Madhuri Dixit looks out of the window staring at the clouds. There is a quietude about her and I’m surprised when she elaborates on Dr Nene on her own. ‘Both of us like outdoor sports and we recently enrolled in an elementary class for Skiing. He doesn’t need coaching but joined only to give me company. The instructor was amused! I kept falling on the snow again and again but learnt to fall without hurting myself and rise on my own again. It’s a great lesson and applies to life as well. My parents raised us to give our best shot in whatever we do.  I was focused in studies, in dance and later in films. In the beginning/ Abodh they said I was too spontaneous, then they said I was too simple/ Prem Pratigyaa but success adds glamour/ Khalnayak and soon my detractors were silenced’.

Main stream cinema will forever remember Madhur Dixit pre and post Hum Aap Ke Hain Kaun because no other heroine has come close to her phenomenal success. Currently signed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali  to play Chandramukhi in Devdas, Madhuri says she  loved Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and is privileged to be cast in the classic, privileged to be a part of MF Hussain’s Gajagamini and looks forward to be paired with Salman and Shah Rukh Khan in Bokadia’s next but is not signing anymore films currently because she is also committed to live shows ‘and in between, whatever time I get I want to run home to Los Angeles’.  I notice that she refers to LA as her home and remind her of the time when every man she was spotted with was a potential suitable boy to which she adds, ‘Today, every man I’m spotted with is assumed to be Dr Nene’.Concluded

Our flight is going round and round unable to get clearance for landing and passengers are getting restless. Not me because I still have a lot of questions for the new bride, ask her if she has obtained a driving license because surviving without it in America is impossible. Madhuri makes a sad face, ‘I can drive but not the left-hand driving and I’m not familiar with the roads either’. Have you become computer savvy? Madhuri shakes her head again, ‘I can send emails but have to learn beyond that’. So what’s a day like in your new life? She blushes, says, ‘Well, till he leaves for work, I hover around my husband, after he leaves, I hang loose -watch TV, read, exercise, have a leisurely shower, which I have been denied all my life, I have realized I quite enjoy being myself’.

And what happens when the husband gets back from work? ‘We usually have a plan in place, go out for a meal/sight-seeing or just a drive. If he’s tired, we stay at home and watch TV. Currently, my old commitments bring me to India frequently and let me tell you that pulling away from each other is getting more and more difficult each time’. It is not often that Madhuri makes candid confessions. I have never seen her so romantic and tease her about it. She blushes again, ‘You are prodding me so I am dropping my guards, when you live far away and have just each other for company we want to cram in as much as we can. The coming year will be hectic for him as he will be spending almost 10 hours at the hospital every day, so I guess we want to spend as much time as we can together’.

To be continued…

The airhostess on the flight is giving Madhuri Dixit more attention than necessary and she is embarrassed by the fuss. She smiles at a little child seeking her autograph and I ask her how she how she deals with the constant spotlight on her. ‘It is uncomfortable because people assume that actors are uninhibited just because we sing and dance on the screen, but I’m shy, I take time to open up and make friends.’

Will you be retaining your name as Madhuri Dixit on screen or change it to Madhuri Nene? ‘Stars are identified by their original names and even after marriage their fans remember them by the old surname, which is understandable.  What irritates me is when they send me an invite addressed Mrs Dixit, next time they do that, I’ll send my mother for the event. Some of them address you as Madhuri Dixit Nene, ‘That’s better, more and more women, even those not in limelight, prefer retaining their maiden name and adding the new surname, it is less complicated this way’.

Why do you think the media is so curious about Dr. Nene? Madhuri shrugs her shoulders, ‘when I was not married, they wanted to know when I will be married, when I did, they wanted to know why I chose a doctor and not a film man and finally, how can I leave films and settle in Los Angeles. First, I’m not quitting movies, I’m taking a break, and second, it is my life and my choice. I like being in LA, like making bed and breakfast for my husband and even though I have never cooked in my life earlier, the first time I tossed scrambled eggs it was perfect! We have simple food habits and mostly eat vegetarian — aloo methi, dal, roti, sabzi topped with raita, papad and pickle and we are happy’.

To be continued…

Next morning, most of them leave by the morning flight only Madhuri Dixit is departing by the afternoon flight. Her manager Rakesh Nath has booked me on the same flight, so that I can chat with her on the journey back home. At the airport, I notice that while women openly display affection towards her, men are restrained. Her male colleagues maintained a distance at the concert as well and I wonder if it has got to do with her personality or her success. informal. I ask her if she senses discomfort in them taking instructions from her and Madhuri looks surprised, ‘I don’t think so because when we are doing a show, all of us work as a family, we spend so much time together travelling and later during rehearsals together that ego is the last thing on our minds’.

