Return of the Dancing Queen

Shivangi Singh

The promos showed her sensuous back. And even before she swirled and twirled to face us with her million dollar smile, we looked at each other and exclaimed in unison – she is back, Madhuri is back! The feeling generated was that of awe as we watched her rare elegance, classically defined features, perfect moves and stunning screen presence. That day, sitting in a theatre amongst a throng of movie-buffs, I realised for the first time the enormity of effect that Madhuri Dixit has on the Indian audience. At an age, when the career of most actresses is written off, she is making a most welcome comeback! Flashback Born to Shankar and Snehlata Dixit in a Marathi Chitpavan Brahmin family, Madhuri Shankar Dixit wanted to be a micro-biologist. She dutifully attended Parle College in Mumbai and was about to enter a set ordinary life, when a chanced offer from Rajshri Productions brought her into films. The film was Abodh, in which she played an innocent, immature girl. The film came, went and was forgotten but mentor Subhash Ghai saw that extraordinary spark in the protagonist. Then came ‘Uttar Dakshin’ and after that a proper launch in ‘Ram Lakhan’. Director Subhash Ghai put an eight-page advertisement in trade magazines announcing that Madhuri has been signed by all the prominent producers of the time. However, Madhuri didn’t have to wait for the stunt to take off; she became a national phenomenon with N Chandra’s ‘Tezaab’. Her dance number ‘Ek Do Teen’, met with huge success and ‘Tezaab’ went on to celebrate a Golden Jubilee. Cinegoers went gaga over the beautiful new-comer who looked so much like the legendary screen Goddess, Madhubala. New avenues opened before her and Madhuri gave excellent performances in ‘Dil’, ‘Beta’ and ‘Raja’. She had her share of link-ups with Sanjay Dutt and other co-stars but always maintained a dignified silence over personal issues. By 90s she made it to the number one slot and was titled ‘the female Amitabh Bachchan’. That was the time when her films including ‘Saajan’, ‘Khalnayak’ and one of the biggest blockbusters of all time – ‘Hum Aapke Hain Kaun’ happened. Prakash Jha’s ‘Mrityudand’ brought her critical acclamation and when critics said that age was catching up with her, Pooja in ‘Dil To Pagal Hai’, left them speechless. Her memorable roles in ‘Pukar’, ‘Lajja’, ‘Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam’ and finally Chandramukhi in ‘Devdas’ (supporting role which she did after marriage) left the audience wanting for more, literally and metaphorically. Presiding as the Bollywood Queen, she was at the top of her career when she relinquished it all – for family, kids and a settled, quiet life. Every time Madhuri visited USA to meet her family, speculations would run riot that the beautiful actress had secretly married to some engineer, or software professional or a dentist. And each time she would return and laugh-off the rumours. However she wished to settle in the US. Once she had remarked, “I would like to settle in the USA. Mainly because my entire family is there. I`m only here because my work is here. Otherwise, I crave to be with my sister and my brother and their kids. And I enjoy the freedom abroad. Here I cannot even walk on the beach or go and have aloo chaat at Chowpatty, because I will be hounded by people. But I walk freely in the US. I am like anyone else and I miss that. That loss of privacy is the only thing I regret about stardom. Otherwise, it`s been fabulous. I would eventually like to settle abroad, I`m pretty clear on that. In 1999, her yearning for a simple steady life was fulfilled. She finally got married to Dr. Sriram Madhav Nene, an UCLA-trained cardiovascular surgeon who practices in Denver. It was an arranged marriage and Madhuri settled for a simple and happy married life. She gave birth to two sons, Arin (born in March 2003 in Colorado) and Ryan (born on March 8, 2005 in Colorado). Since then there were speculations