Surekha Sikri: Badhaai Ho Is My Comeback Film

Surekha Sikri, who plays mother-in-law to Neena Gupta in the fi lm, hopes it will open up avenues for actors her age Surekha Sikri, Kalyani Devi aka Dadisa of the longrunning telly soap Balika Vadhu, is returning to mainstream cinema with Junglee Pictures’ Badhaai Ho. Directed by Amit Ravindernath Sharma, the slice-of-life comedy revolves around a Delhi boy, Ayushmann Khurrana, who suddenly discovers that his mother, played by Neena Gupta, is pregnant again and he’s going to have a second sibling. The veteran actress plays Neena’s mother-in-law and says she was instantly drawn to this “interesting and sweet character”.

“It’s a great time to be in films as so many good scripts are being written,” says the two-time National Award-winning actress, adding that she kept telling Neena and Gajraj Rao, who plays her son, that they are the second lead, after Ayushmann and Sanya Malhotra.

She adds that while she hasn’t faced a similar situation in her immediate family, she has uncles and aunts who are younger than her. “It’s quite common in smaller towns, but in cities, people worry ki log kya kahenge, more so when your older son is of marriageable age, maybe even has a child of his own. This awkwardness is the fun part of the story,” Surekha chuckles.

She informs that she had read in the papers that a couple in Bihar committed suicide after they learnt that the woman was pregnant again. “Though she was only 39, she had grown-up children with kids of their own and the shame was too much to bear. I was shocked to read this because there’s nothing wrong in romancing your wife, no matter what your age,” she asserts.

The actress was last seen on the big screen in Amole Gupte’s kiddie adventure, Sniff, last year, a film that not many saw. Why don’t we see her more often in films? “I need good scripts. This one came out of the blue. Badhaai Ho is my comeback film in the real sense. I did a couple of movies years ago, then, got busy with TV. I hope this will open up more avenues for actors of my age,” she says optimistically.

And what are the chances of Balika Vadhu returning? “Nothing is impossible. It was an iconic show, and everybody put their best in it, making sure we didn’t compromise on the quality. I wouldn’t mind if it came back,” she signs off.

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