It’s hard to build a successful four-decade career like Madhuri Dixit Nene’s in the film industry. Harder even to do so in a country where female stars, as they age, are constantly judged for their appearance. A recent example was the brutal trolling of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as she walked the Cannes red carpet. When we sat down with Dixit, ahead of the release of her next, Maa Behen, the actor rued that women have no respite from “sexism and ageism.”

“There is sexism and ageism everywhere. Even when you meet people after a long time, they make personal comments like, ‘You have become so fat. Your hair has become so grey.’ But one cannot forget the contribution of the person, and what they have done in the past. You don’t know what’s happening in their lives or maybe they are happy the way they are. Accept people the way they are; remember what she [Rai] represents rather than commenting on her size or age,” asserted Dixit, as she defended Rai.

Dixit has little patience for unsolicited opinions or skewed beauty standards. Instead, she is focusing on what gives her joy — unheard stories and roles that show her versatility. Maa Behen fits right in that plan.

“I had not done comedy in some time. The past few offerings were more dramatic, whether it’s Mrs Deshpande [2025], Maja Ma [2022], or The Fame Game [2022]. I thought this is the right time for comedy,” she said of director Suresh Triveni’s feature.

The Netflix film also stars content creator Dharna Durga. Madhuri Dixit Nene revealed that during the workshops, she ensured that the relative newcomer felt comfortable.

“When I met her the first time, she said, ‘Mujhse nahin hoga,’ with tears in her eyes. I told her to not cry and said, ‘I am also an actor, here to create some magic on the set. Let’s work together.’”

She played an actor whose star is on the wane in The Fame Game. In Maja Ma, she essays the role of a homemaker who is the backbone of her family. Distinct as the two characters are, Madhuri Dixit-Nene believes a common thread ties them — their fight to stand their ground in a male-dominated world. She points to her character Pallavi in the upcoming Amazon Prime Video offering to observe that the portrayal of mothers on screen is changing for the better.

“I am also a wife and mother. So, I know Pallavi’s emotions. Maja Ma is a story of empowerment. Be it in cinema or on OTT platforms, today, women are looked at as individuals first; society [comes later]. They come from different walks of life, have different ambitions and their own set of rules,” she beams.

Maja Ma — also starring Gajraj Rao, Rajit Kapur, Ritwik Bhowmik and Barkha Singh in pivotal roles — sees Dixit’s character facing a difficult situation head-on after a mysterious video featuring her goes viral, in the days leading to her son’s wedding. Through the film, director Anand Tiwari showcases how women are constantly judged by society.

“It is a patriarchal society. Women are always judged for everything,” asserts the actor. “[For instance], men can romance much younger women. But when a woman does it, [people say], ‘What does she think she is doing? Why is she doing this?’ Fortunately, things are changing now. In The Fame Game, my character was shown in love with someone younger than her, but nobody questioned it. So, things are [evolving], but we have a long way ahead.”

The past few decades of Hindi cinema were hardly kind to its female characters. Strong women protagonists were the exception rather than the norm. Dixit, however, says that she sought scripts that saw women exercising their agency. “Be it Dil [1990], Hum Aapke Hain Koun [1994], Dil To Pagal Hai [1997] or Pukar [1999], all these women were strong and had something to say in their own way. I always looked for such roles. I like to play a character who has a mind of her own.”

He has been acting for almost two decades, and perhaps is now reaping the benefits of his hard work. After being a part of films like Kai Po Che (2013) and Tumhari Sulu (2017), actor Manav Kaul got a standing in the industry and with web projects like Ajeeb Daastaans (2021) and The Fame Game (TFG), he has surely upped his game.

“Now, I am getting a lot of romantic roles,” he quips, adding, “It is a good thing, as I haven’t explored a full-fledged romantic film, yet. Having done Ajeeb Daastaans and TFG, I think people now know that I can do more than the usual stuff. I am happy that my future projects will surprise everyone.”

While web projects are keeping him busy and excited, Kaul is keen on doing films, too. He explains, “Apart from acting, I do so much more, including travelling and writing. Since I need time for that. I choose projects carefully. I also take a break between projects. Currently, I am working on two films and a web series. In fact, I plan to do more web or theatrical films going forward [to save time], as one ends up working for six months on one series.”

When OTT boomed, everyone jumped on the digital bandwagon. Initially, it was new and exciting, but soon, people realised the kind of time and commitment a web show demands, especially a project that has multiple seasons. Kaul feels it’s only now that we are realising the potential of seasons and how long a season should be.

