Madhuri Dixit

Madhuri Dixit Nene (born 15 May 1967) is an Indian actress, producer, and television personality. Widely regarded as one of the most popular and influential celebrities of Indian cinema she ranked among the highest-paid actresses in the late 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including six Filmfare Awards. In 2008, the Government of India awarded her with Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour of the country.

Dixit made her acting debut with a leading role in the 1984 drama Abodh, and had her breakthrough with the 1988 action romance Tezaab. She established herself with starring roles in several top-grossing productions, including the crime dramas Ram Lakhan (1989) and Parinda (1989), the action thrillers Tridev (1989), Thanedaar (1990) and Khalnayak (1993), the action comedy Kishen Kanhaiya (1990), and the romantic dramas Prem Pratigyaa (1989), Saajan (1991) and Raja (1995).

Her portrayal of a supercilious girl in the romantic drama Dil (1990), an incorrigible woman in the social drama Beta (1992), a playful conservative in the romantic comedy Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994) and a dancer in the musical romance Dil To Pagal Hai (1997) won her four Best Actress awards at Filmfare. She garnered the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay‘s character Chandramukhi in the romantic drama Devdas (2002), and also received praise for her performances in the dramas Mrityudand (1997), Pukar (2000) and Lajja (2001). Following a sabbatical from acting in 2002, Dixit starred in the musical Aaja Nachle (2007), and worked intermittently in the next decade, continuing to draw praise for her performances in the black comedy Dedh Ishqiya (2014) and the Marathi comedy drama Bucket List (2018). Her highest-grossing release came with the adventure comedy Total Dhamaal (2019).

In addition to acting in films, Dixit has been engaged in philanthropic activities. She has worked with UNICEF since 2014 to advocate the rights of children and prevent child labour. She was appointed the brand ambassador for the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign, by the Government of India. She participates in several concert tours and stage shows, features as a talent judge for dance reality shows, including Dance Deewane and is the co-founder of the production company RnM Moving Pictures. Dixit has been married to Shriram Nene since 1999,[4] with whom she has two children.

Early life and background

Madhuri Dixit was born on 15 May 1967 into a Marathi Kokanastha Brahmin family in Bombay (present-day Mumbai) to Shankar and Snehlata Dixit. She has two elder sisters and an elder brother She kindled an interest in dance at an early age of three, and went on to train in Kathak for eight years; later on becoming a professionally trained Kathak dancer

I received a scholarship as a Kathak dancer when I was nine. I even remember that it was due to a dance performance that the first time my name had appeared in the paper. I was seven or eight years old at that time and had performed at the Guru Purnima festival. And there was a journalist who was there and he had written this article saying that ‘this little girl stole the show’ – something like that. I was over the moon. So dance gave me a sense of achievement. Of worth.”

Dixit received her education at Divine Child High School in Andheri. Apart from her studies, she participated in extra-curricular activities, such as dramatics.Aspiring to become a microbiologist, Dixit enrolled at the Sathaye college in Vile Parle (Mumbai) where she studied microbiology as one of her subjects in BSc. However, six months after she had commenced her course, Dixit decided to discontinue studies and pursue a full-time career in films.

Acting career

Debut and career struggles (1984–88)

Dixit made her cinema debut in 1984 with Rajshri Productions‘ drama Abodh, opposite Bengali actor, Tapas Paul.[17] Upon release, the film failed commercially but Dixit’s performance earned her positive reviews from critics. Aakash Barvalia of Gomolo wrote, “Madhuri excels in her role as a young bride who acquits herself well as the naive village girl and does not realise what marriage actually entails.”[18] Her only release of 1985 – Awara Baap — flopped at the box office.[19] During this time, a monochrome photograph of hers, shot by Gautam Rajadhyaksha was featured on the cover of the then popular magazine Debonair[20] and she appeared as the cover girl of Filmfare in April 1986.[21]

Dixit’s next four releases were the dramas Swati (1986), Manav Hatya (1986), Hifazat (1987) and Uttar Dakshin (1987). None of these films performed well either critically or commercially.[19]Hifazat marked Dixit’s first of several collaborations with Anil Kapoor. In 1988, Dixit had four film releases; three of them —Mohre, Khatron Ke Khiladi and Dayavan —were commercial failures

