The Eternal Muse

cover story Dress, Dsquared2.

She reigned in the 90s. In fact, she was the biggest thing that happened to Bollywood then. With six Filmfare awards and thirteen best actress nominations—the highest for Filmfare ever— and also a Padma Shri in her kitty, Madhuri Dixit-Nene couldn’t have rocked it harder in a male-actor obsessed film industry. But she did. She ruled the box-office for over a decade in her prime and even after a hiatus, marriage and two kids, she still possesses the pull to make the cash registers ring and many a hearts sing and dance. It won’t be too off the mark to say that she is still one of the few superstars who bedazzle Bollywood.

L’Officiel India DigitalRead L’Officiel India in the digital libraryEvery issue and every cover story, on TCG Media.Read now

Consider this—She is the only actress from her generation who continues to put up dance performances and is much in demand for it. Roles are specifically being written for her. Young male actors are vying to work with her. And yes, I have to admit, she is the only one who has made me feel star-struck. Ever. Madhuri Dixit stands for a lot of power. The power of self-belief, the power of real-connect, the power of everlasting elegance. She could very well be the ambassador for timeless grace. And abundant energy. A hands-on mom to two energetic boys, a devoted wife and still a Bollywood heartthrob—that’s indeed a life worth envying! Madhuri acted in iconic films like Pukaar, Devdas and Lajja, after marriage, perfectly managing the proverbial balancing act. Cut to now—and her day is brimming with work. But don’t you dare use the word comeback in front of her. Madhuri is quick to retort, “I went to the U.S. so people felt that I walked away from it all, but in reality I have been here all along. The only time I actually took a break for about two years was when my second child was born. Then I came back with Jhalak Dikhla Jaa and went on to do films like Gulaab Gang and Dedh Ishqiya.” Tell her that she has successfully broken the B-town jinx that most married actresses are forcibly bestowed with by bagging great roles and doing super justice to them, and she simply dismisses the compliment saying, “For me, that’s just a myth.” She further elaborates, “Sharmila Tagore, Rakhiji, Nutanji all worked successfully after marriage. That married actresses do not survive in this industry is a myth created by a handful of people. Maybe some even use it as an excuse to cover up failures. For me, it’s all about making a good film that audiences connect with. If the script is promising and if the film takes the audience on a memorable journey, then it doesn’t matter to them who it features—a married actress or a single young talent. A great story told well is bound to work.”

“That married actresses do not survive in this industry is a myth created by a handful of people.”

She has no starry tantrums. So her obsession with the industry really has to do with her passion for acting and dance. Mention the word dance and she almost blooms. “That has to be my first love,” she admits. “Of course, I am passionate about acting, but dance is an integral part of who I am. I have learned Kathak. I have always kept in touch with dancing. It is embedded in me. I have been dancing for as long as I can remember.” After her second child, it was her dance connect that pulled her to judge Jhalak… “It was a dance show, so I agreed to come on board and I have stayed for four seasons now. I put up performances for the show and for other events such as IIFA. Dancing is very close to my heart. And I still work as hard to put up a perfect, flawless performance.”

It is this passion for dance that led her to launch an online dance academy, called Dance with Madhuri, which already has more than 1,30,000 users without any advertising. Thrilled at the early response, Madhuri says, “An honest attempt straight from the heart always finds its takers, just like an honest performance.” She tells us how the dream took form. “I was once talking to my husband about sharing my passion for dance by taking it to every house in the world. I asked him if it’s possible, and he said, ‘yes, it is’. Although he is a doctor, he is also very up-to-date with technology, so he took it upon himself to set this up for me. And that’s how my online dance academy was born. It’s the first of its kind in the world.” But why an online school? Madhuri explains, “I was thinking about the main reasons why people do not manage to include dance in their lives. They often don’t know where to go. Accessibility and commuting is a concern and most working professionals do not find time for it. Even housewives get so involved with their household responsibilities that despite burning with the desire to learn dance, they do not get around to taking the plunge. I felt than an online school clicked as an apt solution to these hurdles. So we went ahead to make it live and followed it up by launching a mobile app too.” The academy offers a wide choice of dance forms one could learn, all on the go. “I thought there were lot of advantages of an online school as compared to an offline one,” Madhuri explains. “After all, what could be better than providing people with a personal dance tutor and dance lessons on their personal computers and mobile phones. You can be in your car and still take a lesson and revise your moves. You can be on a vacation and learn Salsa with your partner. And if you are conscious about learning in public, such a format offers you the privacy you seek. It allows you to learn dance at your own pace and at your own time.” The perfectionist in Madhuri has catered to every need of her audience. To keep the virtually obsessed generation hooked, she has ensured that the whole experience is sufficiently gamified. “You can record your performance and upload the video and our gurus will rate it,” she adds. “Your friends can also rate your moves and share the link further. And you can earn badges and incentives on your performance.” The academy has emerged more as an online dancing community with Madhuri at its helm, and that makes the veteran dancer feel very proud.

Madhuri feels that India is teeming with talented dancers. From the younger lot of Bollywood actresses, she appreciates the dancing talent of Aishwarya Rai, Deepika Padukone, Sonakshi Sinha and Priyanka Chopra. “They all dance very gracefully,” she says. “Of course, I am passionate about acting, but dance is an integral part of who I am. I have learned Kathak. I have always kept in touch with dancing. It is embedded in me.” WHERE THERE IS MADHURI, THERE IS DANCE