actors to come from all different parts of India to struggle here in Mumbai without their families living with them.

 

 

RD: “Male actors have an easier time in Bollywood than Female actors.” Do you agree?

 

MU: Yes, it’s a man’s world out here and females like me who have always come up on the basis of my talent alone have had a long and never ending struggle out here. Men at least get work if they are talented, purely based on their talent but a female if she is talented and good looking she doesn’t unless she accepts the indecent proposals of the decision makers of the industry. That’s the reason I have been very selective about the work that I do. I can proudly say that I have done 100% work in a clean way and have never taken short-cuts so it has always been a never ending struggle for me. I am okay to do less work as far as I have peace in my mind. I am proud to mention that I have done all my work on my own terms and my self esteem and dignity are most important for me in my life than easy success.

 

 

RD: What kind of a man fascinates you; your dream man?

 

MU: Oh I am too demanding as far as the man in my life is concerned. I need a good looking tall man with a great body, who is well spoken, who makes me feel comfortable and loves me and understands my passion for my work and of course he has to be decently rich because otherwise basic luxuries even I can afford in life.

 

 

RD: Any interesting incident you remember in recent times that took place on the shooting set?

 

MU: When you see my hot shoots you feel the chemistry I share with my co model or co actor but to be frank the reality is very different, at the time of shoot it’s so mechanical and you are only thinking about the correct angles in front of the camera which will make the bodies and the body language look most artistic keeping the right expressions on face even though you are the most uncomfortable in that moment. Sometimes you are put in a cold swimming pool in winter and sometimes there is zero chemistry between us but at these times music really helps to go with the flow and to get the correct expressions.

 

 

RD: Apart from modelling and acting, what keeps you busy?

 

MU: Modelling of course is my bread, butter and jam which takes care of my regular expenses. Apart from being a model and actress I am also a partner in a production house and make ad films and do print shoots. My partner is a FTII passout and has directed more than 300 ads and corporate films. I take care of the print shoot section here where everything from conceptualization, to getting the shoots done, to getting the post production done on the pics, to giving the high resolution touched up pics to the clients, is all my responsibility. I enjoy this creative process too when I am not shooting as a model. Recently I did a shoot for an ad agency for Diabetes Awareness with Sudha Chandran as the face of this social cause. It was fun! When I am not shooting I mix-match, style and design my own clothes and 99% it’s my clothes which are used in the shoots that I do as a model and actress, so yes I am a producer’s actor who saves money by doing my own costumes and makeup for years now and I love doing that.

 

 

RD: How are you as a person? How would you describe your personality?

 

MU: I am quite an introvert, I am not very comfortable in personal interactions in big groups. I have a very few selected friends, love my Parents and siblings. Complete Workaholic! Love watching movies and listening to music and love good food too as I am a big foodie and how can I forget shopping.

 

 

RD: Tell us something about your journey from a model to an actor?

 

MU: Modelling is my bread, butter and jam and all my expenses are taken care of by this profession, as earlier. I love the moving camera much more than the still camera as I love emoting and I can be natural in front of it rather than posing and freezing at one place for the print shoot but since I have been modelling since so many years I have started enjoying that too quite a bit. Acting is my passion and I enjoy it much more than modelling though as I love getting into the skin of different characters. I feel acting is a great way to express myself in different ways which I cannot do in real life being Maushmi Udeshi. My journey in this industry has always been full of struggles as I always worked on my own terms with dignity and I refuse to be part of the rat race. I have always worked with professionals who r not only talented but good human beings too, who have respect for women and have worked with me on the basis of my merit alone.

 

 

RD: Are you willing to act in regional films?

 

MU: Yes, why not if I like the script and if the money is decent and if it’s for the main female lead role then I would love to do it.

 

 

RD: Don’t your parents force you to get married?

 

MU: Oh yes, all the time but I tell them when I find my Mr. Right I will immediately and as you know I am too demanding so waiting for the best to still come in my life.

 

 

RD: Do you really think skin show for a film is a big deal for an actress?

 

MU: If the story requires it then why not but of course to some extent because we have a strict censor board so whatever is allowed by the censor board I don’t mind exposing to hat extent as there is no point shooting anything more than that because it will anyways get edited. The main thing is the content of the film. The script should be appealing and skin show can be a small part of the film but the emphasis shouldn’t be on skin-show, it should be on the good content of the film.

 

 

RD: You have been doing quite a few hot and sexy photo shoots for different brands. Do you enjoy modelling more than acting on screen?

MU: No, as I mentioned before too that I love acting and playing different characters much more than modelling as I feel acting is a great way to express myself which I am not able to do as Maushmi Udeshi. Modelling is my bread and butter so all those hot shoots you see my commercial work pics for which I am paid highly.

 

 

RD: Are you open to taking up bold films or doing item songs for films?

 

MU: Item songs, I have done some in South Films and in Hindi film Bhagam Bhag but I don’t enjoy doing them so much as I feel I am a better actress than a dancer. Doing bold films I am okay with but first of all I should like the script and skin show can be a small part of the film but the emphasis shouldn’t be on skin-show alone but it should be on the content of the film. I am ok with the skin show till a certain extent which is allowed by the censors. I will never do any films showing complete nudity which shows my nipples, bare butt and crotch area, etc.

 

 

 

 

Maushmi Udeshi

Maushmi Udeshi is a well-known model and an upcoming actress from Mumbai (Bombay), India. She has acted in several popular music videos, including Nitin Bali’s “Neele Neele Ambar Par” (BMG Crescendo) and Bali Sagoo’s “Noorie” Remix. She became very popular for her 1st TV Ad, which was “Nescafe” with Bharatbala Productions. She has been involved in many TV Ads since then, all of which garnered her praise from the audiences!

 

Ratnesh Dwivedi

Ratnesh Dwivedi is a seasoned Academician, Author, Journalist, NASA Certified Educator and Consultant with 15 plus years in teaching and corporate. He has seen the changing face of global politics and has written extensively on International Affairs.

He serves on board of a dozen global firms ranging from Mining, Oil & Gas, Electricity, Energy, Cyber Security, Intelligence, Defence and Counter Terrorism having the finest people from the corporate world and Goverment onboard.

He holds memberships with global organizations such as ECREA-Brussels, Mission Essential-Virginia, Global Ethics Network-Washington, American Astronomical Society-Washington, Internet Society-Virginia, CSIS-PONI-Washington, RTDNA-Washington, NSTA-Virginia, EIN News Desk, Bush Presidential Center, Texas, etc.

He has authored five books. The Story of an Intern is a Reportage, The Cosmic Mask is a Space Fiction, Third and fourth are awarded academic books. His fifth book, US Intelligence and Cost of War talks about USA Military engagements in the Middle East.