Before she became a star with the release of “Rangeela,” Urmila Matondkar was known primarily as a child actor and had played minor roles in a few films as an adult.
However, her big break came with Ram Gopal Varma’s “Rangeela,” which catapulted her to household name status.
In a recent interview with Bollywood Now, hairstylist Nanda recounted her challenging experience working with Matondkar during a photo shoot for “Rangeela” at Borivali National Park. At the time, Nanda was assisting another hairstylist named Maria but had begun taking on independent projects.
Nanda recalled the initial interaction with Matondkar, saying, “Urmila asked, ‘Where is Maria?’ I explained that Maria had to leave for another shoot and that I was sent to her place. Urmila questioned, ‘Is this not a shoot? Isn’t this work too?’” Nanda explained that she was there on Maria’s behalf.
As Nanda began working on Matondkar’s hair, the actress continuously pointed out mistakes, expressing her preference for Maria.
This led to an emotional ordeal for Nanda, who admitted, “She would constantly point out mistakes because she wanted to work with Maria. She was okay with me assisting but didn’t like that I was working on her independently. I would just stand with tears rolling down my eyes but I never cried in front of her.”
Nanda described Urmila Matondkar as the most difficult actor she had worked with in her career. “I have worked with so many people but this was the only experience of my life where I got scared,” she said.
The interview sheds light on the pressures and emotional challenges faced by those working behind the scenes in the film industry, even as it highlights Urmila Matondkar’s demanding nature early in her career.