Madhuri Dixit: My husband encouraged me to challenge myself and try out singing -Exclusive! – Times of India


Madhuri Dixit has stunned us with her dance moves and acting talent for decades now. But now, she surprised the fans by taking to the mic and singing, too. The latest track from her music album is called ‘Tu Hai Mera’ in which the dancing diva performs both in front of the camera and the microphone. She’s even collaborated with indie music sensation Rajakumari. And there’s more to this story. Find it out in our exclusive video interview with the actress.

Your new song ‘Tu Hai Mera’ released on your birthday. What compelled you to make your second song?

This song is part of my album. It is the second song, the first one was ‘Candle’, which was shot during lockdown. This one has got to do with the backstory of being a star. Part of being a star is having fans, they make you who you are. When we sat down to write the song, I expressed that I want one song which is dedicated to the fans. I have worked for 35 years and the kind of support I have received from my fans… they have stood by me through thick and thin, through my failures and success. They didn’t care about any of that, they just loved me the way I was, it was unconditional. I wanted to write a love letter to them and express how they made me feel. When I am down, they make me feel good. They are my strength. Rajakumari and I collaborated this time, Narendra Singh did the music. This is our first collaboration, we first had discussions and then wrote the song. We kind of made it happen. To go back and say how did it all start, my husband said, ‘Why don’t you sing? You are a great dancer and you sing so well so you should do it’. We met the vocal coach Ron Anderson who has trained singers like Whitney Houston to Ariana Grande and The Weeknd. I worked with him for a while and then we switched to the studio.

Your husband has always encouraged you. He asks you to experiment with different roles and you have diversified your roles.

Touchwood, I wish everyone gets blessed with a husband like mine. It feels wonderful because the opportunity was always around me, but I never explored it. Because, I was so busy acting at that time and working in 2-3 projects at one time, it didn’t give me any time to experiment. But, it has always been within. I used to sing on stage, in school and college. My mom is a classical singer, so we always had the atmosphere of music and dance in our home. It has always been a part of my life but I never really explored it. I never challenged myself to do that. Because my husband encouraged me, he said just do it and I decided I would. I would never do anything half heartedly, I won’t do anything for the heck of it. It has to mean something, not only to me but also to my listeners. My first single ‘Candle’ was about forgetting the trauma happening in your life, and be a candle in a hurricane. You have to burn right.

Recently, Rajkumar Santoshi said that you don’t let your emotions come in the way of work. How do you manage it so well?

Yes, I am adamant when it comes to my professional commitments because it is not only me but there are other people who are involved in it, too. I have to think not only about myself but about my producer, director, co-stars. I have to put aside anything that I am doing and be in that moment to get the work done properly. Of course, you go back to whatever troubles you have and you try to resolve them. But, when I am in front of the camera, I am in the moment. I have to forget everything else. I focus on the character, the scene – whether it’s comedy, emotional or whatever scene, it could be a dance – when I am there everything else is pushed aside. That is the commitment.

Your web series ‘The Fame Game’ gained a lot of popularity, when is the next season coming?

We have to talk to the OTT platform about that. But there is something in the offing and you will have to question the team not me. It has received positive response and that does give hope for the second season. It was great working with Sanjay (Kapoor) after so long because when I did ‘Mohabbat’ and ‘Raja’ with him, he was completely new. He had just done 3-4 films. I was a star. But it has been wonderful to see how much he has grown as an actor. I was very impressed with the way he performed for ‘The Fame Game’. Manav (Kaul) is a fabulous actor, too. All the scenes between us were so beautiful and so wonderfully written, the chemistry just happened. He is a brilliant guy. Manav writes books and I got to know that after working with him. He writes books about travel, he writes novels. He is a multi-talented guy. Even the kids (child actors) in the series were brilliant, they are such good actors. I think everything fell into place with ‘The Fame Game’. It touched on so many different topics, like mental health, sexuality, what happens in the industry, sexism and so on.

The character of your fan in ‘The Fame Game’ was creepy. Have you come across such a fan?

Not all fans are like that. But once in a while, you do get such a fan. That actor, Gagan Arora is so good though. When I first met him I was scared. I wondered if he was really that creepy! And then I realised, he was just an actor, too. As for the real fans, there have been some who follow you, they start screaming when they see you. They want to come and hug you, they want to meet you at any cost. But I have never met a fan who is destructive. Even in the series, the character isn’t destructive but he has this delusion about who I am. He believes my character is his mother and all that, so he turns out to be a crazy fan.

How was your birthday celebration this year?

It was wonderful. I was missing my son Arin, who is in college. I am waiting for him to come home, he is expected any day. Probably, then we will have a proper celebration, once he comes back.

Your fans and co-stars say that your smile lights up the room. Has that enchanting smile ever saved you from a real-life situation where you needed saving?

A lot of times. You know, I smile and say, ‘Ho Jaayega Na’. And it does happen. A smile can be a good weapon.

How do your kids react when they watch your old movies?

We don’t watch my movies at home, I feel it is silly. But if the kids are some place else, like my son recently watched my song in ‘Pukaar’ and he said, ‘You dance very well’, that felt very cool. The dance moves in Kay Sera Sera were very different, it was very cool. Arin and Ryan don’t sit at home and watch my movies at all! For them, I am their mother first and then everything else. They don’t carry that baggage. But they did watch ‘The Fame Game’ and they really liked it.

You are playing a queer character in your next web series, can you tell us something about it?

There are many rumours about it. I can’t say anything as of now. We will see, when the time comes.

Tell us about your upcoming projects?

There are a lot of things coming up. The first one is the OTT series ‘Maja Maa’. There are many others but I cannot reveal at this time. You will get to know soon.

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