Was difficult to find reference points for Meena tai: Amrita Rao on her character in ‘Thackeray’

Mumbai, Jan 20 (ANI): Actress Amrita Rao, who is playing the wife of leader of the right-wing Hindu nationalist party Shiv Sena, Bal Thackeray wife, Meena Thackeray in the movie ‘Thackeray’, opened up about her role. In an exclusive interview, Rao said “Maa Saheb was always happy with her personality. She had opportunities to come to the limelight, but she chose simplicity over them. She took up the sole responsibility of household so that Bala Saheb could do his work.” Further talking about how she grasped her personality, Rao said that, “I found it difficult to find a reference point, but I was lucky to find one odd interview of Bala Saheb’s sister where she briefly spoke about Meena tai. Looking at few pictures of her, I developed her expressions.” ‘Thackeray’ shows the rise of Shiv Sena and the man behind it, Bal Thackeray (essayed by Nawazuddin Siddiqui). The film will also show how Bal became one of the most influential and strong politicians in Indian politics. A religious zealot whose grip over Mumbai often resembled that of a mob boss, Thackeray was president and founder of the hardline Shiv Sena (Shiva’s Army), built around his fiery rhetoric on religion, immigration and communalism. A hero of Mumbai’s Hindu working class, he was heralded as a staunch defender of regional heritage by his supporters and despised as a hot-headed bigot by others. He devoted his public life to championing the rights of Mumbai’s “sons of the soil”. He died of cardio-respiratory arrest in 2012. He was 86. The film is directed by Abhijit Panse and is slated to be released on January 25 in two languages- Hindi and regional Marathi.

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