Bhojpuri actress Mahi Srivastava has been making headlines for some time now. Along with her music videos, Mahi also received applause for her previous film. Mahi says that Jaya was a woman-centric film and she is getting a very good response to the film. This is something very important for me. I think it is very important for me and for the industry that people go to theatres to watch women-centric Bhojpuri films. I am grateful to everyone for this conversation with Urmila Kori.
What did you like most about the movie Jaya?
People have a perception that Bhojpuri films will have songs in them. There will be such scenes in it. There will be this in it. Our film Jaya has broken all these notions. There is a myth that women don’t go to the crematorium. Many times in our society we have to pay the price of being a woman. We can’t do this. We can’t do that. This film deals with the issue of those who have daughters and not sons. It is not your daughter but your brother’s son or another relative’s son who will offer you the ceremonial pyre. People say that salvation is not achieved otherwise. What nonsense is this? There is a belief that girls will not go to the crematorium. Other people’s girls will not light up their faces. I think some people have a delicate heart. Be it a girl or a boy. Both should not go because there are very heartbreaking scenes in the crematorium. I think it was a simple thing but people have made it a rule, especially against women. The film Jaya talks about breaking this rule.
What reasons has Mahi been arrested for in real life?
I would like to say that when the script of this film came to me, I was able to connect a lot with the story of this film. Because this also happened to me in real life. I was very close to my maternal grandfather. I wanted to accompany him on his last trip to the crematorium so that I could see him for the last time. At that time, people dissuaded me by saying that girls do not go to the crematorium. I thank God because this was the most painful issue in my life. I had the opportunity to present my views on this very issue. Only through cinema could I convey my message to people.
What was the most challenging thing for you in the film Jaya?
The most challenging thing for me in Jaya was when the pyres were burning. There were a lot of difficulties during the shoot at that time. The film was shot in the summer of June. The story of the film was like that, so we had to burn 15 to 20 pyres around me in the editing. You won’t believe it. Filming that was a completely scorching experience for me. Many times the fire from the pyre even touched my body because strong winds were blowing from there. I used to get completely stunned. My skin became normal after a month of finishing the film’s shoot.
How did you get into acting?
No one in my family has anything to do with acting. I don’t think anyone would have thought about it. I myself had never thought about it other than those 20 seconds. By 20 seconds I mean TikTok. I used to make videos on Tik Tok. Tik Tok stopped due to Corona but then Reels started on Instagram. My reels used to connect people a lot. I got the offer for Bhojpuri films only on Instagram. I also got the offer for Sangharsh 2 only on Instagram. In this film I was opposite Khesari Lal ji.
Were you nervous looking at the camera with Khesari Lal Yadav for the first time?
I am not going to brag about myself, but I have a habit of observing things a lot. My co-star in this film was Khesari Lal. He is a very hard-working artist. He is also very supportive. I also paid full attention to the way he behaved in front of the camera while acting. Because of all these things, I was not nervous while facing the camera for the first time.
What was your family’s reaction when you joined acting?
My entire family hails from Bhagalpur and Ballia. We are Srivastava, so you can understand that our entire background is upbringing. Initially, my parents were not comfortable with me joining the industry, but I kept assuring them that not everyone is bad. There are good and bad people in every sector. The problem with the entertainment industry is that one or two cases happen here, but people make it 100 times bigger. My mother comes with me for shooting. She also lives with me in Mumbai, so she herself saw everything from a close distance and then everything went back to normal.
In today’s era, Bhojpuri movies are released on television, what is your take on this era?
To be honest, I don’t like this period. I think the real fun of cinema is in theatre. Everyone works very hard so that we can see ourselves on the big screen. Having said that, I would like to say that films with the saas bahu concept should come out on television, but the kind of films I am participating in are especially women-centric. I think such films should be released in theatres.
Would you like to try your luck in Hindi TV shows or web series too?
To go for all this, one has to stand in long queues for auditions and I don’t like standing in queues. I think you should do such a job that people themselves choose you from the front. I want that whenever people mention Mahi’s name, they also say that she is a great artist. What kind of person am I? I will manage it, but I want to listen to the artist better. Right now I want to do good work only in Bhojpuri.
What has been the most difficult moment of your journey so far?
Corona was a very difficult time for me. At that time my studies were over and I had just started struggling to find a job. I wanted to start a clothing business. Whatever money I had earned through Tik Tok. I had invested all that and the lockdown happened and everything went to waste. That time was very difficult for me. At one point I wondered how I would be able to survive but then I gathered courage and came out of that bad phase.
What other upcoming projects do you have?
Lottery and Black Henna. Both films will also be female-centric. I consider myself lucky to have the opportunity to be the face of female-oriented films one after another.
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