“I would say we are still learning and trying to understand how to work the digital platform. We have had some great shows, including The Family Man, Delhi Crime and Panchayat. The audience got hooked and wanted more seasons. Earlier, people were apprehensive about doing an OTT show, but the kind of viewership a web project gets is humongous. You get money, good roles, audiences and it is a democratic platform as the content doesn’t work due to PR, but word of mouth. Panchayat worked because people liked it, not due to a promotional campaign,” he signs off.

You cannot call yourself a Bollywood fan, if you have not watched N Chandra’s 1988 film Tezaab. For those probably wondering, why is there a sudden hullabaloo over a film that was released almost 34 years ago? News is that producer Murad Khetani, who recently backed the Kartik Aaryan-starrer Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, has acquired the rights to remake Tezaab. Who can forget Madhuri Dixit-Nene sashaying in a pink skirt, dancing to the hit number, Ek, do, teen in the cult film that also stars Anil Kapoor? The film put the dhak, dhak girl on the map.

“Tezaab was my first big hit. It was the turning point of my career,” says Dixit, adding that the film not only propelled her “career as an actor, but also [as a dancer]” when her song became an iconic rage. While Khetani hopes to adapt the 1988 script to modern times, Dixit remains unaware of the development. “I didn’t know that Tezaab was being remade. [The success of the film] depends on how they are retelling the story,” says the actor, who is currently gearing up for the second instalment of her debut Netflix series, The Fame Game.

“The story was left at a cliffhanger, so there are talks about season two. [We are still] in discussion with Netflix,” says Dixit, adding that the first edition “was well-received as it spoke about mental health, sexuality, and sexism in the industry”. “I think people liked that we discussed it in a sensible way rather than making it caricaturish.” Not scared to put herself out there, she says that challenges have helped her grow as an actor. The courageous move comes with the boom of digital content, which the actor believes has given female actors a new lease of life.

“OTT has brought in a new sensibility. Scripts are now being written with challenging roles for women, who are flawed and not being treated as mere victims. They are being portrayed as unapologetic ambitious women,” adds Dixit.

They are strong, fierce, vulnerable, spirited, ambitious, and even vengeful if need be. Mothers in recent web projects can be described as all this and more. From actor Sushmita Sen entering the narcotics business to protect her kids in Aarya, and actor Sakshi Tanwar out to find the killers of her daughter in Mai, to actor Rasika Dugal exploring the complexities of motherhood as she deals with her husband’s infidelity in Out Of Love — the characters of mothers we are seeing now are more complex, nuanced and layered than they were ever before.

Dugal is elated that motherhood is no longer glorified or oversimplified. “A mother-child relationship is no longer shown as perfect or devoid of conflict. In many stories, we see the fears, anxieties and confusions of being a parent, co-existing with the joys of it. Even though I have no experience of being a parent in real life, Dr Meera Kapoor and her relationship with her son Abhi, especially in season two of Out Of Love, gave me a glimpse of how demanding yet beautiful parenting can be,” she shares.

Actor Raveena Tandon in Aranyak and actor Madhuri Dixit Nene in The Fame Game, are other such characters who drove the narratives with their courage and fearlessness when it came to their children. “For a long time, we had a very fixed notion of how a mother needs to be portrayed on screen. Now, the writing has caught up with the times and we are showing women of today, and that stands true for my show, The Fame Game, with Madhuri,” says director Bejoy Nambiar.

To this, director Vinay Waikul, who helmed Aranyak, adds, “Life is not unidimensional, and that stands true for the characters of mothers on screen. This realisation has changed the whole narrative.” And this is something screenwriter Charudutt Acharya agrees with, adding that the “concept of a stay-at-home mom is also changing”.

According to actor Sahher Bambba, who played the role of a mother to a 33-year-old on screen at the age of 23, the change is empowering in many ways. “Now, cinema is reflecting the reality, which is that there are many facets to motherhood. Back in the day, after a woman hit a certain age, it would be the end of her career. Now, it doesn’t stand true, and it is because of such diverse roles,” she says.

However, there is still a long way to go, feels actor Kitu Gidwani, who recently played a mother in the show, Potluck. “We don’t believe that older women can be hot, happy, successful, vibrant, intelligent and path-breaking. We still have a big fear of older women in this country. Maybe the younger ones have more scope, but not older women. For instance, we are still [predominantly seeing women play] a mother supporting her kids’ decisions, and stuff like that. Where are the guts to show women breaking and finding their own? I want to see that, and hope it comes soon,” ends Gidwani.