She is naturally uncomplicated and intuitively mature, has always been, even when she was a rank newcomer. In her long career of many highs and few lows, she never gave boastful interviews, was never undignified in conduct. Her heroes never accused her of stealing scenes and her filmmakers never complained against her work.

Success never went to her head and she never flaunted her jubilees like other artists. When she got married, she took a break but she made frequent trips to India to honour all her commitments. Her life was transforming and unknowingly, Madhuri was changing too. Those close to her made observations and strangers asked her question point blank. When I broach the topic Madhuri flashes her famous smile and says, ‘You know everybody keeps asking me that but I feel the same person. There is a possibility that the change is in them, in their perception of me. The only difference I see in myself today is that I’m more receptive now because I’m not racing against time’.

To be continued…#MadhuriDixit #RakeshNath #ReshmaShetty #Bollywood #DhakDhak # EkDoTeen

Watching Madhuri Dixit sing her debut album Candle on all the channels my mind rewinds to a shooting of Ram Lakhan in Ooty where Madhuri sang Number 54 at a party hosted by filmmaker Subhash Ghai. Dixit was a revelation and in years to come, one discovered many more talents associated with the actor.

A feisty star, Dixit stood her ground while touring with Anil Kapoor for a live show in the US and a few years later, was ready to present her own show, Madhuri Dixit Live held in Kolkatta sometime in the 90s. The team referred to her as MD and the lady boss exhibited all qualities of leadership.

I can never forget that hot afternoon at Netaji Subhash Chandra Stadium when Dixit sat with a sun cap on her head, monitoring rehearsals of all the artistes. Sanjay Kapoor had just finished his revision and Rani Mukherjee was getting ready to start. Anchors for the evening, Ashutosh Rana and Shilpa Shirodkar were learning their lines and music-director Adesh Shrivastav preoccupied with his team.

 At 6.00 pm Madhuri is the first to come down in the lobby and drive to the stadium. There are big banners of ‘Madhuri Dixit Nite’ put up all over the city right up to the venue and the arrangements are near perfect. Special security guards are appointed for every artiste who lead them to their makeup rooms. In a separate section reserved for the singers, Alka Yagnik, Sukhwinder Singh and Vinod Rathod are relishing a cup of tea together. They appear cheerful but it is a façade, the anxiety before the concert.

The show begins on time, Sanjay Kapoor and Rani Mukherjee dance to their film hits and in the second half queen Dixit rules the stage. Th finale, which is a medley of Madhuri hits gets the audience so excited that they break barricades and land up in the VIP area. There is complete chaos but somehow the artistes are rescued and escorted to their vehicles.Back to the hotel, one expects Madhuri Dixit to be drained after an energetic dance but she is in terrific spirits. Flooded with compliments from her colleagues and the sponsors, it is time for celebrations with her girl gang comprising Shilpa Shirodkar, Rani Mukherjee and a few more like me! The night is young and we cannot stop laughing until Snehlata Dixit, Madhuri’s mother affectionately packs us off to our respective rooms.

To be continued…

So, what makes Amitabh Bachchan special? That he gives credit to others for his success, that he continues to work hard and feels passionate about his art? That he redefines himself in every decade, embraces new generations, new trends/technology with ease?

In 2019 when Amitabh Bachchan was conferred with the Dada Saheb Phalke Award, everyone was surprised because so far, the title was bestowed upon artistes who had more or less retired from the arc lights and Bachchan was clearly unstoppable. The reportage revived memories of his earlier titles – Padma Shri/84, Padma Bhushan/2001and Padma Vibhushan/2015.

When I interviewed him for my first book Amitabh: The Legend published in 1999, he said ‘I’m identified as the angry young man who is now an angry middle-aged man’ and by the time I concluded my second Bachchanalia  and third book Amitabh Lexicon in 2009 and 2011 he jested that he should now be called an angry old man.

At 77 Bachchan was more vibrant than his younger co-stars, endorsing brands, walking the ramp, reciting poetry and more. He always regretted not learning an instrument and during the lockdown, he utilized the free time to create his own music. He has the knack of mastering whatever he takes up. His current blog reads Day 4468, has 17.3 million followers on Instagram, 29 million on Facebook and 42.4 million on Twitter.

