Ram Madhvani: She walked the ramp, weeks after heart attack

A still from Aarya 3

Gratitude - that's the emotion currently dominating Ram Madhvani's headspace. The creator-director is grateful not only for being able to take Aarya to the third edition, but also to Sushmita Sen for saying yes to him season on season. "I cannot say yes to her. She is in power, and I am happy she said yes again," he beams.

The crime drama, also starring Sikandar Kher and Vikas Kumar, is centred on Sen's titular character who goes from being a homemaker to a don after her husband is killed. The Disney+ Hotstar series had the audience hooked since its first season in 2020, as much for its gripping story as for the leading lady's confident performance. It's the latter that Madhvani is particularly happy about - the show, after all, marked Sen's OTT debut. "The responsibility [I feel towards] whichever actor I am working with is greater than the series or film I make. So, after the series or film has reached the audience, I spend a lot of time [wondering] whether I can look my actor in the eye and say, ‘I did justice to you.' Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I don't. With Sushmita, I seem to have succeeded because we are in the third season."

In Sen, he found a curious actor, an intelligent collaborator, and above all, a person of towering strength. He remembers how the actor suffered a heart attack earlier this year on the sets of Aarya, and overcame the difficult period with her resolute strength. "I am happy that she is okay. After two weeks, she walked the ramp at a fashion show. That was a statement she sent out to the whole world, which was, ‘I can recover. I will be okay.' She is a miracle lady. Everybody knows that her energy is incredible."

Much can be said about Madhvani's drive too. In a recent interview, writer Anu Singh Choudhary told mid-day that the reason behind Aarya's success is the director's relentless pursuit of creative brilliance. Mention it to him, and he laughs, "There should be T-shirts that read, ‘I survived Ram Madhvani.' I suspect Anu is relentless too. We may get pushed off the mountain, but we will keep climbing it."