Making Faces

AT my age, I can tell anyone to f off,8217;8217; says Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal. That8217;s an unusual proclamation from the 50-something ...

AT my age, I can tell anyone to f off,8217;8217; says Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal. That8217;s an unusual proclamation from the 50-something lady most people consider the epitome of bonhomie.

Surrounded by artefacts in her south Mumbai home, in a comfy shift with rollers in her hair, Kotwal looks as incongruous as Wilma Flintstone would inside Studio 54. But this is Kotwal at her multitasking best. A hack with an appointment right before a performance a stand-up routine for a Tata Telecom event gets a glimpse of the veteran actress as she readies for the spotlight.

It8217;s a world away from that of her latest success, Sanjay Leela Bhansali8217;s Black. While theatre has often been a springboard into Bollywood for many, Kotwal was always wary of the great Indian dream factory. Her benevolent Mrs Nair in Black is Kotwal8217;s first significant role on the silver screen. 8216;8216;I had no script, no idea of the role and hadn8217;t seen his recent films. But I wanted to work with Sanjay,8217;8217; she says. As for the maverick Bhansali, Kotwal says his work ethic was 8216;8216;like an adult allowing a child to hold his finger; the child thinks it8217;s leading, but ends up where the adult wants.8217;8217;

Post her 15 minutes of tinseltown fame, Kotwal8217;s ready for another medium shift. She8217;ll don a dusted wig and scarf to play the raunchy grandma for Sony TV8217;s Batliwalla House No 43. 8216;8216;At her age, the dadi gets away with everything8212;like hoping Salman Khan comes on the show, shirtless,8217;8217; laughs Kotwal, whose Parsi pensioner act in self-directed The Vagina Monologues won encores.

With its erratic shooting schedules and last-minute scripts, Kotwal was initially apprehensive about doing the comedy based on The Kumars At No 42. Now she only sympathises with their hapless guests like Tusshar Kapoor, Mandira Bedi and Harbhajan Singh. 8216;8216;It8217;s four of us versus a lone guest,8217;8217; she says.

But, despite finding new ground, theatre remains her mainstay. She recently revisited her one-woman hit, Shirley Valentine. Kotwal8212;who took to the stage well after her kids grew up8212;has a soft spot for the play, which celebrates an older woman8217;s zest for life.

Her version of cult production The Vagina Monologues now includes Marathi, Gujarati and Punjabi characters. 8216;8216;The regional accents and contexts vada pau instead of hamburgers take it to another level,8217;8217; says the actor-director, who8217;s hoping to subvert the Chennai ban with private stagings.

Kotwal8217;s also planning to revamp the decade-old hit Art with a fresh pool of talent. And between all this come the 8216;8216;jam on my bread and butter8217;8217; stand-up routines at private dos and corporate bashes. 8216;8216;I8217;m overwhelmed by the variety I8217;m getting,8217;8217; she says, dismissing grumbles about audiences8217; obsession with youth. 8216;8216;I love being my age.8217;8217;