Who doesn’t love this talented Bollywood beauty? Those who’ve grown up on a diet of Madhuri films, will be glad to hear that the dhak-dhak gal is hoping to come back to films if she gets an exciting and entertaining story. Meanwhile, she’s spreading her fairydust and starry allure on the small screen with Jhalak Dikhala Jaa. The show seems to be on an all-time high with its star attraction.
She’s arguably the best screen dancer India ever had. The girl who made a lot of hearts go dhak dhak and led the rest to say Dil to pagal hai… ironically married a heart surgeon from America. Madhuri Dixit Nene came back with Aaja Nachle in 2007, but the film didn’t make waves at the box-office. And now Mads is back, once more. In this candid chat, the actress opens up about her family, films and favourites…
Recently Madhuri let her emotions spill over on the special episode dedicated to her. “They showed glimpses of my schooldays and I went back down memory lane. Our early days in school are the ones which we reminisce a lot about and it was a wonderful feeling. I had studied in a convent school and watching those nuns, I could not restrain myself from showing my emotions,” confesses the mother of two handsome young sons, Raayan and Arin.
Her sons regularly watch her show and keep asking their famous mother about her popularity. “When my kids see me on TV, they take pictures of me and are pretty amused by the fact that I am on television. They are keen to know whether I am a popular personality and have asked me several times, ‘Mom, are you a famous person?’ laughs Madhuri.
Mommy wants her kids to learn Hindi, so that they can watch her movies. Though they have seen a couple of her films like Devdas, Hum Apke Hai Kaun, Dil To Pagal Hai, they have all had English subtitles.
Like the other 90’s heroines, Karisma Kapur, Kajol and Raveena Tandon, Mads wants to spend most of her time at home, attending to her kids. She says, “I have always dreamt of a happy family and a great career. My career has seen a lot of ups and downs but it is my husband and my children who give me the greatest happiness in the world.”
In addition to her kids and husband, one aspect will continue to be an integral part of Madhuri’s life and that is her dance. The actress has been dancing since she was eight and this art form has been very close to her heart. She has always dreamt of opening a dance school and she hopes to turn this dream into a reality quite soon.
“I want to start my school as soon as possible. And it is not just Kathak that I intend to teach there. I want to teach all kinds of dance forms. Only my children go to school full time, I will be able to take out time for this,” says Madhuri. Songs like Joote Do, Paise Lelo, Choli Ke Peeche, Dil Toh Pagal Hai, Maar Dala and Aaja Nachle, created history and her moves made audiences dance in their seats. Her films are still watched over and over again and her songs are played repeatedly at weddings and cocktail parties.
The actress does have her favourites too. She admits, “I loved Choli Ke Peeche from the film Khalnayak, the song had plenty of folk flavour and it needed a lot of energy to perform the number.” The actress is still keen to retain a steady foot in Bollywood, but after her last disaster, Aaja Nachle, she doesn’t want to disappoint her fans and is waiting for the right script. “My fans are looking forward to an entertaining film from me; but I am looking forward to a good script. I do not mind if it is with a new director with new ideas. I want to enjoy the character and the role,” says the actress, who brushes off rumours of her refusing to play Sonam Kapoor’s screen mother. Madhuri adds, “I have not yet spoken to Anil Kapoor regarding any film. I don’t even know what the role is. But if it is exciting enough, it doesn’t matter if I need to be a mother or not.”
Mads has worked with the best and biggest in the industry, but she is showing interest in working with new directors, in keeping with the latest trends. Bollywood’s new young actors have impressed the actress. “I loved Sonakshi Sinha in Dabangg, she was very natural and her eyes expressed a lot. I also loved Ranbir Kapoor in Wake Up Sid, Rocket Singh and Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani. I thought Anushka Sharma was fabulous in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. These actors have great potential,” smiles the brown-eyed beauty.
Looking back, her 25-year-long film career does her proud. Whether or not she’s in films, Madhuri will always be a major part of the Bollywood industry. Her fans still long for a glimpse of her charming face and those latkas and jhatkas she was renowned for. Her romantic films set benchmarks for other filmmakers and romantic heroines, and her shy dialogues made her famous.
She still remembers some of the popular ones: “I liked the dialogues from the film Dil To Paagal Hai and Devdas. I can also vividly remember my dialogue with Aruna Iraniji in Beta. These were some of the best.”