“It feels great when I look around me and see a lot of changes.” I have kept my fingers cross; Right now I am just living in the moment”
-Maduri Dixit Nene

 
Says the dancing queen of Bollywood who has won millions of hearts by her trademark smile which can still halt any armies’ invasion. The entire world went dhak dhak at her feet. The two in one packet of Madhubala and Hema Malini has been an icon on her own. Underlining sensuality with grace in her dance, she has also been a performer par excellence. The dhak dhak girl is no longer a girl now; she is happily married and has two kids. The diva now is making her comeback after a gap of 5 years and is feeling happy about it though with some anxiety on the eve of her comeback release ‘ AAJA NACHLE’. 
In anticipation of the nation to again go dancing to her tune, the actress shares her comeback and the experience of ‘Aaja Nachle’.

Was making a comeback a difficult decision?
Yes it’s always a difficult decision to work again after a long time also because I have two kids now it’s not just my responsibility towards my film its also the babies now. There was always an apprehension about how they will adjust to Bombay because they have never lived here for along stretch of time so in that sense it was a little scary to come here and shoot and hope they enjoy but they really had fun. My older son has started speaking in Hindi, singing Hindi songs. Out there we are not in touch with Hindi films but here they watched a few movies and they are getting use to the filmy clout.

One is scared when you making a comeback because everything you do, you want it to be the best, because there is a lot of speculation on what subject should be, what kind of role Madhuri should do. There’s a lot of expectations of people on my shoulders and that kind of weight can weigh you down sometimes, whether this will be a right kind of a move and Whether people will like me in this kind of a role and stuff like that. But I believe people are happy that I am doing a film after a gap of 5 years. I have kept my fingers cross whether the people will like the movie or not.

How the offer did came to you and what made you decide to do this film?
It all started with my performance at Filmfare and that’s where Yashji saw me and asked me whether I would be interested in working again. It was just a conversation and I never thought about it seriously. Later on I happened to meet Aditya Chopra when I had come to see the studios and we just got talking and I think that’s when something clicked in Adi’s head and he had some subject with him for a long time that’s what I came to know later because they didn’t tell me anything then. After which I left for Denver then my secretary Rikkuji got in touch with me saying they have a subject for me and then I just kind of had an idea of it and I quite liked the gist of what he had given and then told me that he would send me he script. Adi came over to Denver just to tell me what  he had in mind and I thought it to be a very good subject, its also very relevant to where I am right now and also I have worked with Yashji before in “Dil to Pagal Hai” and I knew they are extremely professional and when say they will be complete a film in four months they will do and also I have very high regards for Yashji and I know that whatever product they make they make sure they do a good job of it so I had that confidence in them as a filmmaker also and as people, They have also worked with married artist so there was a kind of a comfort for me to work with them so there were many such factors that went into deciding for me to love to do this film.

What was it about the script that made you excited?
First of all I think it’s a story of believing in something and standing by it and Its a very feel good kind of a movie, it’s a very positive movie and also that its very relevant in today’s times where you see western culture taking over everywhere else and our own roots are kind of fading away like theater especially is kind of a dying art today and something needs to be done to revive it. So I think it’s like basically going back to your values, your roots and back to your culture and I think that’s very relevant today.

Something about the character you play in this film?
The character I play is Diya who is extremely strong she is very independent and she has to leave her village, she actually elopes with someone she falls in love with and she try’s to make a life for herself in New York where she realizes that the person she ran away with is not the same, somewhere she realizes that this not what she had come for, she has a child. She is a choreographer who makes a life for herself out there she works like exactly what her guru was to her and she is to the others and then when she has to come back her whole journey when she comes back to her town where people don’t like her anymore and how she tries to save something that is very close to her heart, something that she believes in and how she stands by it and how she see’s the whole mission thru is what the movie is about. So I see her as a very intelligent and a very strong person who doesn’t sit and cry about her problems but instead takes everything bang on and says lets go ahead from here. She is a very positive person who always looks forward to life and she believes in the spirit of people, she believes that goodness exist and everybody has a good side and something good comes out of it.

You are back on the sets after a very long time? Do you see any changes in the way things are done in the industry?
Yashraj has always been the same very organized and competent but when I look around me I see a lot of changes I come to know about different movies been made and how organized they are, all scripts are made before hand, actors getting bound script which use to never happen we use to step on the set sometimes not knowing what we are going to say in that particular scene, dialogues use to be written on the sets but that does not happen any more and which is wonderful for actors because they can prepare much better, perform much better because they have everything ready in going for them, looks are decided before hand what you are going to wear in every scene is decided, different subjects are being made because of multiplexes today they know their audiences and target that audience and they make that particular film like Bheja Fry, Khosla Ka Ghosla its wonderful for Indian cinema, it needed that and its happening and it beautiful.

