I am over-qualified for this medium

She is not an Anglo-Indian, nor is she Catholic. She is a Sindhi married to a UP Saraswat Brahmin and that's how she is Lilette Dubey. He...

She is not an Anglo-Indian, nor is she Catholic. She is a Sindhi married to a UP Saraswat Brahmin and that8217;s how she is Lilette Dubey. Her mother8217;s name is Leela and the dimunitive of anything in French is ette8217; 8212; so that8217;s how she acquired her name which if you must know means small Leela8217;.

Many people can8217;t pronounce it and end up calling her Lalitha. Her only complaint against her parents is why didn8217;t they give her a simple name like Sita or Anita? Still, the name has served her well. Having done theatre for more than 25 years, Lilette is now a television name with serials like Raahein Zee and Aur Phir Ek Din STAR Plus.

Catching up with Lilette and pinning her down for an interview is quite a difficult task. Not that she acts starry or throws tantrums but she is overloaded with work. A few weeks ago she returned from America where she was shooting for Ajay Bawa8217;s Tadap. Lilette says she had a great time shooting in the USA and finds her role of Paddy very interesting. After that she was down in Sri Lanka for her play Dance like a Man which she would be performing in London next month. 8220;Theatre is my passion. That8217;s one reason why I don8217;t want to have more than two or three serials at a time because I need time for my theatre,8221; she smiles. On a muggy night in Mumbai is her other play which is pathbreaking in its own way and deals with homosexuality. So you see, she has lots to do other than give interviews.

Lilette8217;s television roles are striking performances. She is the highly ambitious Chandni in Aur Phir8230; It is one of her favourite roles mainly because it8217;s very real. 8220;I8217;m enjoying this character the most as it has many dimensions. She is not good or bad, she is human. She is a character who thinks if a man can juggle and get away with things why can8217;t a woman have the same freedom,8221; explains Dubey. Next, she is the patriarchal, strong and dominating mother in Raahein. 8220;I8217;m enjoying this too. She is a manipulative character and she8217;s very popular with the audiences and they wait for her scenes,8221; Lilette claims.

Television is only the first stop. Lilette Dubey has also stepped into the celluloid world now with four films up her sleeve. She plays the heroine8217;s mother in Zee Network8217;s first production with Sunny Deol in the lead and feels it8217;s quite a dramatic and interesting role. She is the very strong- headed and glamorous mother in Sanjay Gadvi8217;s latest Raveena-Arjun Ramphal starrer and Kailash Surendranath8217;s Akshay Khanna starrer Love You Hamesha!. That8217;s not all: the most compelling role for Lilette is in Shyam Benegal8217;s untitled film in which she is a film star of the 19408217;s. 8220;It8217;s not a very large role but I8217;m excited because I play the young and the old and I8217;m looking forward to it.8221;

Lilette started acting while still in school and has been doing professional theatre in Delhi since 1971. She8217;s done it all, from experimental theatre to classics. She also has formed a company called Prime Time Theatre Company with her friend Sita and they have produced 15 plays so far while she has acted in around 75 plays.

Her TV debut was with a serial called Newsline Journalism on EL TV which was followed by Vaqalat. At this stage she moved from Delhi to Mumbai and acted in A Mouthful of Sky, Kabhie Kabhie. 8220;Television is a learning experience. It has it8217;s good points but can8217;t replace theatre. And I think I8217;m over qualified for this medium. The kind of people I see here I feel I8217;m far better than them. Acting is not just fluttering your eyelashes or rattling off lines. It has a lot of things like breath control, projection, body language, physicality,8221; she beams proudly. Being a Sindhi she had a little problem with Hindi and had to work a lot on it because she feels there is a difference in speaking in Hindi and performing in Hindi. 8220;While doing your lines you have to think about it and not worry about it. Even now I8217;ve to be careful about my Hindi8221;.

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You might find it a little hard to believe but Lilette has two college going daughters and whenever there8217;s a holiday she loves spending time with them and her husband Ravi Dubey who8217;s with the Taj Group. Does the family miss her when she is out the whole day? 8220;They do feel my absence because we are close-knit family. And that8217;s another reason apart from theatre for my not taking up much more work,8221; she explains. That leaves us just enough time to say: her family8217;s gain is our loss.