Breakthrough and public recognition (1988–89)

In 1988, Dixit finally attained recognition when she played Mohini, an impoverished and miserable woman, who is forced to dance to make money for her father in N. Chandra‘s action romance Tezaab opposite Anil Kapoor. The movie was the highest-grossing film of the year and she received her first Filmfare Best Actress Award nomination; the film’s success established Dixit as a leading actress of Hindi cinema, and marked a significant turning point in her career.It proved to be Dixit’s first commercial success. Akshay Shah of Planet Bollywood wrote, “Madhuri Dixit also gives a fine tuned performance. Though she is more remembered for her crowd pleasing dance act Ek Do Teen, her acting needs to be noted, specially in the scenes where she is pitted against Anupam Kher.”

Her first release of 1989, Vardi, did fairly well at the box office. She next re-united with Anil Kapoor for Subhash Ghai‘s Ram Lakhan. She played Radha Shastri, a girl who falls in love with her childhood friend, but finds it hard to convince her father. Finishing up as the second highest-grossing film of the year, Ram Lakhan emerged as a “super-hit” at the box office. Dixit’s next release was the romantic drama Prem Pratigyaa, in which she was paired opposite Mithun Chakraborty. Her portrayal of Laxmi Rao, a distraught woman who influences a local underworld don letting him give up his bad habits, earned her a second nomination for the Filmfare Best Actress Award. Dixit collaborated with Trimurti Films for the action thriller Tridev which featured an ensemble cast (Sunny Deol, Naseeruddin Shah, Jackie Shroff, Sangeeta Bijlani, Sonam and Amrish Puri). It finished up as one of the biggest hits and the third highest-grossing film of the year

Her next release of the year, Vidhu Vinod Chopra‘s drama Parinda, co-starring Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff and Nana Patekar was another box office hit. She played Paro, who is killed on her wedding night along with Karan (played by Kapoor) by a gangster (played by Patekar). Aniket Joshi wrote, “Madhuri Dixit, the only female character in the film, has a small role as Paro (Karan´s love interest and Prakash´s sister) yet still does well in the few scenes she has.”[28] Also that year, she starred in Ilaaka, Mujrim (both opposite Mithun Chakrobarty), Kanoon Apna Apna (opposite Sanjay Dutt) and Paap Ka Ant (opposite Govinda).

Superstardom and widespread recognition (1990–1997)

In 1990, Dixit appeared in nine films. Five of them—Maha-Sangram, Deewana Mujh Sa Nahin, Jeevan Ek Sanghursh, Sailaab and Jamai Raja—were commercially unsuccessful. Her first hit that year was Rakesh Roshan‘s action comedy film Kishen Kanhaiya (alongside Anil Kapoor and Shilpa Shirodkar). It tells the story of twin brothers who are separated at birth and re-unite in their youth. Dixit and Shirodkar played the love interests of Kapoor’s characters. Dixit next played a strong-willed woman in the box-office average action drama Izzatdaar. She won her first Filmfare Best Actress Award for portraying Madhu, a rich and arrogant girl who falls in love with a poorer boy, in Indra Kumar‘s romantic drama Dil opposite Aamir Khan. It emerged as the highest-grossing film of the year. Dixit’s final release of the year was the action drama Thanedaar, opposite Dutt, which was commercially successful.

In 1991, Dixit had five film releases, the first of which was the romance Pyar Ka Devta. She next starred alongside Jackie Shroff in the psychological thriller 100 Days which emerged as “above average” at the box-office. She played Devi, a clairvoyant woman who has a vision of a murder and sets out to uncover the truth. She next starred in Saajan opposite Dutt and Salman Khan. A major critical and commercial success, the film earned Dixit praise for her portrayal of Pooja Saxena, who is in love with her idol – Sagar. She received her fourth Best Actress nomination for her work in the film. Tatineni Rama Rao‘s Pratikar and Nana Patekar’s Prahaar failed to do well at the box-office but were critical successes.

