After making a mark for herself as a video jockey and host for reality shows like Indian Idol, Yeh Shaam Mastani and Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao, among many others, Mini Mathur marked her acting debut with the web series Mind The Malhotras in 2019 and then reprised her role for the second season of the show that released this month.
In an exclusive chat with News18, she opens up on what kept her away from acting and says that it was never a part of the big picture for her. “It wasn’t because of the lack of opportunities. I really enjoyed being a television presenter all my life and I wasn’t looking at it as a stepping stone to being an actor. For a lot of people, acting is in their soul and they wanted to act ever since childhood, but that wasn’t the case for me,” she shares.
She reveals being offered acting offers all along. However, she wasn’t ready to foray into the film industry with characters marked with clichés that add minimal value to scripts. Mathur says, “I used to be approached for characters that put me in a strange box of stereotypes. I thought I’ll hold my own and wait until something comes my way that really excites me so that it’s worth my time. I value my time because I do a lot with it. If I’ve to give 40-50 days to a project, it better be for something that I love.”
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So, what are the deal breakers for her? “I don’t want to waste time playing a sister to the hero. I was offered roles in fiction shows on television before but I didn’t want to essay regressive saas and bahu type roles,” she remarks.
Mathur also shares that her husband, filmmaker Kabir Khan, apart from being her critic, is a huge source of support. She tells us, “He understands that it’s very important for me to work in a comfortable and nurturing environment that I also enjoy.”
As she looks forward to exploring the world of acting, she says that Khan continues to remain her biggest cheerleader. Shedding light on their exchanges about work, the 47-year-old says, “Kabir told me that I should act more and that he doesn’t know why I keep saying no to projects. He’s the first person I go to every time a role comes to me. I ask him if it’s worth it and even though he gives his opinion, I eventually take my own decision. We’re a family of over-critical spouses. I’m the first one to jump into a project, questioning things, right at the script level. So, everyone keeps watching out for what I’m going to say because I don’t hold back my words in any case.”
Mathur says that her first tryst with acting brought her immense love and support from her friends and peers in the industry. “A lot of directors and writers are my friends because of the industry that Kabir is in. They are like, ‘Now you’ve woken up! We’ve always been telling you to act but you never said yes.’ They feel like I’m suddenly interested because I’ve tasted a little bit of blood (laughs),” she elaborates.
The television presenter and actor, who has also been a contestant on the second season of celebrity dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, lauds the OTT space for writing scripts and characters that are in tandem with her sensibilities as an artiste and person. She explains, “Roles on the OTT space are so much more exciting primarily because women have more capes to wear. We’ve women cops, women dacoits and there so many shades in them suddenly, which wasn’t there on television when I was a presenter. What I see now is so much more appealing and I’m discovering my chops as an actor. If makers have something that doesn’t put me in a box, I’m so in!”
Mathur adds, “Earlier, there was no OTT platforms where you could write small stories about some characters and get away with it without worrying about its commercial outcome. We’ve that space right now and it’s going to stay.”
Mathur, who produced a non-fiction series titled Mini-Me featuring her and daughter Sairah Kabir a few years back, reveals that she has been working on a script and she intends on helming a feature film someday along with juggling her newfound passion for acting.
“A lot of people ask me all the time why I’m not doing a film despite being so networked. I don’t know if I’m interested in a producing a film but I know that I can be a kickass producer because I know how to crack the whip the right way. Plus I’m good with numbers since I’m an MBA. But if I do step into films, it will be something I’m directing. I’m pretty sure about that. Everyone laughs at me because I’ve a script in the making for the longest time which I’m writing but I don’t prioritise enough to make it. However, one day I will. The time is good now. But I’ve just discovered myself as an actor, so the other things will take some time,” she signs off with a smile.
