Usha Jadhav

What is Dhag (Fire) all about?

It's about a family making its living by wor­k­ing at a mhasanwata (cremation ground). It exp­lores the psychology and helplessness of peo­ple who wait for people to die, so they can live.

Tell us about your character.

I play Yashoda, the wife of a man who works at the cremation ground. She doesn't like her husband's job and goes through psychological trauma. The character has many shades.

Did you have any doubts about the role?

Not one bit. I'm lucky to have got the role so early in my career.

Did you expect to win a national award?

I expected it to win some state awards. With actresses like Vidya Balan, Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor and Sridevi in the running, I didn't expect a national award.

How did you prepare for the role?

I am a director's actor. I worked a little on the accent, but had complete faith in the director and didn't do any independent research.

Any similarities between Yashoda and you?

I don't have anything in common with her.

Do you plan to do more Hindi films now?

As long as I am getting good roles I am willing to do any film. In fact, I would love to do a Bengali film.

What's the difference between ads, theatre, serials and films?

I've done some ads, but my heart lies in films.

How has your journey been so far?

I'm from Kolhapur. I moved to Pune and later to Mumbai and worked in the travel sector. The day Madhur Bhandarkar signed me for Traffic Signal, I quit my job. I have two films coming up—Hindi and Marathi.

Over the past few years Marathi cinema has grown in quality and quantity. Your comments?

This is the golden age for Marathi cinema. We've good literature and a loyal audience.