Dixit’s first release of 1992 was Kumar’s drama Beta, opposite Anil Kapoor. Dixit’s portrayal of Saraswati, an educated woman who rebels against her manipulative mother-in-law, earned her critical acclaim. Upperstall.com commented, “She made Beta her own film totally stealing a march over the film’s hero, Anil Kapoor. While the highlight of the film was undoubtedly Dhak Dhak Karne Laga – probably the sexiest and most popular dance of Madhuri’s career, her blazing performance – that of a woman married to an illiterate, well-meaning man and who exposes her scheming mother-in-law whom her husband dotes on – had film reviewers gushing with several people jokingly saying the film should have been called Beti instead!” The film finished up as the biggest hit of the year and won her a second Filmfare Best Actress Award. Following the film’s success, Dixit became famously known as the “Dhak Dhak Girl”. Zindagi Ek Jua, Prem Deewane, Khel and Sangeet were her other releases of the year.

In 1993, Dixit reunited with Sanjay Dutt and Jackie Shroff in Subhash Ghai’s crime drama Khalnayak. Her portrayal of Ganga, a police officer, who volunteers to go undercover, to trap an escaped criminal, garnered her critical acclaim. Shahid Khan of Planet Bollywood wrote, “In any other film, the heroine would not have much to do with a plot like this. So immense is the star-power of Madhuri Dixit that Subhash Ghai actually carved out a solid role for her in this macho tale of a bad boy and his shenanigans. She gives real competition to Sanjay Dutt. The audiences ran in droves to witness the Madhuri Dixit magic. In every scene, she holds you captive with her stunning beauty, demanding screen presence, expressive acting and excellent dancing skills. Saroj Khan’s dance choreography is entertaining to watch, particularly in “Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai“. Madhuri’s entrance is a riot with a prison inmate asking her, ‘Kaisi aurat hai tu? (What kind of a woman are you?)’ and she responds by slapping her and saying, ‘Aisi aurat hoon main! (This is the kind of woman I am!)'”. Dixit’s performance in Khalnayak earned her a sixth nomination for the Filmfare Best Actress Award and became the second highest-grossing film of the year. Sudhir Mishra‘s Dharavi, Ramesh Talwar’s Sahibaan, Singeetam Srinivasa Rao‘s Phool and Lawrence D’Souza’s Dil Tera Aashiq were her other releases of the year.

In 1994, Dixit starred in Rahul Rawail’s psychological thriller Anjaam, which marked her first of many collaborations with Shah Rukh Khan. Dixit’s portrayal of Shivani Chopra, a revenge-seeking wife and mother earned her a seventh nomination for the Filmfare Best Actress Award. The film performed moderately well at the box office

Her next release was Rajshri Productions’ family drama Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! opposite Salman Khan. The film emerged as one of the biggest hits in the history of Hindi cinema and made ₹ 1.35 billion worldwide, breaking the record of the film Sholay (1975). It became the highest grossing Bollywood film in Hindi cinema history after its theatrical run and held the record for 7 years till the release of Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001). Dixit’s portrayal of Nisha, who falls in love with Prem (Khan’s character) but their plans to be together are put in jeopardy when Nisha’s sister dies, fetched her a third Filmfare Best Actress Award. Critics believed the film to be “too sweet” but appreciated Dixit’s performance. In the Millennium Edition of the “Guinness Book of World Records“, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun became the Bollywood‘s highest-grossing film.Upperstall.com wrote, “Madhuri Dixit, reunited with the banner that launched her, stands out and is undoubtedly the life of the film as Nisha. Be it the mischievous but strong-minded, independent girl who gives it to Prem as good as she gets or the woman willing to sacrifice her love believing she is doing the right thing, Madhuri is absolutely spot on creating one of the more memorable female characters of Hindi Cinema.”

Dixit achieved further success when she reunited with Indra Kumar for the romantic drama Raja opposite Sanjay Kapoor. She portrayed Madhu, a rich girl who falls for her childhood friend (played by Kapoor), however, she finds it tough to convince her two brothers of this relationship. It emerged as the fourth highest-grossing film of the year and its success was attributed to Dixit’s immense popularity. Her next release was David Dhawan‘s Yaraana opposite Rishi Kapoor, in which she played Lalita, a dancer on the run from her abusive lover. The film underperformed at the box office. Both the films earned her nominations for the Filmfare Best Actress Award.

