Maa Behen Director Suresh Triveni Responds To Viral Choli Ke Peeche Reference: 'Too Clever'

The 1993 film Khal Nayak unleashed a massive controversy back in the day with its song Choli Ke Peeche. Deemed 'vulgar', the Subhash Ghai directorial faced several allegations and legal challenges. And now, 33 years later, Suresh Triveni's use of a 'sleeveless blouse' as a main character in his Netflix film Maa Behen, and changing the empowering perspective to a choli, has grabbed eyeballs like no other. And this time too, Madhuri Dixit is at the centre of it.

In an exclusive conversation with NDTV, director Suresh Triveni says they never connected the dots that way.

He says, "The sleeveless blouse is a very strong character. When you are making a film, you want it to be talked about. But you don't know what will fire, what will not. Many a times as filmmakers, we just think of something, something else fires up. I've been reading both the parts."

Madhuri Dixit in Maa Behen

He continues, "How can a sleeveless blouse be used? It's a silly representation, but then you're not getting the point. The point is about choice, right? So the connection to Choli Ke Peeche, honestly speaking, it didn't occur in our heads."

"I will be too clever and in retrospect I might sound a little clever and talk about it, but nothing like that. What amazes me is how people are looking at such close details and that's so heartening as a filmmaker. A sleeveless blouse was a big thing when I was growing up. I grew up in Ranchi, in a colony, and if anyone wore a sleeveless blouse people would be like, 'oh, okay, you'll be just...' But I didn't know it would have such an effect on my life. I give the credit to my writer, Pooja Thulani, for how she's brought it into the narrative," adds Suresh Triveni.

The 'Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai' Context In Maa Behen

Released last week, Suresh Triveni's satirical comedy Maa Behen has been winning hearts for its clever writing and some impeccable performances. Led by Madhuri Dixit, Triptii Dimri and Dharna Durga, a 'sleeveless blouse' becomes a key clue in covering up a supposed neighbour's death in their house.

In Maa Behen, Madhuri Dixit plays the role of Rekha, constantly judged and slut-shamed for wearing a sleeveless blouse. The colony glares at her audacity and the societal hypocrisy is on full display.

Parallels are being made between Khal Nayak's Choli Ke Peeche's 'choli' and Maa Behen's sleeveless blouse because both provoked a massive reaction.

While in Khal Nayak the choli was used as a tantalising ploy to deceive criminals, the sleeveless blouse in Maa Behen is a symbol of resistance. Despite her nosy neighbours, Rekha continues to wear the blouse, defying the traditional mindsets of small-town society towards widowed women. 33 years later, the narrative is flipped: a garment now portrays the resilience of a woman who lives on her own terms, and how the sleeveless blouse mirrors a society easily swayed by her bare shoulders, as if that signifies "she's available."

Maa Behen released on Netflix, on June 5.

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