Dancing diva

The acting and dancing icon of India, Madhuri Dixit, in conversation with Jyothi Venkatesh on her recent tryst as a judge on the dance reality show Jhalak Dikhla Jaa and much more....

AT the outset, Madhuri Dixit confesses that she was thrilled when Sony’s representatives approached her with an offer to be one of the judges in Jhalak Dikhla Jaa.

Madhuri talks with fondness about the participants in the show. "Among all participants, I felt that Sushant Singh Rajput was very good. Meiyang Chang grew from strength to strength as a dancer though he is basically a singer. It was a tough job for all three of us — Malaika, Remo and I — to judge the participants."

"Elimination was always a surprise for us. We all felt that Krishna and Abhishek should have been in the top five. But the format was like that and the ultimate winner was decided by both the judges as well as the public on a 50:50 basis."

The dancing diva says the channel did not ask any judge to indulge in any drama since it was a reality show. "Whatever we did on the show was 100 per cent genuine and there was no element of drama in it. The channel gave us a totally free hand, and there was absolutely no interference from Sony. Though we had differences of opinion at times over different participants, but there was no fighting."

Talking about Pandit Birju Maharaj, Madhuri confesses that even today she is in awe of him. "I feel that he is the ultimate kathak dancer in our country today. However, my favourite dancer in the film industry is Vyjayanthimala. Helen is also one of my hot favorites, especially since she had an entirely different and inimitable style of her own. Way back in the 1960s, actors had more of style and less of dancing. I liked Shammi Kapoor’s style of dancing though he was not a dancer, as such. Even today, we tend to remember the dances of Rishi Kapoor because he used to pick up the smallest of the beats, even in qawwalis. Among the best dancers of today, it is Hrithik Roshan. It is sheer poetry when he sets out to dance since he has an amazing style of his own."

According to Madhuri, acting, or even dancing, is far easier than judging, which she felt was more difficult, "because as a judge you have to keep various aspects of a dancer in mind."

Madhuri is the lifestyle ambassador for the food channel FOOD FOOD. "I was very thrilled when Sanjeev Kapoor approached me because all of us — my husband Dr Nene, my parents, my sister, my brother, my in-laws are foodies."

"I am not a good cook, though I am a good mother, sister and daughter and I love to cook and eat. I was very impressed with my husband when we got married because he could cook. My husband not only cooks better than me but also loves to eat and we try cooking different dishes at home. Gaana, naachna and khaana fit in Indian lifestyle and are salient parts of our lives."

She likes the Maharashtrian dish kaande pohe a lot, but she loves to make chicken tikka masala because her husband loves it a lot, especially since he freaks out on Punjabi food.

On present-day filmmaking, Madhuri says she is happy that it has undergone a radical change now. "It is gratifying to note that a lot of corporate companies are making films, that too, in just three months. At one time I used to work in films for two to three years at a stretch. I am game to work in films now and would also love to work in a Marathi film since it is my mother tongue."

Madhuri admits that she has turned down Anil Kapoor’s offer to cast her in the Hindi remake of Freaky Friday, not because she was required to play Sonam’s mother but because she did not like the role. "I am a mom in real life and hence if the role is good, I’d be game to do it, whether I am required to play a father or mother," she laughs.

When asked whether, as an actress, she was in favour of size zero figure, Madhuri shoots back, "I know only medium, large and small sizes."

Madhuri says that her sons like dancing a lot and like watching her dances on TV whenever they see an old film of hers but have not showed any inclination towards dancing till now.

The diva says that talks are on with Sony for the next season of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. "I have enjoyed every moment of my stint with the show. I have had a good experience and would not mind coming in the next season, too, as one of the judges," Madhuri concludes.

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