As ‘Rangeela’ makes its triumphant return, Urmila Matondkar beams with nostalgia, heralding Jackie Shroff’s role as the epitome of male leads in film and recognizing Aamir Khan’s relentless pursuit of excellence.
Urmila Matondkar is revisiting the magic of Rangeela as the beloved 1995 film returns to theaters, calling Jackie Shroff’s performance the ultimate male portrayal in cinema, and praising Aamir Khan as a true perfectionist while she reflects on how the movie reshaped Hindi cinema in the 1990s.
Revisiting a heroine who changed the ’90s template
Restored by content company Ultra Media for a fresh theatrical run, ‘Rangeela’ continues to live in public memory through unforgettable images of Matondkar running on the beach in an oversized white ganji or dancing freely on Mumbai streets as crowds join in. Looking at the enduring affection for the film, Matondkar, in an interview with Mid day, says, “It’s thrilling because it shows that people never forget such timeless movies.”
At the center of the story is Mili, a girl next door from a middle-class family who chases her acting dreams while caught between two very different men played by Shroff and Khan. Matondkar says she did not approach the role with any grand statement in mind. She believes the relatability came naturally because the character came from a familiar background. She credits stylist Manish Malhotra and director Ram Gopal Varma for shaping a look and attitude that influenced fashion trends and offered a heroine who celebrated her own sensuality. She notes that the entire team played a role and that the film includes some of the career best contributions from those involved.
Choreography, chemistry and career-defining collaborations
The film’s music, composed by A. R. Rahman, powered equally memorable choreography, from the breezy sensuality of Tanha tanha by the sea to the joyous street dance of ‘Rangeela re.’ Stories have long circulated that Matondkar contributed key moves, and she recalls a special compliment from legendary choreographer Saroj Khan after the release. “She told me that I should have also been credited as a choreographer. I was so embarrassed.” Matondkar explains that she helped shape the opening of ‘Hai Rama’ and ‘Pyaar yeh jaane kaisa hai,’ along with a few other portions, something she says she has also done in other films.Rangeela also opened a successful, if selective, run of collaborations with Varma that later included his production ‘Ek Hasina Thi’ in 2004. Matondkar says there was no dramatic reason for not working together more. Varma often continued collaborations with actors like Amitabh Bachchan and Manoj Bajpayee, while she was cast when a role needed her.Looking back at her co-stars, she reserves some of her warmest praise for Shroff. “If my character is the epitome of femininity on celluloid, then Jackie’s is the ultimate male portrayal in cinema. He was such a phenomenal co-star to someone like me, who was still trying to find her way at that time.” Her admiration for Khan stretches back to his breakout romance. “I was crushing on Aamir after ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988). He was playing a tapori for the first time here and was a true perfectionist. His beauty is that even after 15 takes, he makes the last shot look spontaneous.”For Matondkar, the re-release of ‘Rangeela’ is more than nostalgia. It is a reminder of a moment when character, styling, music, and performance came together to create a film that still feels fresh three decades later. Go to Source