regarding her return and her avid fans waited patiently for her comeback. She came back in a flash in the form of Chandramukhi in ‘Devdas’ and left before her fans could have more of her. And now, after 5 years of prolonged hiatus, she has finally come back to us in the form of Dia in ‘Aaja Nachle’. ‘Dhak-dhak’ Dixit Only a dance-based film like ‘Aaja Nachle’ could have brought her back. A trained Kathak dancer, for her dance is synonymous with spirituality. In her words, “For me dancing is not just moving your arms and legs but basically it`s a very spiritual experience. It`s a part of me and a second nature to me. You can say it is in my blood.” She dances with abundance, joy and fulfillment. Under the direction of choreographer Saroj Khan she has done some of the most memorable dance sequences in the history of Bollywood. Her lithe-sensuous movements, tantalising tilt of eyebrows, hypnotic expressions in songs like ‘Ek Do Teen’, ‘Dhak Dhak’, ‘Piya Ghar Aaya’, ‘Mardala’ still leave the spectators completely breathless. She has been seductive, playful but always dignified. One of the major reasons of her unprecedented success is her dance. In Yash Raj Productions’ ‘Aaja Nachle’ she is playing Dia, a choreographer, who stays in the US. After some 15 years, she decides to come back to her roots in India and finds that Ajanta theater of which she was a part, is under crisis due to a menacing politician. She vows to restore the lost glory of her beloved theatre and fights back. Madhuri had rightly remarked once, ‘Uncertainty is the only certainty in film business’. One doesn’t know what fate has in store for her comeback film but kudos to her for her comeback attempt and her never-say-die spirit. Meanwhile, news has just arrived that says Maqbool ‘Fida’ Husain has booked an entire show of her comeback film `Aaja Nachle`. Surely, Madhuri mania is catching on and her devout fans can’t wait to see her back as the reigning Bollywood Queen. Factuals Nickname: Bubbly Date of Birth: 15 May 1967 Sign: Taurus Height: 5`4’ or 1.63 m Hair: Natural Brunette Eyes: Dark Brown City: Bombay Country: India Mother: Snehlata Dixit Father: Shankar Dixit Siblings: two sisters Rupa and Bharati, and brother Ajit Dixit Children: two sons, Arin and Ryan Marital status: married Husband: Sriram Nene Education: Parle College, Bombay, India Likes: chocolates First film: Abodh Favorite food: Pohe, Maharashtrian dishes, baked, cheesy stuff Her hero: Balraj Sahani, Gregory Peck Her heroine: Nargis, Ingrid Bergman Other facts: childhood aspiration was to be a ballerina Hobbies: listening to music Awards and Nominations Filmfare Awards 1990: Filmfare Best Actress Award for Dil 1992: Filmfare Best Actress Award for Beta 1994: Filmfare Best Actress Award for Hum Aapke Hain Kaun 1997: Filmfare Best Actress Award for Dil To Pagal Hai 2002: Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for Devdas Star Screen Awards 1994: Star Screen Award Best Actress for Hum Aapke Hain Kaun 1995: Star Screen Award Best Actress for Raja 1997: Star Screen Award Best Actress for Mrityudand 2002: Star Screen Award Best Supporting Actress for Devdas Zee Cine Awards 1998: Best Actress for Dil To Pagal Hai 2002: Best Supporting Actress for Lajja Awards nominated 1988: Filmfare Best Actress Award for Tezaab 1989: Filmfare Best Actress Award for Prem Pratigya 1991: Filmfare Best Actress Award for Saajan 1993: Filmfare Best Actress Award for Khalnayak 1995: Filmfare Best Actress Award for Raja 1995: Filmfare Best Actress Award for Yaraana 1997: Filmfare Best Actress Award for Mrityudand 2000: Star Screen Award Best Actress for Pukar 2000: Zee Cine Award Best Actor- Female for Pukar 2000: IIFA Best Actress Award for Pukar 2001: Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for Lajja 2003: Star Screen Award Best Supporting Actress for Devdas 2003: Zee Cine Award Best Actor- Female for Devdas Honours and Recognitions 2001 - National Citizen`s Award 2007 - ‘Bollywood`s Best Actress Ever’