Madhuri Dixit-Nene's husband and co-producer Sriram Nene explains why teaming up with his wife was the perfect move for their new venture, 15 August
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; March 31, 2019)

Almost two decades after they tied the knot, Madhuri Dixit and Sriram Nene felt like they were doing a bridal photo shoot yet again. The photographer kept telling them how to pose, stand closer and look at each other. Amused, the couple could not help but giggle. Dixit's trademark gorgeous smile lit up the room at a Bandra hotel. The duo is launching their first film production, 15 August, under their banner, RnM Moving Pictures. The slice-of-life Marathi film dropped on Netflix, on Friday.

Dixit has been facing the camera and fielding questions for years but for hubby dearest it's new. So, she lets him do most of the talking and refrains from saying anything, except when asked a question. And Nene has lots to say. Is this new phase as doctor-turned-filmmaker exciting or exhausting? "It is an exciting learning experience," he says in his Yankee accent. "You pour your heart into something and share it with the world, it's gratifying." Before he married Dixit, he barely watched Indian films and did not know Hindi. "Abhi sabh samajhta hoon," he laughs. After relocating from the US, the actor says, "He now understands and can speak a bit."

Nene admits that from not watching movies to being a filmmaker has been quite a journey, "but every summer we came to Dadar to live with relatives, so there was that exposure to the Mumbai milieu. Life is all about constantly learning something new. I still, however, remain a doctor. We wanted to raise the bar by doing something new."

When they floated the production house, each of them designated clear-cut roles to themselves. "She looks after the creative side. While I am in charge of the production and financial aspects, more like a company's CEO," says Nene. "She has over 35 years experience in the movie business," he adds. So who better than her to team up with? He keeps referring to his actor wife with 35 plus years in the business. "He is making me sound like a really old veteran," smiles Dixit.

They preferred to debut as producers of a Marathi film "because there is some brilliant talent and amazing writers with novel concepts," say the duo. It was also a way of going back to their roots. They are Konkanastha Brahmins. Says Nene, "My kuldeva is Alibaug. I still have relatives in Diveagar, which is about a five-hour drive from Mumbai. They own plantations there, that's a life I would like to live someday." Adds Dixit, "My mother is from Ratnagiri." A while back, they had taken their kids [Arin and Ryan] to the Konkan to familiarise themselves with the places their forefathers came from.

The couple chose to release 15 August digitally rather than in theatres due to the mind-boggling reach of the digital platform. Nene has done his math when he informs that Marathi films release in barely 400 screens out of the 9,000 in the country. "Just as we watch Spanish and Italian films, we want the world to catch up on Marathi cinema as well." Adds Dixit, "The script of 15 August was relatable. It is set in a chawl in Mumbai. I had relatives who lived in one, so it was a familiar culture."

For our first production, we needed something we could understand. There were so many layers to the script. Swapnaneel Jaykar wields the directorial baton for 15 August, which stars Adinath Kothare, Rahul Pethe and Mrinmayee Kulkarni.

"We stacked the cards in our favour by picking a talented and award-winning cast and crew. They made our task easier; we had to empower them. We are proud that they all came together to show their love and passion for the craft," points out Nene who considers it a great time for movie makers as there are several platforms to showcase your projects.

As a cardiovascular surgeon, Nene, who runs a health portal, says, "I cured hearts, now I hope to spread happiness by entertaining people and cure many more hearts." Will acting be the next step for Nene? "I already act many roles everyday taking care of the kids, the pet dog," so when offered, he might think about it after having featured in a commercial with his star wife. Dixit who was last seen in Total Dhamaal has Kalank lined up for release. "Things are happening back-to-back, so I am looking for a breather."

Dr Sriram Nene on ditching the American dream and discovering karma in Mumbai.
Yolande D'Mello (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 2, 2014)

It seems too much for one lifetime. Cardiovascular and Thoracic surgeon Dr Sriram Nene spends his Friday afternoon swapping notes with innovators, doctors and investors at the annual INK Conference at a Santacruz five-star.

The host introduces the doctor by listing a litany of degrees and scholarships (including a Scholars Program in Medicine from Washington University). In the same breath, she mentions that Nene is married to Hindi film actress Madhuri Dixit. The two wed in 1999, after which Dixit moved to Denver where Nene was based. In 2011, the family, including their sons Arin and Rayaan folded up their life in America to return to India.

In the audience, a demure Dixit sits listening to her husband who takes stage next. His two-hour session discusses the marriage of technology and medicine in a bid to aid healthcare. Nene, 48, is one of eight speakers. Before him, an innovator presents an ECG machine hidden in an iPhone cover.

