Madhuri Dixit’s Wonderful Life
By Lavina Melwani • Aug 2nd, 2010 • Category: People
Madhuri Dixit and Dr. Shriram Nene (Photo: Lavina Melwani)
Madhuri Dixit, Bollywood Super-Star…
She’s out of sight but not out of our minds – we’re talking of none other than the bubbly, ever vibrant superstar Madhuri Dixit. Well, here are some nuggets from a brief but fun interview she gave to me during her New York visit. What comes through is her warmth and easiness as she adapts avidly to a very un-Bollywood lifestyle.
Ask her what’s the one memory of her film career which stays with her, which she relishes and think about, and she says, “I guess it’s hard to pinpoint one moment because there are so many moments which shape your whole life and make you who you are. I would say that probably after ‘Tezaab’ when I was recognized for the first time and was asked for my autograph for the first time. I think that’s an unforgettable kind of a moment.”
She adds, “You’re working for something when you’re an actor and you want to be recognized and you want people to say ‘Hey, I saw you in that movie and you were good!’ And when that actually happens, it’s a different thrill. You say ‘Oh, my God! Someone recognized me!’ And of course, once everyone starts recognizing you, you want to wear dark glasses and hide – that’s the irony of it!”
Does she ever miss the glitter and glamour of being a superstar? “Well, I miss my craft – I miss acting, dancing – I don’t miss the paraphernalia at all,” she says. “It’s a dichotomy. Even when I was working in movies, I was a star on the sets but once I was home, I was just the homebody.”
Recently she ventured back to Bollywood for the film ‘Aaja Nachle.’ How was the experience? “It was great – at first I was a little apprehensive, a little nervous, but the way the industry operates, it’s changed. Now it’s very well organized. It’s much better technically – scripts are ready on time.”
Madhuri loves her new life with her husband, the easy-going Dr. Shriram Nene, and her two kids in Denver. She says, “I enjoy being normal because I am a normal person and I like a normal life. I think it’s good for my kids too that they are in a very normal environment where they can be themselves, and be their own person, and there is not a particular expectation from them.”
Ask her who does the cooking, she or her husband the surgeon, and she exclaims, “Oh, he’s the cook! He was interested in cooking but for me I was working since I was 16, so I never had the opportunity or the urge to cook. He cooks so well – I’ve learned so much from him! We cook anything from dosa to bhajji to chicken tikka masala or just barbequing I love the way he makes steak.”
So who does the cooking and who does the chopping? “We share the chores. My kids are also into it, asking, can we cut this, can we cut that. Of course, I don’t let them cut anything!”
While Madhuri is not anxious to rush back to Bollywood unless there is a script which really moves her, she would like to pass the magic of dance to young people in the US: “I would love to start a dance school out here where you teach all different kinds of dancing, not just film dancing – like the basic classic Kathak because I believe that if you learn Kathak, you can do any style of dancing in the world, except ballet, of course. Our folk dances are so rich so one school would teach all that. I will definitely do it one day!”
Well, what could be better than learning to shake a leg from the Dance Queen herself? So stay tuned for Madhuri Dixit – coming soon to a dance school near you!
Photo and text © Lavina Melwani
Lavina Melwani is a New York based journalist who writes for several international publications. If you enjoyed reading this, please link to it, comment on it and add to the conversation.
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wow. thanks so much for this wonderful article.
Madhuri was a great interview – she had no hang-ups and was so down to earth. Time was tight – would love to do a more indepth feature on her in the future. Which are the other stars you’d like to see interviewed here?
Nice article.
Madhuri eats meat? Didn’t know that.
Very nice article indeed. It is very rare that a super hit and most popular star has such down to earth behavior and simple attitude. There can never ever be Madhuri’s replacement. No real Bollywood without her.
Thanks Lavina for your article. Like to hear more about Madhuri from you.
Excellent piece! Good to know what she is doing these days. Quite a lifestyle change for her. Pleasantly surprised to know that Dr. Nene has a penchant for cooking. Lucky Madhuri. Some people have all the good luck.
Delightful article. Learning Kathak and Bollywood moves from Madhuri would be the experience of a lifetime. I am a twenty year old American of European decent who would love to learn the classic folk dances of India, and I am not alone. Go for it Madhuri!
Thanks, Pratibha. Madhuri and Ram Nene enjoy cooking together and that I guess is the best way to cook! She really seems a very down-to-earth and unspoiled person, with no star airs. After having such a hectic public life, I think she is relishing this very private life which we all take for granted.
April, glad you enjoyed the article. Keep tuned – I hear there is a major screen role coming up for Madhuri. Once I’ve verified this I’ll keep you posted. Then you may have to wait a while for the dance school to materialize!
Wonderful news! Is it the “Mother: The Indira Gandhi Story” movie? I hope so. That’s an unusual role for her, but it would be fascinating to see what she does with it. If Madhuri is returning to the screen, then I am willing to wait for the dance school.
Thank you Lavina.
We all know Madhuri Dixit from Indian Bollywood movies. She is so charming and a delightful personality who gives the feeling of Indian family culture. Everything is fine with her, God bless them. But being a Brahman family, how do they eat meat? Rather they should be vegetarian. So far as I know, Brahmins are vegetarian.
A fantastic article, and one that gives me hope of running into her in Colorado– even with my three left feet. On another note, I’m disturbed by the last comment. What Madhuri chooses to eat with her family should be up to her and her family. Nobody, especially a stranger, has any right to tell her family what they “should” be. I don’t see any reference to her claiming that she is a Brahmin– only an assumption about her name, and what that “should” imply in some people’s minds. It “should” imply nothing about who she is as a real human being. I thought we had moved beyond such narrow-minded thinking…
Omnivore, I like your choice of name – and yes, you absolutely have the right to call yourself whatever you like! Just like everyone – Brahmin or not – is free to eat whatever they want. Religion, spirituality and belief systems are a very personal thing.
I think what happens with celebrities is that people feel they know them and don’t look upon them as strangers – hence they feel free to get personal. Madhuri, especially, has been India’s sweetheart and so fans expect all sorts of things from her.
Rajendra, thanks for your comments. I know many Brahmins who do eat non-veg
- food is really a personal matter.
I bet she does miss dancing…
and I hope she does open a dance school!
Leaka, yes, I’m sure she misses dancing – though two young sons probably make her dance around! It is amazing how popular she still is with fans. I’ve had this article on the home page for months and readers never seem to tire of it. Hopefully, I’ll put together a photo feature on Madhuri soon.
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I too agree and wonder as to what is so great in eating meat!
Meat-eating is now fashionable and in-thing to do. Even people who were vegetarians have taken to non-vegetarianism whereas here in the West people are realizing that meat-eating is not good for health nor compassionate towards animals. They are cutting down on meat-eating and taking to vegetarianism and even becoming vegan.
Dixits are not a meat-eating community – but of course everyone is free to eat what they like.