How did you feel on the film sets after 5 years?
It was great. The first day I was little apprehensive its not as if you are going to forget something but when you are working there is a certain kind of discipline that happens automatically, everything around becomes very mechanical except the performance its like well oiled wheels churning round and round but when that stops and you come back you feel a little rusty in starting but once I started shooting it was just the first two hours after that never felt that I was coming back after six years.

How different is it working with YRF after 10yrears?
 
Yash Raj Films has always been very organized even 10 years back but now I would say they are super organized, they are like 10 steps ahead of what they were and it’s always a delight to work with them again. Its funny I always wanted to work with Anil Mehta before but in a different capacity, I wanted him as a cameraman for one of my projects and it didn’t happen at that time so I think god had different plans then in his mind. It’s been a wonderful experience. When I did Dil To Pagal Hai I had a lovely time working with them and even today Yashji has kept his standards and also built this beautiful studio. It’s been a beautiful experience working with them.

Working with Anil Mehta?
It’s been wonderful, I used to always think I am the only patient person in the world and that I am very mellow but When I worked with Anil Mehta I realized there is another person who is much more patient than I am much calmer then I am and that has helped me a lot because he’s always been very patient even if we are shooing in the sun or the worst weather he has always been calm. Since I wanted to do a film with him before It was wonderful to work with him finally and I am glad that I worked with him in this capacity as a director because he understands performances and he is also a big help when you perform, he knows exactly what he wants. he never hesitated to tell me that lets take it a little higher or lower also he is very flexible that if I wanted to do something he would let me go ahead and do it, He has not been rigid that he wants it only in a particular way but he understands performance and that’s been the biggest help in this film.

You are a dancer par excellence how was the experience to work with your fan Vaibhavi Merchant?
I think with Vaibhavi its been a challenge for her as well because I have worked with different choreographers like Saroj Khan,Chinni Prakash,Prabhudeva and so many other people. she has to compete with all the background that I have had and yet make it look little different that its her style, it’s a different choreographer who is giving me the dance steps and also she had a wide range in this movie from Western dancing to Indian to Rustic. I must say that she has come off with flying colours and has done a very good job in all the songs and I enjoyed working with her. She is very bright and quick.
 
About your look in the film?
The look is different because I am playing the woman who has spent like a good 10years abroad and she has made a place for herself there, she is a choreographer and her whole attitude is that it is a man’s world kind of a thing. She’s not very feminine or delicate so she has to look her part through out the movie where as when she is dancing or when she is doing nothing she fits into a different role all together so I think that was the biggest challenge for Manish for it to look constantly like that she’s not a frail or a delicate women and that she’s out there, tough and to give that look without being over the top and keeping a balance so its like a mixture of everything and that had to be brought across  throughout the movie and we have successfully managed to do that.

Any one memorable incident during the shoot of the film?
We had this scene where they were suppose to use the projector and I see something on screen and it’s a sad scene where I am suppose to be crying because my guru is dying and they bought these little old projector reels and they had Charlie Chaplin on it. I think I must be the only person in the world who has cried while watching Charlie Chaplin on screen so that’s a memorable scene that sticks out on my mind because I had to just ignore the fact that it’s Charlie Chaplin and yet look at the projector and cry away.

Working with your co-stars?
It was wonderful, I think Konkana is a bright actress and she is so natural. All the people I am working with in this movie are so natural that I forgot I am working in a movie and that I have to give a shot, I am just reacting to whatever they are doing they are all brilliant performers even Kunal Kappor who is not a very experienced actor and yet they are all very professional and they suited their characters so well. Its been a wonderful experience working with them whether its Vinay Pathak,Ranvir Sheorey. there was  mutual respect, admiration, affection in the group it was like a small close knit family.

How do you prioritize your personal and professional life?
I have my priorities right my kids are my first concern even when I was working I made sure they were comfortable so I don’t have to worry about anything once I go on the sets. Yashji was very sweet he made a play area incase they incase they come on sets they can go and play while I am shooting their grandparents are here my mother in-law came in and supported for sometime she came and stayed here with them so that they are kind of well settled so everybody has been so supportive my husband came twice to be with the kids for a good 10-15 days because I had all this support around me it became possible for me to shoot without any tension on my head and I think my kids enjoyed themselves getting pampered meeting my cousins who have kids their age, they are socializing watching movies and having fun. It’s been great for them as well they have opened up, broadened their horizons and learnt different languages

Are you open to do doing more films post Aaja Nachle?
I don’t know yet I haven’t decided if I would be doing more films or which film I will be doing. Right now I am just living in the moment. These four months have been lovely while I was shooting Aaja Nachle. I feel as if I have achieved something and everything went off smoothly and that was lucky because anything could have gone wrong I could have got, my kids could have got sick and things could have got delayed but I think god has been kind and everything went of well so right now I am reveling in whatever we have done and not really giving a thought.