NO MATTER WHAT IT IS, MADHURI DIXIT-NENE GIVES IT HER ALL — BE IT MOVIES, DANCE OR MOTHERHOODIt sounds clichéd, but it really is her smile that you notice on the crowded sets. Madhuri Dixit Nene’s famous flash of pearlies lights up everything around her. There’s also the bubbling laughter, which leaves you at a loss for words. Is it like a gurgling stream, ghungroos, tinkle of champagne glasses? And then when she waves at you and beckons you as though you are the only person in that room, it is bound to stay with you for a long time.
Recently, columnist and movie critic Shefalee Vasudev described Madhuri’s charisma as: “Madhuri Dixit would become Hindi cinema’s only Mohini. Madhubala was mesmerising, Waheeda Rehman engrossingly attractive, Hema Malini the ultimate dream girl and Rekha sensational, but Madhuri — oh, she was something else. An incidental sum total of desirable parts of moh (allure) and maya (illusion). As a heroine, Madhuri was neither the “imported” Alpha Cat nor the Omega Kitty, but a rare combination of ‘Hindustani sexy'.”
For nearly two decades, Bollywood’s everlasting beauty has ruled the Indian male imagination as the ultimate fantasy: always sassy, indisputably sexy, and yet, curiously innocent. The fact that she has an oeuvre of films that encompass multiple genres means she can hypnotise front-benchers as well as gallery critics. Her five Filmfare awards and the highest number of Best Actress nominations (13) are a tribute to her acting talent. Here’s what the dhak dhak girl has to say about life and its surprises. Edited excerpts from an interview:
What is the secret of the ageless Madhuri?
Beauty cannot be defined in a line. I think it’s the overall personality that comprises beauty. Aarti, I think you are beautiful! Beauty is the confidence one has to be able to go out of the house without makeup. A balanced routine and some good habits go a long way in staying beautiful and having a fit body. I don’t smoke and drink and lay great emphasis on diet and exercise. I work out at least six days a week. Eat healthy, eat well and work out. In other words, lead a balanced life. Also, dancing is my secret to inner beauty that radiates on the face — dancing makes you sweat, increases blood circulation and keeps the skin flushed. It is also the best ever mood lifter. So if you think I am good looking, dancing has a lot to do with it.
How are your kids coping with having a celebrity mom?
A couple of months ago, my son was going around the house saying, “Yay, my mum’s name is Madhuri Dixit-Nene and she is a judge on Jhalak and she is an actress and she does ad films and she does this and she does that.” (laughs). The other day, somebody from school must have said, “Oh you are so lucky you have an actress, Madhuri Dixit, as your mom.” And my sons came home saying, “This is what my classmate said mom, but you’re still our mom, na?’ And I assured them that I was. I said, “I am your mom first, then everything else.” Earlier, it would give them a kick to see me on Jhalak Dikhlaa Jaa, but now they are immune to my on-screen charms!
How supportive has your family been in your career?
I believe that without the support of my family, whether it is my mother-in-law or my mom, I would just not be capable of doing everything that I am able to. Life is a balancing act and my family’s support has been my biggest strength in balancing work and personal life. They make sure that everything is taken care of and that I don’t need to worry. It is a wonderful feeling to have that kind of support and I hope every woman gets a family as supportive as mine. It sets you free and allows you to think beyond children and family. Which I think is extremely important for your creativity.
Do you have different criteria now for picking roles and scripts than when you started? What is it that you are looking for now?
Well, I’m looking for scripts and roles that will be challenging. I want something that excites me; something that I feel will give me an opportunity to do something new. I don’t think I can be playing the pretty girl or someone’s love interest anymore because those roles will have no depth to them. I need scripts that have depth and let me showcase my talent.
Do you believe this is the right time for it? In the past couple of years, we’ve had strong, successful movies that were women-centric.
I am glad I am in Bollywood at a time when things are changing for the better for women. They are no longer caricatures such as an avenger, victim or eye candy. This was unthinkable earlier. Women now are people, characters in movies. There is a change in mainstream roles as well. I like what Deepika did in Cocktail. Even in Chennai Express, her role was as important as that of Shahrukh’s. This change is welcome. A woman’s role in the society is changing and the change is perceptible. There was a time when I never saw female assistant directors, camerapersons or makeup artists. You could count the number of women directors on your fingers. New-age directors should share credit for writing interesting roles for women and continue the good work. I saw Queen and I loved it. I saw Citylights and it made me feel really good about being a part of Bollywood today.
You also worked with your one-time competitor for the first time. What took you so long to work with Juhi Chawla?
I never thought of Juhi as my competitor and never had any qualms about working with anyone. We are actors, not horses running with blinkers towards a finish line. It is not that I haven’t worked in multiheroine projects earlier. It is wonderful we could finally do a film together. She is a good actress and that is inspiring when you go to the sets. Our scenes in Gulab Gang were very hard hitting. She is a good actress and it was inspiring to go to the sets. I would love to work with Juhi again.
Apart from films and reality shows, what else is keeping you busy? How about going behind the camera?
My dance website, www.dancewithmadhuri.com. Dance is and will always be my first love and I am passionate about it. We have over 21,000 students enrolled so far. The best part about it is that you can learn dance from anywhere in the world — just log on to the website and learn. I am busy with that, and as of now, I have no plans to direct or produce films.
What do you like to do when you want to take a break?
Take a holiday with my family! It could be a weekend trip to Taj Mahal or a fortnight-long holiday. A holiday is my favourite me-time. And if it is in the family’s favourite destination, Maldives, even better. I visited the islands with my husband and sons for about a fortnight and it was pure heaven for that period. Maldives is a little piece of paradise — your own little island. Besides pampering at spas, we had a whale of a time snorkeling on the coral beaches of Maldives. In fact, that is what motivated me to take a few lessons in scuba diving as well.
It is hard to imagine grace and poise personified indulging in adventure sports...
I agree with you. It wasn’t like I knew about this side of me earlier. It is only after I met my husband (Dr Shriram Nene) that I realised I enjoy adventure. But he is way ahead of me — he is the one to bungeejump, parasail and do all sorts of crazy stuff without thinking. He will just go ahead and jump. He is more adventurous. He’s grown up in the US, where people have a love for sports. With Ram, I saw a different kind of life — a carefree life. Before that in India, it was all about work and little time to do anything else. With him, I saw the ordinary, lovely things that are out there, and enjoyed them. I trained to be a scuba diver and have a license. I have tried fishing and all kinds of sports. We parasailed. But bungee jumping is one thing I will not do. I just cannot jump off a cliff. I cannot jump off anything, period. My kids are like their father — they are forever ready to try out anything.
Isn’t it difficult for you to cope with their zest for adventure?
Yes, but the reason is totally different and it has nothing to do with whether I want to do it or not. I wish people wouldn’t hound me as much as they do, especially in India. I do realise it is their way of showing love, and I am really thankful I have so much of it, but my family gets nervous and bugged if people are constantly staring. When I was in Denver, I would go to the mall or gas station on my own. And if someone did recognise me, they would first ask if I was Madhuri Dixit and then they would say “hello” and talk for perhaps a minute, but not hound you. For the same reason, I don't like being fussed over at airports in India by the ground staff either, and sometimes the way people stare, it is unnerving! My sons, husband and I went to Taj Mahal recently and throughout our visit to the Taj, I had my face covered with a scarf — even in the wee hours of morning! My sons found that funny.
What has Madhuri Dixit Nene not done and wants to do?
I want to go to either one of the poles. And I have also always wanted to travel to Japan. Hope I get to go there soon!