Suresh Triveni teases Maa-Behan, says fans will rediscover Madhuri Dixit | Exclusive

Suresh Triveni's 2026 started on a high with Daldal and Subedaar receiving love from all quarters. The filmmaker is now looking forward to his next big outing – Maa Behan, a project that has already created a lot of curiosity. Starring Madhuri Dixit and Triptii Dimri, the dark comedy will soon be released on Netflix. Ahead of the same, the director spoke to India Today about creating the project and why he didn't cast long-time collaborator Vidya Balan in the film.

Triveni opened up on the challenges he faced while writing the first draft of Maa Behan. He credited his writer Pooja Pulani for her contribution to the film's script.

The director said, "It’s a film that’s extremely dear to me, and I wrote the first draft just after Tumhari Sulu. In fact, Maa Behen was supposed to be done even before (all other films), but I got stuck with the writing and couldn’t take it forward. And then I found a lovely writer, Pooja Pulani and she took over the entire writing. It's a special project and also very personal. I zeroed in on the title first and then started writing about it."

Describing the film as a "domestic noir," Triveni shared that the film is about a dysfunctional family coming together – layered with humour.

"I was very keen to write a story about a dysfunctional family coming together, and I call it a domestic noir, and it’s got something. I mean, I am the wrong person to talk about my own film, but I can assure you that you will see some terrific, terrific performances," he said.

If Triveni is to be believed, audiences are about to rediscover a side of Madhuri Dixit that’s been missing from the big screen. He revealed that the 90s superstar has attempted full-fledged comedy for the part. He also lauded the other cast members, including Triptii, Dharna Durga and Ravi Kishan.

However, given the director's long-standing collaboration with Vidya Balan (Tumhari Sulu, Jalsa), it's inevitable that one would wonder why he didn't cast her in that role. We also quizzed him on whether he's planning to collaborate with Vidya in another project.

With a broad smile, the filmmaker said, "I am always in talks with Vidya about something. Also, I should tell you that I made sure Vidya came to Subedaar's set and gave the clap for me. She is home [to me], and we are constantly thinking of exploring what’s next. I am sure that we’ll get something very, very soon. But I have been very fortunate that I have been able to work with Vidya Balan, Shefali Shah, Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit. I mean, I can’t ask for more."

That brought us to ask about how one bridges the gap between story-led vs star-led content. For Triveni, the answer lies in looking back at filmmakers like Hrishikesh Mukherjee.

While admitting that he's always been a huge fan of Mukherjee's work, the Maa Behan director said, "I go back and see the kind of films he did at that time... and with actors like Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Amitabh Bachchan, or Jaya Bhaduri. And he’s made the films the way he wanted to. Without catering much to the imagery of what they [the stars] were doing at that time."

"There were directors like Basu Chatterjee who were working with Amol Palekar. But there was a Hrishikesh Mukherjee who was actually working with the lead stars of that time, and making a film and in the size of budget that he would want to make," he added.

Triveni concluded by sharing how he's very greedy to work with good actors, and he customises his writing accordingly. “But eventually, this business is commercial. You need to get your money back. Cinema is the costliest form of art," the director signed off with a smile.

Triveni's previous directorial, Subedaar, also featured actors Radhikka Madan, Saurabh Shukla, Mona Singh, Faisal Malik and Khushboo Sundar.