As Nene begins his talk, the first slide of his presentation is an Apple II, a 9-bit home computer that first went on sale in 1977. A self-taught programmer, he was barely 15 when he began creating software for real estate and education firms. "Technology was always a passion. I grew up reading about Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci," he says.

When it came to choosing a graduate course however, Nene fell into the all-too familiar wrangle of a career in business versus medicine.

One of five siblings, he was born in London and grew up in America to Indian immigrant parents who left India in the 1960s. "My dad is an engineer, one of the first to be educated in the family; a self-made man. He wasn't sure if business was the best option," Nene says. "It's typical Asian immigrant behaviour. My sister is an attorney," he adds when we catch up with him later in between chatting with our photographer in fluent but accented Marathi.

He went on to study medicine on a scholarship, spending the next 17 years in the field (four years of undergraduate programme, four in graduation, seven in general medicine and two in surgery). In Denver, he was known as a specialist in mitral valve repair and endovascular aortic surgery, also having trained in Da Vinci robotic surgical system. Which is why when he announced that he was packing his bags, the media couldn't stop asking why.

Giving up a celebrated career was part of a larger calculation, he explains. "I didn't quit medicine. I transitioned. Surgery was about execution. There were long hours of boredom punctuated with moments of terror. But there was a thrill. Unlike practitioners of medicine who must observe, prescribe pills and wait, I was able to see results immediately," he says. However, his interaction with patients occurred only when disease or disorder was at a mature stage. "I've always been a believer in early prevention," he says.

Scalability was another concern that worried him. Presenting the findings of a mental calculation that drove him to move away from conventional medical practice, he shares, "If I can do 400 surgeries in a year, it's still not enough. In the US, there is one doctor for every 350 people. In India, there's one for 1,300 patients."

Unlike the US, where he argues, medicine has been commercialised, India continues to maintain integrity in the field. "Businesses come and go. But how you conduct it is critical. As Indians, we value relationships. What you put out is what you get. It's what you call karma," he says.

For a taste of this work ethic and a dose of "culture", Mumbai became home. This, he says, has been his longest stint in the city. "My grandparents stayed in Hindu Colony, Dadar. When growing up, I'd visit them every other year."

The shift has also meant bearing the full brunt of Dixit's stardom. Media houses call Nene media shy but he considers himself a "fairly straightforward" man. "Having been in the industry for 30 years, Madhuri is more than familiar with the media. But I don't believe in talking. I'm a do-er," he says, admitting that he isn't averse to using the influence she has on the press. "I proved what I needed to before I met her. I come with a certain skill set and so does she. We are trying to use them collaboratively for a worthy cause."

This is evident on stage, when Nene introduces the concept of Dancercise, a video format dance lesson featuring Dixit. The new leg of Dance with Madhuri will launch next month, allowing viewers to log on and experience a customised dance lesson from Dixit or her guests, Bollywood choreographers Saroj Khan, Terrance Lewis and Remo D'souza. "We set a belt on Madhuri to measure her pulse, number of steps and oxygen levels when dancing," he explains.

Viewers stand to burn 400 calories with 15 minutes of Bollywood-style jhatak matak. In future, viewers following the dance sequence in their homes will also have fitness wearable technology to monitor their body function and share it with their doctors. The programme currently boasts 45,000 subscribers in 206 countries. RnM Moving Pictures, the digital content company that the couple own, is being used to get the message out.

Nene also divides his time as chief medical officer at GOQii - a firm founded by entrepreneur and angel investor Vishal Gondal — that develops app systems for medical tracking.

"Here, patients can play a larger role in their own healthcare. Gamification, including earning points for healthy behaviour, and the ability to share results on social media make healthy living fun," he says.

Reacting to a question on why he didn't end up joining a top city hospital, when news reports had speculated about his association with Harkisandas and KEM, Nene agrees he was "in talks". "I've been in touch with directors of all major hospitals, whether Breach Candy, Lilavati, KEM or Apollo. I could join them but I'd rather design a medical system that works and have them approach me for it."

At the end of the session, a magician takes the stage to woo a sceptical audience with card tricks. As he makes a burnt paper levitate, he admits there's no magic; only disguised tact. "The ash rises because that is all I want you to see," says the magician.

Nene wraps up his talk with ease. He has been getting practice. Only last week, he was in Rio, delivering a speech at the TEDGlobal conference. "My parents still don't get what I do for a living," he smiles. "I like to joke that I'm saving the world."