Dissing reports that she asked makers of ex-beau’s biopic to delete her references, Madhuri says the topic is now redundant
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; May 12, 2017)

Sporadic reports of Madhuri Dixit calling up the makers of Sanjay Dutt biopic have surfaced over the past year, and even as recently as last month. It seems she wants no reference to her alleged relationship with the actor in the Rajkumar Hirani-directed film.

But ask the Dhak Dhak girl about it and she nonchalantly says, “For where I am today, this [the topic of Dutt] has become redundant. Life has come a long way since then. I don’t know where these reports are coming from. In any case, it doesn’t make a difference to me.”

While Hirani has reportedly heeded her request and removed all mention of her from his film, there was buzz that television actress Karishma Tanna would play Madhuri. However, later, it was clarified that Sonam Kapoor’s character will be an amalgamation of Dutt’s love interests in the early ’90s.

Quiz her about films and she promises ‘soon’. Though Madhuri made a remarkable comeback with Aaja Nachle (2007) after a sabbatical, she wasn’t able to spin the same magic in her second innings. Not too long ago, she turned entrepreneur by taking her dance academy to Indian households. “I want to reach out to as many people as possible so that we can discover more talent. But the entrepreneur never takes over the artiste in me. I can compartmentalize well, switching between roles,” she says.

On Wednesday, she launched her show, Videocon D2h Dance With Madhuri. Does she think Bollywood has been able to find an heir to her? The actress says her classical dance background is what set her apart, but the movie business has changed over the years. “I worked hard and gave my best. I was fortunate to have worked with someone like Saroj ji (Saroj Khan, choreographer). Our pact was to make every dance look unique and not repetitive. Now, moviemaking is a different ball game. Commercial and art films belong in the same universe. It’s all about the right story, budget and target audience. I wish things were planned before. It would have made our jobs easier,” she believes.