'One day my neighbour in Denver called me, and said, "I think somebody is casing your house. So should I call the cops?"... they were scared that people case your house and then rob it.'
'And I said, "no, no, no. It's just that I am an actress".'
Madhuri Dixit, who is all set to play a serial killer in her new series, Mrs Deshpande, recently opened up about her life, sharing interesting anecdotes.
She revealed that she came from a 'traditional' background, and her parents, especially her mother's side of the family, were initially hesitant about the idea of her becoming an actor.
"It was a big career move, and my mom comes from a very orthodox family. So does my dad. But my dad's family was still okay. We had to ask for permission from my mom's family," Madhuri says.
"My great-grandmother was alive at that time. We went and spoke to her because she was the oldest in the family. She was very progressive, very forward-thinking.
"She said, 'I've seen her dance, and she's so talented, she should do something that brings her art to the people.' So we got permission, and then I decided, 'Okay, this is what I will do'," Madhuri added.
Madhuri married Dr Sriram Nene -- a cardiovascular surgeon from Los Angeles -- on October 17, 1999, and moved to the United States. Their older son Arin was born in 2003, and younger one Ryan was born in 2005.
She said Dr Nene was not aware of her stardom in Bollywood as he was born in London and moved to the US when he was seven.
"He used to come to India for vacations when he was in Grade 8. Maharashtrians are not so much into movies. It's more about having a good education. So he didn't watch (movies), and didn't know Hindi. He knew Marathi because his grandparents didn't know English.
"The only film he had watched wasAmar Akbar Anthony so the only actor he knew was Amitabh Bachchan."
Madhuri said when they first met, his lack of awareness about her celebrity status felt "refreshing".
"When I met him, it was like, 'Oh, what do you do?' I said I work in films, and he said, 'Oh, very nice'. That's it. He didn't know the impact, or who I was. So, I could meet him without him having any preconceived notions about me or how I should be. Because when people see my movies, they have some thoughts in their minds. She will be like this, or she will be like that...,' Madhuri recalled.
"So when I met him, it was very refreshing to just vibe with someone on a personal level. There was no filter, like oh my God, she's a star. It was like two people meeting and just talking and getting to know each other."
Madhuri recalled a light-hearted incident from her years in Denver.
Her neighbours were unaware they were living next to a film star, until a car slowing down outside her home, prompted one of them to ask whether they should call the cops.
"We were in LA for six months and then in Denver because he was working there...My neighbours were all whites, and didn't know who I was. We didn't say anything because I was just doing my thing. I had two kids, and was having fun," Madhuri said.
"One day my neighbour called me, and said, 'I think somebody is casing your house'... they were scared that people case your house and then rob it or whatever. So my neighbour said, 'I saw this car passing your house at least four times now, and it's kind of slowing down at your house. Then they speed up, then they're slowing down. So should I call the cops?' And I said, 'no, no, no. It's just that I am an actress'."
After learning that Madhuri was a movie star, her neighbour was shocked.
"My neighbours were like, 'Why didn't you tell us before? Oh my God, we didn't know we had a celebrity in the neighbourhood.' Then they wanted to see the films. One of my neighbours loves musicals, so he was craving for more and more. I used to give him DVDs of my movies."
Madhuri also opened up about her decision to return to India, citing work commitments, her parents' wish to come back, and Dr Nene's interest in preventive healthcare through technology.
She said her husband adjusted quickly to India and was naturally social. "He's the friendly one. I'm the private person. He can make friends anywhere. He walks into a room and just knows everything about everyone. I call him my goodwill ambassador; I'm the one who's quiet and shy," she added.
Why did Madhuri return to India?
"A lot of things happened. I was working here, going back. Then because Jhalak (Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa) happened, I came here. Before that, I came here for Life OK (television channel), where I played the sutradhar. Then Aaja Nachle. Everything happened at the same time. It became difficult to come here, work, go back, come here, work, go back."
"My parents were staying with me, and they wanted to come back because they were getting old and it was different to be in a different country for them. I didn't want to leave them alone. I wanted to be with them because they were there for me when I needed them the most," she shared.
"My husband was like, 'I always catch people when they are their worst, in the sense, something untoward happens, and then they come to me, and I have to operate and make them better. So what if I can get them before the event happens?' Preventive care. So he wanted to do something in that using smart devices, technology and AI," she said.
Madhuri recalled dancing Dola Re with Aishwarya Rai in the film, Devdas, in "heavy costumes".
"That song was absolutely stunning, and the choreography was equally stunning. The cinematography, the sets, costumes, and the way Sanjay Leela Bhansali films the songs was just incredible," Madhuri said.
"I wore a heavy costume when I danced on Maar Dala too. All the costumes were very heavy because the movie was grand. It was big, larger than life, so the costumes had to be that way, and not look false."
Madhuri weighed in on the ongoing debate over eight-hour work shifts, saying that every actor should have the freedom to choose how they want to balance work and personal life.
The discussion was sparked following Deepika Padukone's reported demand for eight-hour work shifts, which led to her exit from the film Spirit, directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, starring Prabhas.
Madhuri reflected on her own experience of managing long shooting hours while also balancing motherhood.
"When we did Mrs Deshpande, we were working 12-hour shifts every day. I think to each his own. I'm a workaholic, so for me, maybe it's different. But if a woman has that power and can say, 'Okay, I want to work these many hours,' that's her prerogative. Then more power to her."
Madhuri also addressed the issue of pay disparity in the film industry, noting that the challenge extends beyond movies and is prevalent across professions.
"In any field, even in corporate businesses, there's always a pay parity," she explained.
"Everybody is struggling for that and everybody is trying to state that women should be paid more, not more than the actor, but at least somewhere, where it's balanced."
Her remarks echo a broader industry-wide discussion, led in recent years by several leading actresses, including Bhumi Pednekar, Kriti Sanon, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra and others, who have spoken openly about pay gaps and structural inequities.
Madhuri plays a calm yet chilling serial killer, in her coming crime series Mrs Deshpande, directed by Nagesh Kukunoor.
When asked about characters she has never portrayed on screen, Madhuri said, "I feel to a large extent, Mrs Deshpande is going to do that because they have not seen me like that on screen. In it, she's a multi-layered person."
"It is a challenge. You're breaking a mould because I don't think we've had a movie or a series done on a woman serial killer yet. At least in the way it has been portrayed. Nagesh Kukunoor has done a fabulous job," she said.
"The script has to be in the right hands to portray a character like this. Since it's a very different thing, people might feel, oh, what is this. But I think we have tried to be true to the character and portray her in the most natural and real kind of way," Madhuri explains.
For the actress, the toughest challenge was shedding her iconic persona.
"It was challenging because you cannot be Madhuri Dixit anywhere. It has to be something new. Nagesh Kukunoor didn't want it to be over the top. It has to be very calm, cool. Just a face telling you stuff and making people feel uncomfortable.
"Nagesh had this line saying, Let's do a take where there's a little less 'MD and more Mrs D'," she said.
Mrs Deshpande also stars Siddharth Chandekar and Priyanshu Chatterjee. The series is adapted from the original French thriller La Mante and will stream on Jio Hotstar from December 19.
Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
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