EXCLUSIVE: Madhuri Dixit Nene on producing Marathi film Panchak, “It’s a different take on superstitions, it’s just so funny”

Madhuri Dixit Nene is right onto the business in the New Year as her Marathi production Panchak, which she has jointly produced with her husband Dr Shriram Nene, is all set to release on January 5. The film, which has an ensemble cast of Adinath Kothare, Dilip Prabhavalkar, Tejashri Pradhan, Dilip Prabhavalkar, Bharti Achrekar, Nandita Patkar, among others, is a comedy revolving around the superstition of ‘panchak.’

Explaining the subject of the film, Madhuri said in an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, “We have so many superstitious beliefs. Panchak is one of them where an older member of a family dies during an inauspicious surroundings of nakshatras. It creates a panchak where it is believed that five family members within that year from the date of death can die; either family members or people close to the family. So the fear of death and what it can do to people is the story about and how people go to the extreme to stop this from happening.”

Madhuri said that although the film is about a serious superstition, it is a comic take at the end of the day. “The characters are in fear but when you look at them, you will laugh,” she said. “You will be like, what is this? This is ridiculous, why are they doing this? So it’s like little bit of a black comedy but it’s very family friendly. It’s a family film that everybody can enjoy. Even kids would be enjoying it.”

She added, “The fear isn’t the biggest part. It’s there just to make you laugh. It’s based in Sawantwadi in Konkan. There is a Konkani and Malwani touch in the dialogues, so the humour comes out much better. The characters are relatable. You will feel my kaka or mama is like that. We have some great actors from Marathi theatre, cinema and TV. They all have come together and just created a lovely film.”

Madhuri also shared the reason for selecting this film to back of all that she was being offered. “I thought it was a very different take on superstitions,” she said. “It’s not a hard take. It is just so funny. It was very different from what I was hearing at that point. There is also a little message in the film through different layers. It says that life should have a balance. Don’t go too much into superstitions and don’t be so much scientific that people lose the touch in you. Not everybody is so educated and understands about science. When you deal with such people, you need to deal at their level and understand that way.”

The legendary actress added that Panchak will also appeal to those who don’t understand Marathi because of the subtitles. “Also, a lot of humour is also visual. The humour is not just in the dialogues,” she said.

Also Read: Madhuri Dixit seeks blessings at Siddhivinayak temple before the release of her Marathi production Panchak; watch