6 min readMumbaiNov 7, 2023 05:07 PM IST
Ila Arun is in a happy space as she is getting meaty roles to play. The 69-year-old actor is currently seen playing the antagonist Nalini in the Sushmita Sen-starrer Aarya 3.
In Aarya 3, Sushmita’s Aarya crosses paths with the formidable drug supplier Nalini, played by Ila. Talking about the show and her character Nalini, Ila said, “I think it is a masterstroke of our director Ram Madhvani and his creative team that they thought that if it is Rajasthan, then it is better to bring another tigress from Rajasthan because the tigresses from the region are very famous for being ferocious. It was challenging as well because there are two strong women, and they can do anything when their family is concerned. Many years ago, in one of my plays, I had a line to say, ‘If you provoke me, I’ll attack.’ And that is what I do here in Aarya 3.”
She added, “My character Nalini comes from a royal family. She’s royalty and, hence, doesn’t talk a lot. Neither is she loud. She has a lot of dignity when it comes to her actions. A lot happens in her mind, but she doesn’t like taking action. She prefers manipulation instead. So, she is very different from me as a person. Ila Arun is very ‘bindaas’ (carefree). I have no inhibitions in life, and I have no control. I jump with excitement when I meet people, but Nalini is royalty. So she is very dignified, and that is how I have portrayed the character in the series. So, it was challenging, but I really enjoyed it. As an artiste, one craves to do something different that keeps them going for more in the future, and Aarya 3 is that for me.”
A few months ago, Ila Arun’s daughter Ishitta Arun had said that she felt that Bollywood ‘underutilised’ her mother’s talent. She had said, “She always played a prostitute, servant, or weaver.” Reacting to Ishitta’s claims, Ila laughed and said, “She is my daughter. As a child, she wants to see her mother do good work, and she watches my theatre, where I play leading roles. Maybe she is right, but then it could also be an emotional thing where she thinks that what others are doing, my mother can do so much better than them. But she is not understanding where I have come from.”
Ila adds that she chose to play smaller roles in films directed by directors who were making “different films” away from the cliches of the 80’s.
“The kind of directors I chose to work with, they were making films on such topics as well. So do I regret being a part of those movies, working with those directors? No! Shyam babu gave me my first break with Mandi. Now when a film is being made on prostitutes, how will I not play one? If I have chosen to be a part of a film being made on weavers, then I’ll be a weaver… But she (Ishitta), unfortunately, as a child, is only seeing the length of my role but fails to see that I have had fun working in such a film. Working with Shyam babu has been my greatest joy.”
Ila Arun, along with her impressive filmography, has also crooned popular numbers such as “Delhi Shahar Mein Maro Ghaghro” and “Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai“, a song which created quite controversy because of its lyrics. Thinking about the song now, Ila says there was “no vulgarity” in it.
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Opening up about how she tackled the controversy around the song, she said, “I tacked it very nicely. When it comes to folk music, there is no problem. Film music comes from festivity. Shaadiyon mein chhed chhad ke gaane hote hai (There are songs with teasing lyrics at weddings). They are also heavy on expletives. The other thing is that boys who come from small villages, they tease. Those dialogues were intelligently taken in the song by Anand Bakshi, of how boys would tease girls or pull their dupattas. The lines of the song are “Choli ke peechhe kya hai?” But the answer is so beautiful. It says, “Choli mein dil hai mera.” Of course, people created a controversy around it. There were (legal) cases as well but we should see where the song is placed. Film songs are situational. This song is from an adda (a bar). So before reacting to it, we should see where it is happening. There are loads of such folk songs, but there was a controversy created around this one because it was in a film.”
“But look how iconic it was and how it is still so lovely. I handled it well because I knew the song has no vulgarity. It titillates you in the beginning. Every man asks this question, but how beautiful is the answer. And Lakshmikant Ji’s music was so good that the song still sounds so lovely. Shubhash (Ghai) ji shot it so well, Madhuri danced on master ji’s (Saroj Khan) steps so well that the song continues to be loved,” Ila concluded.
Ila Arun plays Nalini in Aarya 3.