Madhuri Dixit, has recorded a song in English, an ode to Coronavirus warriors
Ankita Chaurasia (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 25, 2020)

Madhuri Dixit’s decision to cut her first single may have come as a surprise to husband Sriram Nene, sons Arin and Ryan and her fans, but her mother Snehlata and sisters, Rupa and Bharati, who had seen her sing on stage all through school, didn’t bat an eyelid when she confided in them. “Mom is a trained Hindustani classical singer and has been a huge influence. And because I was always into dance, music was a constant in my life, too,” she points out, admitting that life came in the way of her pursuing singing earlier. “I entered the industry when I was just 16. By the time I turned 19, I had no time for anything but work. When I was finally free, I got married and the kids followed.”

It’s not just the singing, many are shocked that she’s singing in English. But as she reasons, anyone who has lived in Mumbai is comfortable speaking in not just English, but Hindi and Marathi, too. “I grew up speaking Marathi at home, Hindi with friends and English in school,” she relays.

The brainwave to sing professionally came to the actress a few years ago, when A&R’s Sat Bisla commended her voice and encouraged her to sing. “I took his advice and trained with voice coach Ron Anderson, who has helped singers like Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Ariana Grande,” she reveals. Interestingly, the song “Candle”, which is about burning bright in the face of a storm, written by Narinder Singh and Michael Ochs, was recorded in Los Angeles long before the pandemic had brought the world to a standstill. “It’s very relevant now with all of us fighting the virus by staying strong. But even back then, I could relate to it, because as an actress I have faced seemingly insurmountable situations like everyone else. You can’t get bogged down by them; you have to shine bright,” she asserts.

During the lockdown, Madhuri has been cooking, spending time with their dog, Carmelo, practicing and teaching dance as a part of her initiative. “It’s a great time to be together as a family, which was difficult when everyone went to work and school,” avers the actress, who rang in her 53rd birthday on May 15. “We baked a keto cake and indulged in tomfoolery. My sons are both teenagers now and not into gifts.” But with collages, sketches and montages, her fans made up for the lack of presents, prompting Madhuri to come up with the single as a token of gratitude and hope in these difficult times.

The video for the single, dedicated to Coronavirus warriors, was shot in Madhuri’s home. “Luckily, we had gifted Ram (husband) a professional camera on his birthday in February. A lot of online videos later, he got the setting right and shot the video. I had lights for my photoshoots at home and a textured glass pane provided the perfect backdrop. Of course, I did my own makeup,” she concludes with a laugh.

Madhuri Dixit on women, ambition, marriage, and the untimely death of Sridevi
Suman Sharma (TIMES LIFE; July 29, 2018)

There’s something overpowering, overwhelming about Madhuri Dixit. She’s constantly on the bounce, willing to push her limits, willing to try something new. We last saw her on screen in 2014 in Dedh Ishqiya and Gulaab Gang. Currently all set to make her debut in the Marathi film industry with Bucket List.

‘BUCKET LIST KEEPS CHANGING’
You wonder whether she keeps a bucket list in real life too. She laughs at that and answers in the affirmative. “My bucket list keeps changing and as things get ticked off, I add new things to it. I love challenges and I try different things,” she says. The primary thing Madhuri has learnt over the years is to be her own person.

She reflects you must pursue your wishes, your desires and respond to your motivations. She says that women get so involved in bringing up children that they feel a sense of loss when the children grow up and don’t need them as much as they did earlier. One way to counter that emptiness is to tend to your own pursuits. “Women should pursue some hobbies, something that they do just for themselves. When you have an identity, then people respect you. Or else you could be taken for granted,” she reasons.

‘RAM IS SO SUPPORTIVE’
Marriage has worked well for her. She says she has discovered herself after marriage. She was only chasing the arclights before but life with Dr Sriram Nene has been an adventure. She loves Ram for being open minded and encouraging. “Ram is so supportive. If I say today I’m gonna be late, he will do everything for the kids. In him, I have a strong support system. That’s why I can do all these things. My mother-in-law, my father-in-law, my mother, they all help me,” she says. Her mother, Snehlata Dixit, has been her inspiration. She reminisces that when she did Abodh (1984), she was thin and would often get criticised for it. That would leave her upset. “But thanks to my mother’s advice, I learnt to turn a deaf ear to that and just be myself,” she smiles.

The industry has changed since her heyday. Prakash Jha’s Mrityudand (1997) was the first film where she came across a bound script. Till then she mostly worked in projects where the story was in the director’s mind and the scenes were written on the sets. These days the writing is better, the roles are better, the pay is better… and so are the expectations, she says.

‘JANHVI’S GESTURE WAS SWEET’
The talk veers to her other projects. She’s doing Kalank, a role offered to her after Sridevi’s untimely death. They were touted to be rivals during the ’90s but Madhuri says they were always cordial towards each other. “I won’t say Sridevi and I were the best of friends. But we held each other in respect. Her passing away is sad, very unfortunate...” she sighs. After a pause she adds, “Because she was so young. It was too early to go and so suddenly. I still cannot believe that this happened.”

When the makers approached her, she was a bit hesitant. “To step into her role was tough… sometimes the thought overwhelms me,” she confides. She was touched by Janhvi Kapoor’s warm gesture of tweeting about her doing the film. “Janhvi was sweet. She tweeted about it and she conveyed her best wishes,” she smiles.

Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; February 8, 2014)

The world is deewana over Madhuri Dixit’s adayein and her naach. In her upcoming film Gulaab Gang, she will be singing a song for the first time. What makes it even more special is that her mother Snehlata Dixit, who is a trained classical singer, will be starting the song from where Madhuri takes it on. The song is a folk song titled Rangi Sari Gulaabi Chunariya that has been composed by the director of the film Soumik Sen. We can’t wait to listen to the voice of this Gulaabi gang lady.

Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; January 21, 2014)

Not many are aware that actress Madhuri Dixit’s mother, Snehlata Dixit, is a trained classical singer.
And while daughter Madhuri has taken to the mic for films such as Devdas and Wajood, Snehlata Dixit will be singing for a Bollywood film for the first time. Director Soumik Sen confirms that he has roped her in to sing a song for his film, Gulaab Gang. What’s more, she will be singing alongside Madhuri.

Speaking to HitList, Sen, who is also the music director for the film, said, “It is a kajri (folk song) which starts in Madhuri’s mother’s voice and then Madhuri takes over from her. Given her mother’s background in music, we didn’t need to guide her. I just had to make Madhuri work a little on her pitch for the threeminute song.” He adds that it wasn’t a planned move to have Madhuri’s mother on board.

“On the day of the recording at Empire Studio, Madhuri was accompanied by her parents. She then told me that her mother knew the lyrics to the song Rangi sari gulabi chunariya re. I then requested her mother to sing and luckily for me, she obliged,” he recounts, adding that other songs in the film have been sung by classical singer, Kaushiki Chakravarty.