Caught up with Madhuri Dixit for a short, exclusive chat when she flew into Mumbai early this week to pack her bags and go home.

After hubby Ram had flown down and taken her off for a week’s impromptu holiday in Mauritius, she was practically gurgling with happiness. In all these years, I didn’t know that beaches and blue waters were such a turn-on for Madhuri. “Oh, I love them,” she explained. “But more than me the kids just freaked out. They absolutely loved the water and had such a wonderful time.”

Even before she could finish talking about what a great holiday this family of four had, two-year-old Ryan began yelling for her attention. That sorted out, she was back to talking about her experience here.

Kajol and Juhi Chawla have done this before Madhuri. They got married, had kids and continued to work without causing a marital ripple. But it was slightly easier for them since they didn’t move out of Mumbai. For Madhuri Dixit it has been a far bigger experiment — to relocate temporarily from USA to Mumbai with two small kids for nearly six months and do a film here. When Yashraj Films, a banner she had worked with (Dil Toh Pagal Hai) when she was single and uni-focused, tempted her with a film to be directed by super cameraman Anil Mehta (films with wonderful, sweeping visuals like Lagaan, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Kal Ho Naa Ho were shot by him), that too with a dance theme thrown in, Madhuri couldn’t resist it. But being essentially the kind who gives one hundred per cent to whatever she pursues, it was obvious to those who knew her that she’d work out a schedule that won’t upset surgeon-husband Dr Sriram Nene or the kids in any way. Her marriage and family are her uni-focus now, films have become a once-in-a-while indulgence.

What Madhuri has managed this time is something no Bollywood actress has achieved so far. But Madhuri has done it and she is aware that she has pulled off something fantastic. After it went off so beautifully according to plan, Madhuri exulted, “I’m really glad it worked out so well. In the sense that the kids didn’t fall ill or anything like that. It would’ve been upsetting if anybody else from the cast had fallen ill too. Any little thing could’ve upset the dates. But luckily nothing of the sort happened. It all went off like clockwork.”

Even after she’d signed Aaaja Nachle and re-settled for a while in her Mumbai flat, she was slightly wary. Would she remember the craft she’d loved, perfected and given up? “On the first day of shooting, I was slightly anxious before I gave my first shot,” she explained. “But once the shot was taken and we went on to the second and the third, it was like I’d never gone away. ”

Her kids Arin and Ryan, who had reacted strangely to the vision of their mom with make-up on, the first time she wore it, have not just got used to this new dimension to their mom; they’ve also picked up Hindi, much to Madhuri’s delight. “It’s been a great learning phase for them here,” she laughed. “They’ve even learnt a bit of Hindi, they say things like, nahin chahiye, which is so cute! It’s wonderful that they could pick up a new language, it’s great to know three languages (English and mother tongue Marathi being the other two).”

Dr Nene could’ve felt left out of this piece of action but he didn’t. Because, “He came here off and on, quite a few times actually. So it was great for the kids that they got to see him as well.”

Madhuri has wrapped up all her scenes for Aaja Nachle and has received a lot of new work offers too. “But I want to be really sure that it’s something I want to do. I only want to work if it fits into my schedule.” More to do with her family’s schedule really, since Ram’s busy routine and the kids’ school will take priority over mom’s career.

This is an extremely contented woman who has had her fill of stardom, fame and films. This is a happy woman who quit before films quit on her. This is a woman who enjoyed selling romance on screen but joyfully settled for an arranged marriage to a successful surgeon settled far away from her workplace. She’s the only actress to have done it all with, ahem, surgical precision.

When Madhuri had won a Best Actress trophy for Dil Toh Pagal Hai, she’d held it up as proof against those who’d written her off — she was the full-fledged career girl then. When Madhuri won a trophy for Devdas, she wasn’t even here to receive it — “I was busy with a bigger award from God,” she’d explained, playing with Arin, who was then just a year old. This is a woman who thoroughly enjoys every phase that life offers her.

Today, it’s not just her glorious acting career that several want to emulate. For being the complete woman who basks in the contentment of family and career, there are many in the industry who enviously aspire: Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon!

Bharathi S. Pradhan is managing editor of Movie Mag International