Actor-author Manav Kaul’s eighth book, titled Shirt Ka Teesra Button, hit the stands recently. The novel, which is based on a young boy, takes one back to their childhood days. Talking about it, Kaul says, “It is about a boy growing up in a village, who’s in the sixth grade. It encapsulates his journey, childhood and memories, and his first idea of literature. This idea of a kid experiencing so many things for the first time mesmerized me.”

The book has earned positive response from bibliophiles, many of who sent in handwritten notes of appreciation to Kaul. He tells us that it’s always special to hear people talk about his books rather than his films or web shows. “I have been receiving a lot of attention for The Fame Game and Ajeeb Daastaans (2021). But the [number of] people reading my books are way lesser. Jo cheezein kam hoti hain, woh aapko zyaada pasand aati hain. I truly cherish it when someone comes to me and says that they have enjoyed reading a book written by me or a play directed by me,” he says.

The Nail Polish (2021) actor often takes off to quiet places, as they help keep him grounded and write more. “I like to meet people who aren’t part of the industry such as actors, writers, directors and fans. When I travel, I meet so many interesting people who do amazing things like running a bakery or coffee shop in a tiny nook of the mountains,” he shares.

For Kaul, there’s more to life that just a film set. “Life is so much more than just being famous. The perspective of life we have has always been very lopsided and it’s getting narrower by the day. So, I like knowing about other people’s lives,” he ends.

Since its release last week on Netflix, Badhaai Do was trending in the No 1 spot in India till March 20, and was in the Top Ten list globally in the non-English films category. In fact, Badhaai Do is the sixth Indian film this year to make it to the global top 10 rankings of the platform, as Indian content increasingly finds a vast audience overseas.

In the last two-and-a-half months alone, six Indian language films and two series made it to the Netflix Top 10 list, which is published weekly. These include Minnal Murali (Malayalam), Sooryavanshi (Hindi) and Badhaai Do (Hindi) among other films; and Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein: Season 1 and Fame Game: Season 1 in the TV series category.

Similarly, Gaurav Gandhi, Prime Video Director & Country Manager, Amazon India stated last year, “Our Indian Amazon Originals enjoy incredible popularity both in the country and outside India. In fact, one out of every five viewers for these shows is from outside the country.”

As per the CII Big Picture Summit 2020 report by the BCG (Boston Consulting Group) and CII (Confederation of Indian Industry), the increasing acceptance of Indian content among global audiences includes, but is not limited to, the Indian diaspora of over 32 million spread across multiple countries. Countries with significant Indian language speaking population — such as Bangladesh (Bengali), Mauritius (Bhojpuri), Nepal (Maithli and Bhojpuri), Singapore (Tamil), etc — also consume Indian content, states the report.

Karan Bedi, co-chair, CII sub committee on OTT and Digital content and CEO MX Player, says, “MX Player’s shows are popular in countries such as Bangladesh, US, UK, UAE, Canada, and Australia. We focus on the Indian diaspora in these countries and the content is also curated for a global audience.”

With platforms like Amazon boasting of viewership in 240+ countries and territories worldwide, Girish Johar, producer and cinema business analyst, says that streaming platforms have helped Indian content reach not just the conventional top markets, but even countries which were out of bounds for traditional distributors.

He explains, “Traditionally, the top markets were the US, UK, New Zealand, and Australia. Some films did release in selected Southeast Asian countries, but now we are able to tap European countries, West Indies, Brazil, and so on. ”

He adds, “Through users on social media, too, we get this picture that Indian content is being consumed and liked in foreign countries. Be it south films such as Minnal Murali or Hindi films such as Gulabo Sitabo, Indian cinema has received a lot of praise from global audiences.”

Agrees Karan Bedi, “Some global OTT platforms are present in 150+ countries. For Indian content — films and shows, releasing the same day across these countries, now you have got (viewers in) countries in Eastern Europe and Latin America.”

Bela Bajaria, Netflix head of global TV, had said at a conference last year that the shows that have been the most successful globally have been “the most authentic and the most specific”.

