The Empress

I was four years old then. It was the year 1994. My family carried me along with them to watch a movie Hum Apke Hain Kaun?. Now at the age of four, obviously, no one was expecting from me to understand the movie. Moreover, the darkness of the theatre made me afraid and I sat on the laps of my mother, hugging her throughout the movie, instead of sitting on a separate seat. Nothing of the movie made me happy or cheerful, except one face!!! My mom still recalls that how quietly I sat soon after the entry of Madhuri in the movie...throughout the movie then...and says that even after the show, outside the theatre, I was continuously telling mom that I want to see that smiling face again!

Yes, this face is a constant source attraction, admiration and a sense of pride since the age of four for me. Madhuri Dixit is the only person I have loved so desperately after my mother!

Madhuri Dixit~the name says it all! She was no known face when she entered the glit-bltiz…she was no one when her first movie Abodh (1986) was offered to her. She accepted the offer and did the movie. The movie was a flop, but not Madhuri! She was noticed and her acting and dancing skills attracted the eyes of all the big names of this film industry namely Subhash Ghai, Yash Chopra, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, N.Chandra and so on.

What followed was a history…she stepped those floors of the industry where her former competitor and the then superstar Sridevi had burst out with her stardom. In months or so, the reigning position of Sridevi came down and Madhuri became a constant name in the nominations and awards of almost all awards, especially Filmfare. Several actresses of her times where trying to compete with her..be it Juhi Chawla, Meenakshi Sheshadri, Manisha Koirala or Kajol, neither of them couldn’t achieve what Madhuri successfully did. Right from Tezaab(1888) to Hum Aapke Hai Kaun(1994), she came like a wave and swept Bollywood.

She made people notice her…glance at her cheerful and pleasing smile…look at her completely flawless and perfect dancing steps…admire and live her acting power. She made people love her…made people smile for her…made people dance for her. There was a time when balconies of theatres used to get full only to see her one glimpse. And even if you keep the oomph factor aside, she did some de-glamorous roles like Prahar, Prem Pratigya, Mrityudand or Lajja which took her to an all together different level of success and stardom.

But popularity is a double edged sword. There came a time between 1994 and 1997 when her movies were more of Box Office duds. Anyway, Madhuri wasn’t one of those to give up so easily. Critics wrote her off saying that ‘Dixit magic has began to fade’ or ‘End of an empire’. But she came back. And this time with a more charm and intensity with Dil To Pagal Hai in 1997. While receiving the Filmfare award for Best Actress that year, she said, ‘I dedicate this award to all my critics who were thinking that I should pack my bags or something of this sort. I think this is a proof of it’ while showing her award with her hand raised upright with the Filmfare trophy.

Marrying US based surgeon, Dr. Sriram Nene in 1999, she went off to America again breaking innumerable hearts that were already fallen for her. She did come again, immortalized the role of Chandramukhi in Bhansali’s Devdas(2002) again becoming an award recipient in many functions. Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who became a director while aspiring to work with this dream girl, was blessed, he said, with her charisma, simplicity, down-to-earth nature. Right from classical dancing maestro Pandit Birju Maharaj, Saroj Khan to Shamaik Davar..all admired the dancing style and perfection of Madhuri…called her synonymous to the word ‘dance’ and termed her as the only worthy actress of Indian Film Industry of twentieth century who can dance so well.

She is now a mother of two little kids. A perfect balance of work and family is what she wants to achieve at this stage of her life. She made an empire and left it behind her. And still no one can rule this empire. She brought in an era of female superstars…an era where movies came with names like ‘Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahati Hun’…innumerable girls entered the industry by dreaming to be another Madhuri! There was a time when she was called as a Female Amitabh Bachchan!

A perfectly humble nature, simplicity of the character adorns Madhuri apart from her beauty. Each and every one who works with her can’t stop raving about her. And even today, at the age of 40, the fire is very much alive in her. In her recent movie Aaja Nachle(2007) she showed everyone that only Madhuri can replace Madhuri! Even today she is spreading her charm all over the world. An empress who truly needs to be saluted…an empress who truly needs to be remembered…even years and years after today, people should get the smile on their face when they will watch this smiling face…as they got two decades ago…and as they are getting now. Bow down to da Empress!