Anupam Kher: How did you get the role in your first film Abodh?

Madhuri Dixit: I got Abodh (co-starring  Tapas Paul) by chance. There was a person called Govindji who used to work for Rajshri Productions and his daughter was in the same class as my elder sister. When Rajshri announced a new film and they were looking for a young, innocent face, he approached me. My parents said no, saying that I will pursue education. Govindji persisted and asked my parents to meet the production heads at Rajshri to perhaps change their mind.

Surprisingly, we felt we were at someone’s home, rather than in an office. It didn’t have the filmi look about it, but rather simple, nice people which was completely not what my parents had expected. They asked me to read a few lines from a book in Hindi to check if I had a Maharashtrian accent, but I didn’t. Later I had a proper screen test and they asked me to dance as well, which I did. Looking back, I realise that I didn’t have any qualms about performing and was very carefree about the whole process.
 
Anupam: For Tezaab, is it true that you found the song Ek do teen to be odd?

Madhuri: When I first heard of the song, I didn’t feel like it was something big… more like a filler. I remember when Sarojji (Khan, choreographer) heard the song, she said it will be a hit because she had pictured the sequence in her mind. I rehearsed for 30 days because I knew that even though I could dance, Bollywood dance is very different and it involves a different language with the camera in mind which I never understood. Thanks to Sarojji, I slowly got the hang of it for the song.

Anupam: When Tezaab released, you weren’t in India. But you left as Madhuri Dixit and came back as Mohini…

Madhuri: Yes, that’s true. I had gone to America and had got a call that Tezaab was a superhit. Until that time, no one had ever recognised me or taken my autograph and that changed completely. I remember stepping out of the airport and two kids came up asking if I was the one who’s in Ek do teen! They asked for an autograph and after signing, one of the kids read my initial ‘M’ and told the other kid: ‘See M… M for Mohini’.

Anupam: I have heard that you got more money than Salman Khan for Hum Aapke Hain Koun...!

Madhuri: Well if that’s the rumour, then let it be!

Anupam: At the peak of your career, you chose to get married…

Madhuri: When I was taking that decision, I never felt that I was at the top of my game or something. In my life, I had decided that if I ever found someone who could be my life partner, there would be nothing else to think about. With Ram (Sriram Nene), I felt like I wanted to spend my life with him. I had met Ram in Los Angeles. I remember that he didn’t know who I was and when he asked me, I said I work in movies. Then after meeting me, he went back and researched a bit about me. I liked the fact that since he didn’t know who I was, there were no preconceived notions about me, of what I should dress like or look like.
 

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