After stepping into the melodramatic, violent world of Vishal Bhardwaj’s bloody actioner, O’Romeo, and exuding intensity with her presence in Shazia Iqbal’s scathing political drama, Dhadak 2, Triptii Dimri is back with lighter shades in Maa Behen. The upcoming Netflix film places her in a middle-class neighbourhood in a North Indian town, sharing a complicated bond with her chirpy sister (Dharna Durga) and dramatic mother (Madhuri Dixit). Triptii channels a restless energy to bring out her character’s quirkiness, which is sharpened by her earthy, heartland Hindi accent.

The actor says it was fun to learn the dialect. “We knew that we didn’t want a strong accent in the film, but just get the local dialect right with necessary flourishes. So, we practised with our dialect coach, Ganesh, who would ask us to react to certain things, make us sing songs, and do exercises that helped us navigate the language. By the time the shoot started, we got used to it so much that we didn’t have to think a lot,” says Triptii.

Director Suresh Triveni says that he grew up listening to that sweet dialect of Hindi in Ranchi, Jharkhand. “The characters in Maa Behen are saying some harsh things to each other, and so I wanted to add a certain softness to it,” he adds.

Suresh started writing Maa Behen in 2019 after the success of his debut Tumhari Sullu, a comedy-drama with an emotional touch. He wanted his next to be “a whacky film, full of wicked humour”.

“The title of the film came to me first. Our producer, Vikram Malhotra, was quite excited about the one-line idea. He asked me to write quickly, and I think the pressure caught up to me,” Suresh quips, adding how he couldn’t complete the story until he met writer Pooja Tolani, who took over. “Pooja shaped the story quite well. We also made a big deal about the film’s casting. Everything came into place in 2024,” he says.

It was also in 2024 that Triptii starred in a range of comedies — Bad Newz, Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video, and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 — breaking away from her earlier mould of doing offbeat, sentimental mood pieces such as Bulbbul (2020) and Qala (2022). Reflecting on doing comedy, Triptii says, “I find it very difficult; it is not easy to make people laugh. A lot of it depends on the writing and the equation you share with your co-actors as well. For Maa Behen, the workshops we did before filming helped us understand each other. So, during the shoot, we experimented and improvised quite seamlessly.”

Her co-actor, Dharna, adds, “I think the kind of environment you are working in helps in facilitating comedy. It’s also important to share a level of quirkiness with your co-actors to create an impact. If you are having fun doing it, then those watching will automatically feel good too.”

Suresh shares the toughest part of directing a comedy. “You change camera angles plenty of times and have to maintain the tone throughout. There are times when you get the timing right in a master shot itself. It is also largely dependent on the actors’ ability to deliver the dialogues in a certain manner. Ultimately, it is also the editing where all of it comes together, and you start getting a sense of where the comedy is actually heading,” says Suresh.

The director also feels that in Maa Behen, audiences will get to see “a new Triptii Dimri”. The actor shot to mainstream fame after her small role in Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal and has diversified her oeuvre. Is there any difference in the way she chooses her scripts now?

“There’s no difference. From the beginning, I have decided to work in films where I really connect with the characters. You have to give so much of your time to a project. Even if it’s a short film, you still have to spend over 10 days of your time working. So, it is important to be completely sure and feel some connection with the story. That’s been my intent since the start, and it will stay the same moving forward,” she says.

Maa Behen will be available to stream on Netflix from June 4