Pooja Bhatt On Playing A Mother In Bombay Begums, Says Don't Strip Moms Of Their Sensuality

Actor-filmmaker Pooja Bhatt recently opened up about her take on the onscreen portrayal of mothers. The actress was last seen playing a mother of two and a businesswoman in the Netflix show Bombay Begums. While the show focused on the woman in different phases of their lives, Pooja's character was seen struggling with work and family as she hit menopause.

Pooja said she believes that motherhood should not be the only defining trait of certain characters on screen. She added that the 'sensuality' of these characters should be retained, similar to her character, Rani on the Netflix show.

Talking about Rani she told BBC, "Don't strip us of our sensuality. Mothers should not be portrayed merely as sacrificial women who have tossed their femininity aside to care for their families. My character Rani in Bombay Begums is caring, yet needy and manipulative at times, but above all, she is sensual."

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She added that the portrayal of female characters and mothers have a long way to go, "We are taking baby steps in the right direction but have miles to go as far as the perception of the audience and their tastes are concerned."

Pooja Bhatt who has been vocal about the need for more woman on film sets, during the interview also opened up about working with Bipasha Basu on intimate scenes in Jism. Recalling the filming she said, "For intimate scenes, I handpick the crew who won't make an actress feel uncomfortable. I told Bipasha Basu that as a woman and as an actor I won't be asking you to do anything you're not comfortable with."

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Coming back to Bombay Begums, Pooja said director Alankrita Shrivastava too made her feel comfortable while shooting intimate scenes for the show. "Alankrita and I discussed in great detail how we were going to do the intimate scenes. We trusted each other, we trusted the director and the co-stars. I didn't go home feeling icky or soiled," she recalled.