Interview: MADHURI DIXIT
by Mustaq Sheikh
"Hasty marriages end in divorce... I don't want to make a foolish mistake!"
Aaj main upar, aasman neeche, aaj main aage, zamaana hain peeche...," croons Madhuri Dixit as she finds a cosy corner on the sets of Rakesh Roshan's Koyla. Draped in a vanilla white saree with blood-red pallu, Madhuri Dixit looks undithered by her so-called lost position. High from her trip to the US, she talks nineteen to the dozen (off the record, you see!). Just like has, whenever I met her. Her enthusiasm hasn't wilted and her famous million dollar smile is as bright as it was when she was slotted the No.1. You know she's in control when she gives a perfectly pale and frightened look for the shot. The feeling is further cemented when we begin our cosy causerie.
by Parag Maniar
So how was your trip to the U.S.?
Great. I had a ball with my nephews and nieces who have grown up and talk nineteen to the dozen.
What kind of shopping do you indulge in during these trips?
Certainly not for a trousseau. (Laughs). I shop at random, nothing in particular. Like on every vacation this time also I saw a lot of films like The Rock, Outbreak, Mission Impossible, Twister, Eraser and Independence Day. I particularly liked Independence Day. Though it has a weak storyline, the film is technically brilliant.
What is the best thing that you like about the U.S.? Oh! Over there I'm a free bird. Walking, gobbling pizzas and window shopping without being recognised gives me a high. It's like all play and no work makes Madhuri Dixit bright. I get to spend a lot of time with my family which I don't when I'm in Bombay. Besides, Americans, I have noticed are commited to their work. Doctors, lawyers, engineers and even a common man doing a 9 to 5 job is organised and works to the best of his ability. It's the competition that makes life fast and upbeat. A bit of supineness makes you lose your job to somebody else who maybe more talented and skilled. So one is always charged about one's work. I think it's around these areas that India is lagging behind.
And what is that you detest?
Hmmmm... The way American culture has seeped into every country of the world. For instance, jeans, a pucca American wear, is worn by majority of the people. Even I'm comfortable in them. (Laughs). It's sad that Indians, especially the youth, can't identify with our culture anymore. They are into MTVs and Channel Vs and portray a westernised outlook. But that is not what life is all about over there. Meet the real Americans, especailly the ones staying in the suburb, and you know how different they are than what appears on talk shows and films. They value family ties and love to be with their parents, wives and children. I think talk shows sensationalise and exaggerate their lifestyles. Not that crimes, rapes and abuse cases don't exist at all. But such cases exist in India too.
Do you miss Bombay during your visits abroad?
Yes. Especially when my vacations are nearing an end. Holidays charge me with a renewed enthusiasm and I look forward to face the camera again.
Does Bombay mean lights, camera and action only?
No. I associate Bombay with my home, parents and friends. In my case my heart is where the home is and Bombay is home sweet home. (Laughs).
Okay, after three debacles you have been written off by the press...
The press had written me off after Dil Tera Aashiq and Anjaam too. Hum Aapke Hai Koun reaffirmed my status as an actress. Now I'm used to it. I'm not perturbed because success and failure are a part of life. And I accept these phases of life gracefully.
How much does the press matter to you?
What the press writes about me are just mere written words for me. I don't identify with articles which tag me labels of No.1, No.2 or No.3. As for my personal interviews at times I have felt what I have said is depicted differently. `This is not what I meant to say' is the thought that comes to my mind when I read them. And I have never believed in keeping an idiosyncratic image amongst the press. I give interviews, albeit reluctantly.
Is that why you are indifferent towards journalists?
I'm not indifferent towards journalists. There are some with whom I vibe on a personal level and I don't mind talking to them. At times I wonder whether I'm wrong or right.
Prem Granth, your last release , proved to be a damp squib at the box-office...
Through Prem Granth we wanted to put across the message that, rape victims should be given a social standing in the society. We didn't delve into the usual revenge bit where I like a scorned woman goes on a killing spree. I needed the support of the people.
What do you think went wrong?
Oh God! I don't know what went wrong with Yaarana, Rajkumar and Prem Granth. Rajkumar with its flight of fancy and special effects had raised our expectations. The masses thumbed it down. As far as Prem Granth goes we had put our heart and soul into the performances. And the film was technically brilliant too. Yet it didn't score points at the box-office. It left me disappointed. I guess some well made films don't run. Like Guru Dutt's Kagaz Ke Phool which was a failure and yet today it is a classic. Honestly speaking, I give my best whatever the outcome of the film. I don't analsye the reasons why the film is a hit or flop.
Wasn't the concept of rape hackneyed and outdated?
Why, don't we come across rape cases in newspapers even today? Prem Granth was in the making for three years and perhaps there has been a change in the taste of the masses. Today nobody likes to see social apathy on screen. People want something different from the routine that they are living in. They want to escape realities of life and want three hours of sheer thrills and chills. But it'd be wrong to generalise and say that this film is different and will go down well with the masses.
People feel that you look fat in the film...
(Bursts out laughing) I agree that I looked a bit on the plump side.
