Madhuri Dixit in Pukar

Indeed, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Madhuri Dixit in Pukar reaches her nadir after she publicly tries to seduce army man Anil Kapoor away from his beauty queen girlfriend Namrata Shirodkar, while the raspily sung Hai jaana is used as a metaphor for Madhuri's sandpapered emotions.

When the plunging cleavage fails to work (Anil douses her with a glass of cold water at the end of the number), Madhuri does what few Hindi film heroines do: she unwittingly strikes a deal with the devil and inadvertently leads to Anil being branded a traitor.

Madhuri's deeds result in Anil being court-martialled and stripped off his army medals.

Possession/obsession in heroines has been seen from the days of Smita Patil in Haadsa down to Urmila in Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya. But Rajkumar Santoshi's film captures Madhuri's retribution as she navigates the pain of watching a loved one in anguish (Anil's drunken outburst), the vain attempts at undoing the damage and the final revelation of her treachery. Understated Dixit illuminates a character that is endearingly human yet fascinatingly flawed.

In the picture: Madhuri Dixit and Anil Kapoor in Pukar

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