Monika Shergill, VP-Content, Netflix India, adds, “Last year, Netflix’s 28 Indian original titles were across 7 languages, 8 formats and 11 genres across films, series, comedy, reality and documentaries. From blockbuster hits like Dhamaka, Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein to differentiated stories like Cinema Bandi, The Disciple and Axone, our aim is to have authentic stories and it is this authenticity that audiences love. Malayalam cinema’s first superhero film, Minnal Murali which trended in the Top 10 in 30 countries from Argentina to Nigeria, or Red Notice, which India enjoyed with dubs in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu — are examples of how great stories are universal.”

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How does it feel to reunite with a co-star after 29 years? To Sanjay Kapoor, who had shot with Madhuri Dixit-Nene in 1995 for Raja, it almost feels like a “flash forward”. “I started working with Madhuri after shooting for 15 days for Prem [1995], and she had made me feel comfortable. Even today, it felt almost the same. She is the same Madhuri—grounded, and one who makes everyone on the set comfortable. I have known her for 29 years. It feels as if [time has] flashed forward, and we are back on set,” grins Kapoor, who has teamed up with Dixit for The Fame Game.

The Netflix series sees Dixit as superstar Anamika Anand, with Kapoor playing her husband. Anamika’s seemingly perfect life comes crumbling down when she vanishes one fine day, leading the police to examine the hard truths behind the façade of glamour.

Living your life in the public eye is not easy, Kapoor knows it all too well. The actor, who debuted in 1995, had a tough run in the industry with most of his films biting the dust. How did he handle failure? “Fortunately, I was surrounded by positive people. So, I never felt that with failure, people changed around me. When your work doesn’t do well, you feel dejected because you have given it your best shot. But one has to move on. It was not that I was not getting work; I was not getting exciting work. Being a producer is in our blood, so I got into production. I had to feed my family, send my kids to school, and earn money. I couldn’t sit back and say that unless I don’t get good work, I won’t work.”

The actor powered through the hard times, and bounced back with the advent of OTT. Having played key roles in Lust Stories (2018) and The Gone Game (2020), Kapoor is satisfied to have found his place in front of the camera again. “Everything changed after I did Lust Stories. When the opportunity came again with OTT, I bounced back. People say sometimes you can be talented, but destiny plays a big part. It happened to me.”

Madhuri Dixit Nene began her Bollywood career (with Abodh, 1984) when only a few filmmakers were making movies centred on women, and only a few writers were penning scripts with a fully fleshed-out role for their heroine. Fast forward to 2022, and the actor notes that this is a “great time and era for women in films”.

The multiple award-winning actor shares, “When you say a female-centric film today, it’s no longer solely about a girl seeking revenge or being a victim who, in the end, rises above all odds. Now, women are characters in movies. The makers are portraying what women today do in their real lives — go to work, be housewives, take up different professions, excel in sports, and so on. And it’s wonderful because then you [as an actor] get a variety of roles to portray.” 

The Padma Shri recipient notes that the digital medium has a big role to play in bringing women’s stories to the fore. “When OTT came in, people started to see women being portrayed differently on-screen than what they had seen in films. In these web series, women have such well-written and well-developed characters. Writers are writing scripts with modern sensibilities, not driven by a patriarchal mindset,” says the 54-year-old, who is set to make her OTT debut with the Netflix series The Fame Game.

She attributes this change in mindset to the evolving audience’s sensibilities: “Audiences have matured and they want to see women in more important roles, and not just someone who is going to dance or say a few dialogues.”

The Kalank (2019) actor further notes that women are taking charge, even behind the scenes. “I remember when I started working and used to go on the sets, the only females would be me, my co-stars, and the hairdresser. That’s it. There were no women in any of the other departments. When I go to a set nowadays, I see women everywhere — assistant directors, camerapersons, writers, directors, and photographers. Things have changed now,” shares Nene.

Talking about what made her take the plunge into the OTT space, the actor says that she finds the long-format storytelling quite intriguing. “When you start watching a series, it becomes your world, and you are curious to see what happens to every character, as you are living their life at that moment. A movie says everything in two to three hours, but with this long-format content, you have a lot of time to tell your stories and the back stories of each character,” explains Nene, who is playing a superstar, Anamika Anand, in the series.

Asked if she found any similarities between her character and herself, Nene says, “She (Anamika, her role in the series) is a big star, a huge name in Bollywood and has managed to keep her position intact...That’s the similarity, and that’s where it ends. The kind of life Anamika has is very different from the kind of life I have. She has seen the hard side of life, her family dynamics are very different from mine. So, a lot differs between real and reel.”