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 Motherhood has made a world of difference to Madhuri Dixit. From
being a polite but almost aloof entity on the sets, she has become
really gregarious. "Children do that to you," she said. "My sons
have made me a fun person. Besides that, all the experiences that
you go through in life make you mature enough to realise life
doesn't have to be taken seriously all the time. My sons keep me
on my toes," Madhuri told IANS in an interview.
She recently wrapped up her comeback film "Aaja Nachle". Her kids
were with her throughout the shooting of the movie.
"I made sure I shot the film during their holidays. I couldn't
possibly leave them behind in the US. I wouldn't be able to
concentrate on my work. But this way I was very relaxed."
She says she could shoot for the film peacefully because of the
constant support from her family.
"And if I didn't have the support of my children, my husband
(Sriram Nene), my mom and my other set of parents, that is my
in-laws, I wouldn't have done it. They came down to India twice
during the shooting. And my mom was with me throughout. My husband
Ram was down in Mumbai twice because he missed the kids and the
kids missed him."
Madhuri now has her fingers crossed for "Aaja Nachle" releasing in
November.
" 'Aaja Nachle' has spoilt me. Yash Raj treated me with such
care. Now what I do next will depend a lot on what's offered to me
and where we shoot. It could be in Mumbai. Or maybe they could
shoot it in the US. But the script has to be something special."
Madhuri may do one film a year.
"Maybe even less. But I wonder if the experience would be as
pleasurable! And if my kids have kept me relaxed, the entire crew
of 'Aaja Nachle' has been an inspiration and delight. They're so
young and bright and raring to go. Such wonderful actors and
people! I'm so lucky I got to work with them."
Madhuri is delighted by the current crop of actors and technicians
in Hindi cinema.
"There's such a wide variety of films being made right now. And
such wonderful actors! What a delightful performance Vinay Pathak
has given in 'Bheja Fry'. It wasn't slapstick and it was still
funny."
The actress says she would love to do a comedy.
"I had done some comedy in 'Raja'. Comedy is fun, and tough. I
try to see as many films as possible. But there're more films
being made than I can watch.
"And now we cannot complain about the quality either. Look at my
director Anil Mehta. He has a wonderful eye for detail. Having been
a cinematographer with so many directors he knows exactly what he
wants and how to get it from every artiste.
"I had my fingers crossed and my heart in my mouth when I started
shooting for 'Aaja Nachle'. Any out of a hundred things could've
gone wrong. But touchwood, it was all smooth sailing."
She's all praise for Yash Raj.
"They were thoroughly professional even when I worked with them 10
years ago in 'Dil To Pagal Hai'. Now they're even more
organised. Everything runs so smoothly like well-oiled machinery.
I've the highest regards for Yash Chopra and also for Sooraj
Barjatya."
Tell her Barjatya is still looking for another Madhuri after "Hum
Aapke Hain Koun", and she quips: "He doesn't have to look for
another. I'm right here. 'Hum Aapke Hain Koun' was certainly a
landmark. So was 'Abodh', my first film and it was with the
Barjatyas."
"Then there was N Chandra's 'Tezaab' and yes, 'Ram Lakhan'. If
Subhash Ghai hadn't signed me for 'Ram Lakhan', I'd have gone
back to my studies. Bapu's 'Prem Pratigyaa' showed me in a
different light. Indra Kumar's 'Beta' and 'Dil' were also very
special. Then there was 'Pukar' and, of course, 'Devdas'... But
yeah, I guess 'Hum Aapke Hain Koun' was really special."
She says "Hum Aapke Hain Koun" made her everybody's favourite.
"Suddenly after the film I was no longer an aloof star. I became a
part of everyone's household. I suddenly had old women hugging me
and pinching my cheeks. And then there was 'Hum Aapke Hain
Sanam', which was a big hit in Bihar... I guess I've been lucky.
And I guess I was always very professional. I always got the right
opportunity at the right time."
And now home and career, in that order, are her priority.
By Subhash K. Jha
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