Exclusive: Suchitra Krishnamoorthi On Motherhood, Fame And Making History With Drama Queen
Q1. You've transformed your solo stage play Drama Queen into India's first-ever Audible musical. What inspired you, and what do you hope young women, in particular, take away from this performance?
"I think, First of all my excitement is exactly better, I can reach millions in you know through one platform, so that for me is very exciting in fact I have had calls from my friends and I have got dms from Spain, London and New York and meri cousin ne phone kiya raat ko ki mai has rahi hu, Australia se mere ek friend ka phone aaya ki 'I have just downloaded your play' and you know, So I think for me the fact that I have been able to reach so many people by partnering with audible is a very exciting thing for me and I don't know how it will help people but I believe in expression and I think, especially as women, we are always told to kind of 'calm down, numb down, slow down, thoda kam raho, kam bano, kam sunai do' toh I think 'Drama Queen' is full volume and I think every human being has the right to be at their full volume. I think different people will take away different things from it but, I know that when I have performed the play, women have come and clutched my hand and you know said that 'OMG this is like you are teling our story' and the main thing you'll take away from is also I think the laughter because yhi response jyada mer dms me aare hai ki 'mam we laughed so much', so i am very happy"
Q2 Was 'Drama Queen' inspired by your real life?
"Yes its based on my book Drama Queen which is a fictional memoir, maine facts ko fictionalize krke present kara hai you know tadka laga ke. So yes, it is based on my real life incidents."
Q3. You made your film debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan, now do you ever feel the pull to return to filmmaking?
"I would like to make film, for sure agar koi mujhe, bhout paise de aur bole chalo likho aur direct kro toh mai bhout Khushi se krungi."
Q4. If Drama Queen were ever adapted into a film or OTT series, who would you want to play you?
"Well I don't know, it depends on at what stage this is made, if it's made right now, you know, anywhere there are wonderful actress who can play me, especially me."
Q5 You entered the film industry without any backing. What's your take on the current generation of 'star kids' and nepotism?
"Yea these nepotism conversations have to stop and you know children should be given a break because 1 out of 25 star kids probably make it, or maybe 1 out of 100 even, you know, guarantee nahi hai, everybody life is different, apni kudh ki life par concentrate kro, so I think people need to back out of this nepotism conversation and try to bring their own life instead and taki vo apne baccho ko thodi dhanki zindagi de sake."
Q6 You've been an actor, singer, writer, and mother. How has your understanding of success evolved over the years?
"My definition of success has definitely changed over the last many years and today I would think that success, you know ofcourse success means different things to different people so I am only talking about what it means to me, so i feel if I can do something to the best of my ability and if I can stay happy then that is a very big success for me, but just to push myself beyond as to what I think is possible creatively, expand myself that for me is success."
Q7 Do you think you are successful or I can say Happy now?
"I am not unhappy so I think yea I am happy".
Q8. If you could go back and change one thing in your journey, what would it be?
"I would not do things so young, I would give myself some time."
Q9. How do you define the modern Indian woman compared to traditional ones and Who do you think Drama Queen would resonate to?
"I think Drama Queen would resonate to very large spectrum of women especially and also people and cultural and societies that have always hesitated to express themselves you know, 'Drama Queen' is like 'I am like this only' so I think that is an acceptance people can give themselves"
Q10. In a past interview, you spoke about how Bollywood has changed drastically, and you mentioned Urfi Javed as an example of that shift. Today, Urfi just won Karan Johar's reality show The Traitors. Do you think this kind of visibility is what Bollywood is now promoting?
"I think visibility today is the criteria for success, so like I said it's not about caliber or anything it's about eyeball. I am Happy for her, I don't know what show you are talking about but yea now everything is just about grabbing eyeball but that is the criteria for success now, that's how it is. I mean one can't fight it, so that's how it is. Do I agree with it, I don't have to but jo hai so hai"
Q11. As a mother yourself, and someone who speaks so powerfully about womanhood and creative freedom what are your thoughts on the recent debate sparked by Deepika Padukone's request for an 8-hour workday after motherhood?
"See everyone has the right to demand, and everybody has the right to reject so I think there is nothing wrong with Deepika asking for it and there is nothing wrong with the makers not accepting it, you know there are many choices that the both parties have, so these are very persona choices and people are at very different stages of life, you know, koi newcomer bolega ki 8 hours kya, mai 24 hours kaam krungi, but I can say I don't want to work, that all depends on the stage of life you are at and what you want for yourself and I think all demands are valid and I think all acceptance and all rejections for those demands are also valid. I mean there are many actors who work like that you know naya-naya bacha hua hai, there has been many instances like this, so I think it's okay, too much is being made of it. I don't think either party is right or wrong, it is what it is. Deepika is right in asking for it and the makers is right in rejecting it. I mean everybody has a choice."
Q12. Your daughter Kaveri recently made her film debut. As both a mother and someone who's seen the industry inside out, how do you guide her as she steps into this world?
"I don't interfere, I think she likes to make her own choices and she anyways makes her own decision, so all I can do is just be around if I am required. I am always there for her but she has to find her own ways because you know ultimately whoever your parents are, the journey of an artist, your family's identity doesn't guarantee success or anything. She has to find her own way and you know sought her own path"
Q13. Recently, you faced criticism for a post questioning the identity of the Air India crash survivor — something you later apologized for after realizing it was based on misinformation. What were your immediate thoughts as the backlash unfolded?
"See I was quoting a journalist, I thought it was authentic, it was my mistake I didn't cross verify, now I will verify 10 times, of course it was a mistake, khair maine maafi maang li and what more can I do, it was such a sensitive matter, I think I deserve the backlash, when something is wrong, you need to admit that it's wrong and say sorry and move on. It is such a sensitive matter, I should have been more careful, just believing one journalist post I saw."
Q14. Drama Queen deals with grief, reinvention, and creative freedom. After all you've been through, how has creating this play helped you find your own voice and strength?
"Ill give you an example, when I was opening the show, I was very nervous, when my mother came to see the show, the play is really based on my relationship with my mother and I was very nervous and like 'unko bura nahi lagna chahiye' and when the play was going on in the hall, my mother's voice was the loudest, she was laughing so much and after the play she came and hugged me and said 'I never knew my line was so funny, fantastic job.'"
Q15. Is there anything you would like to add?
Yes, please listen to 'Drama Queen' on Audible. I promise you'll enjoy yourself and laugh a lot.
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