Now are you on a diet...
No. Staying in America I toned my body back to the original size. (Laughs).
Okay Hum Aapke Hai Koun only raised the masses hopes. By doing films like Yaarana, Rajkumar and Prem Granth do you feel you have let them down?
As an actress I can't do the same kind of roles repeatedly. Even if I do, people will say that I'm doing the same roles over and over again. If I experiment playing different characters the masses aren't ready to accept them. It's a catch 22 situation.
Isn't it difficult to sustain the kind of success HAHK has garnered?
Films like HAHK come once in 80 years. Now for the next 80 years I doubt whether any film will garner that kind of success. After HAHK one can't expect my next film to be a bigger hit and another release to be the biggest hit.
So you want to play as many diverse characters as possible...
Yes. If I like the script I sign on the dotted line. And that's exactly what I'm doing.
But don't Hindi films limit the potential of an actress?
I know heroines in our films are just made to run around trees. At the same time I see that my character is meaty. I'm ready to take risks. For instance in Mrityudand I'm playing a rebel. An intelligent and educated girl who hails from a background where girls aren't even allowed to step out of the house. While in Koyla the role is absolutely the opposite. Here I'm playing a meek and timid girl who accepts whatever life has to offer her. She doesn't retaliate. In Wajood I'm playing an independent woman.
In Hollywood an actress gives her best at 40, while here you are hardly 30 and are written off. Don't you find the system frustrating?
No, it doesn't frustrate me. The decision whether to work or quit is up to me. If I want to work for the next ten years I will, whatever the system.
Even if heroine oriented roles aren't offered to you...?
Now that's a hypothetical question. Let it happen and I will talk about it.
How, according to you, can the system be changed?
Unlike Western countries where a woman can work and cope with household chores, in India she likes to devote time to her family. Work is not a priority. Anyway, in today's time the trend is changing. In Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi haven't the masses accepted Rekha in the role of a female don? Hemaji though married, is a director, actress and also preforms dance shows. While Mumtaz after marriage chose to retire.
Mumtaz made a comeback but failed...
One becomes so used to working that one is enticed to make a comeback. Husband is at work, kids go to school so how does one pass time? About her failure, I can only say that her choice of role was wrong.
Do you consider Manisha and Kajol to be threats?
No. Why should they be threats to me? They are colleagues who possess a distinctive personality. And it's one's attitude that make comparisons healthy. A good performance is bound to be appreciated whether it be a Madhuri, Manisha or Kajol.
Manisha has almost been crowned the no.1. What do you have to say to that?
Good for her. I have never believed in the number game. Only the press is eager to place the crown on different heads. We actresses can do without it.
Aren't you feeling insecure?
Offers are pouring in by the dozen so where is the question of feeling insecure. Plus the roles aren't run of the mill kind. They are the ones that will exploit my potentials to the fullest.
What does insecurity mean to you?
Having confidence in oneself. Work with conviction and half the battle is won.
Does marriage fit into your term of security?
Now that is a long term security. At present I have no inclination to get married. I haven't found my Mr. Right. So I'm taking it easy. Hasty marriages often end in divorce. I don't want to make a foolish mistake.
What was your reaction when the press had you married off to some Gujarati doctor?
I said, `Oh, no! Not again.' My trips abroad are to take a break from work. I don't hunt for bridegrooms, please. Marriages happen once in a lifetime, and my marriage will be a grand ceremony. And why would I get married without inviting my friends, colleagues and my so called well- wishers?
Are your parents on the lookout for a suitable bridegroom for you?
The thought of my marriage is there deep down in their minds. At functions and parties my sisters and brothers-in-law elbow me constantly and say, `Do you like him'? `How is the one in the white suit'! It's so funny. (Smiles).
Are you ready to make adjustments that a marriage demands?
No, I'm not. Mentally I have to still prepare myself for the commitments and adjustments one has to make in a new house.
Once I'm ready, I will get married.
In the eight years of your career, have you felt close to any colleague and contemplated marriage with him?
No. Not that there is something wrong with the people working in the film industry. It's just that as a person I'm coy and reticent. Being overfriendly and sacchrine is not within me. Mostly I'm scared that I'll be hurt. What if the colleague I'm close to badmouths me in print. That is the reason why I haven't been close to anybody. I keep a distance.
Not even Sunjay Dutt...
Ha! Ha! Ha! Why only Sunjay Dutt? I have been linked with many co-stars and people whom I don't even know. No wonder every year they get me married to someone or the other.
Okay, one has heard that you are doing Mani Kaul's The Dicing with Tom Cruise and Ben Kingsley...
Almost a year ago Mani Kaul had approached me for a film, but nothing was finalised. It's strange that they have gone ahead and even announced the shooting schedule of the film. (Sarcastically) Anyway, thank you for the information.
What about the next project from RK banner?
The only thing I'd like to say is that I'm looking forward to their next project. We have yet to finalse the deal.
And what happened to the plans to lauch a French perfume in your name?
A foreign company, who had seen some of my films, wanted me to model for the perfume which would be on my name. Unfortunately the deal fizzled out.