The key to his success is discipline and focus and it reflects in his work, health regime, food intake, lifestyle and attitude. Currently gearing up for the digital premier of his Gulabo Sitabo on Amazon Prime Video, Bachchan, Ayushman Khurana and Shoojit Sircar are all set to create history.

As I sign off my mind rewinds to the 90s when the internet first came to India, Bachchan and Shammi Kapoor were amongst the early celebs to hold an internet account. I know because g magazine was the first publication in India to go online and Amitabh inaugurated the event. He  amused the audience with anecdotes of chatting up strangers online who disappeared when he revealed his age.Younger actors often ask me from where he finds the energy to go on and on, it is something only Amitabh Bachchan can answer.Concluded for the time being.

Amitabh Bachchan/ Turning Points/ 2010/ Part 9

Amitabh Bachchan has time and again emphasized on the luxury of good health and how post 1982 his body has constantly sprung surprises on him. Earlier it was varicose veins, then diverticulitis followed by some freak accidents and tuberculosis. A routine checkup led to discover that 75% of his liver is damaged and he is surviving only on 25% but there is no lack in motivation, energy or enthusiasm.

Seventy plus but still playing center stage on the big screen, he was the broadcast man going through a conscience crisis in Rann, a teacher in Aarakshan, crusader in Satyagraha, voice for the voiceless in Shamitabh. In 2013 he did a special appearance in Hollywood film The Great Gatsby and in 2016 Shoojit Sircar’s Piku about a single parent obsessed with his bowels and his daughter in that order won him his fifth National Award for Best Actor.

He challenged Farhan Akhtar in Wazir, defended Taapsee Pannu in Pink and concluded the Sarkar franchise/ Sarkaar 3 with Ram Gopal Verma. If Thugs of Hindostan with Aamir Khan was a disaster, 102 Not Out with Rishi Kapoor was a winner and Badla a surprise hit nobody, not even producer Shah Rukh Khan was prepared for.

Along with his other commitments Bachchan encompassed 34 films, some guest appearances, some songs and some voice overs. Some, he was nominated for awards but did not win /Aarakshan, Pink and some, he was appreciated for / Wazir, Satyagrah but not acknowledged.

He was still the God of the small screen and every season of Kaun Banga Crorepati, the ratings got bigger. So did the crowds outside his home on Sunday evenings, a tradition followed since his accident in 82.

Amitabh Bachchan has time and again narrated how he went across to Yash Chopra and asked him for work. The film was Mohabbatein, his first as a character artiste. In life and in showbusiness particularly, timing is all!
A few weeks before Mohabbatein was released, Amitabh Bachchan made his debut on television in the greatest reality show in Indian history, Kaun Banega Crorepati. Everyone advised him against it, said that the small screen will reduce his stardom but KBC proved a gamechanger and the entire nation was hooked on to the show.
When Mohabbatein was released in the cinema halls the audience applauded their matinee idol shouting lines like ‘Lock kiya jaaye’.
The decade saw 50 plus superstar featured in 61 films including songs/ guest appearances/ voice overs and yes, he played the patriarch but was a different father in a different film, reprimanding in Ek Rishta, aristocratic in Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, friendly in Armaan, angry in Virrudh and flamboyant in Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna.
He played both, the good and the bad man, a criminal in Aankhen and Kaante, a cop in Khakee, Dev and Bunty aur Babli. He was god in God Tussi Great Ho and a ghost in Bhootnath.
It was a decade of variety and experiments, there was a psychological thriller/ Aks, a fantasy/ Allaadin, period drama/ Eklavya, horror film/ Darna Zaroori Hai and also a sex comedy/ Boom.
There was Sarkar and Sarkaar Raaj, some regional adventures, Amrithadare/ Kannada, Amrutha Varsham/ Telegu, Ek Krantiveer/ Marathi and Ganga/ Bhojpuri and the Last Lear in English he romanced wife and a Hollywood film/ The Great Gatsby., romanced wife Hema Malini in Baaghban and also younger woman Tabu/ Cheeni Kum and he was accepted in both.
He won two national awards in this decade, Black/ 2005 where he played the tutor of a deaf and dumb Rani Mukherji and Paa/2009 about a genetic defect that accelerates aging.
On television he continued to shine as the star anchor in three seasons of Kaun Banega Crorepati. The health complications continued but Bachchan did not let them overshadow his motivation.
To be continued…