The following year, both her films Prem Granth and Rajkumar flopped at the box office. In 1997, Dixit received critical acclaim for her portrayal of Ketki Singh, a village woman who struggles to confront and defeat the forces of oppression and male domination in Prakash Jha’s Mrityudand alongside Shabana Azmi and Shilpa Shirodkar. Upperstall.com wrote, “Madhuri gives a wonderful, insightful performance as the self-respecting educated woman married into a family of male chauvinistic upper class landlords and who is humiliated by her husband when she objects to his misdeeds, never hitting a false note. She more than matches up to seasoned artists like Shabana and Om Puri in their scenes together. In a word, she is mesmerizing.” She next starred in the dramas Koyla, Mahaanta and Mohabbat. With the exception of Koyla, none of these films performed well either critically or commercially.[41]

Dixit’s fifth and final release of 1997 was Yash Chopra‘s musical romantic drama Dil To Pagal Hai. Co-starring Shah Rukh Khan and Karisma Kapoor, the film depicts the love stories of the dancers in a musical dance troupe. Her role of Pooja, a woman faced with a moral dilemma in a love triangle fetched her a fourth Filmfare Best Actress Award  Dil To Pagal Hai emerged a blockbuster and was the second highest grossing Hindi film of the year

Devdas and hiatus (1998–2006)

She next starred in the N.Chandra- directed drama Wajood (1998) opposite Nana Patekar and Mukul Dev. She played Apoorva, a very rich girl who is misunderstood by Malhar, played by Patekar. Suparn Verma of Rediff commented: “..She nevertheless shows that even a weak role cannot stifle her as she animates the screen like only she can. Truly, the coming together of Nana, Madhuri and Chandra in one film is a tour de force.” Her next and only release of 1999 was the romance Aarzoo (1999) opposite Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan. Upon release, the film emerged commercially unsuccessful.

In 2000, Dixit starred in Rajkumar Santoshi‘s Pukar opposite Anil Kapoor. A love story based on the backdrop of the Indian Army, the film was shot over a course of 350 days. Dixit’s portrayal of Anjali, a heartbroken and jealous woman who swears revenge on Jai (played by Kapoor) for rejecting her, earned her the twelfth nomination for the Filmfare Best Actress Award. She then played the title character in Gaja Gamini, the first feature film directed by painter M. F. Husain. Hussain got fixated with Dixit, and watched her movie Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! several times, and was certain that he would make a film only with her. The film followed the story of Gaja Gamini, who appears in various incarnations as Mona Lisa, Shakuntala and others. Pukar was an average grosser, while the latter underperformed at the box office

In 2001, Dixit starred in Deepak Shivdasani’s love triangle Yeh Raaste Hain Pyaar Ke opposite Ajay Devgan and Preity Zinta. Subsequently, Dixit reunited with Rajkumar Santoshi for the social drama Lajja (2001). Dealing with the issue of gender inequality, Dixit played Janki, a theatre actress who gets pre-maritally pregnant. Anita Bora of Rediff.com wrote: “Madhuri slips into her role as Janaki..with consummate ease..and..dazzles us with a class act.” The film was a box-office failure in India but was an overseas success and fetched Dixit a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination. Dixit’s first release of 2002 was the love triangle Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam opposite Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan, where she played Radha whose married life blemishes when she gets obsessed with the career of her friend. A remake of director K. S. Adhiyaman‘s own Tamil film Thotta Chinungi (1995), the film took six years in making, with huge sabbaticals in between shoots due to several production problems. The film emerged successful at the Indian box office. Few critics noted that the delay made the film look outdated.

The following year a film named after her, Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon, was released in which a woman (played by Antara Mali) aspires to become the new Madhuri Dixit by trying her luck in Bollywood. Dixit also made an appearance on television as a host for the reality show Kahin Na Kahin Koi Hai on Sony TV