Maduri Dixit Aaja Nachle interview

Q.1.What is you favourite track from the film
It’s hard to say because all the songs have their own charm whether it’s the song in New York or it’s the song where I am performing on stage after I come first time to India. Bulbul I think is very peppy and Indian but there is so many layers to that song because the whole story is told in that song. There is “Oh Re Piya” which is a very slow number.

Q.2.What was the experience like working with Salim Suleman
I think Salim Suleman they both are a very talented because this story needed them to have a range of different kind of music because it starts in New york it comes to India. Then there is a very rustic kind of a number which is Bulbul and there is also a slow song in the movie which is very melodious there is a western number and so they had to be very flexible and they had to have that kind of range and they do. They have done justice to every song.

Q.3.Can you tell us something about the character you play in this film
The character I play is Diya who is extremely strong she is very independent and she has to leave her village, she actually elopes with someone she falls in love with and she try’s to make a life for herself in New York where she realizes that the person she ran away with is not the same, somewhere she realizes that this not what she had come for, she has a child. She is a choreographer who makes a life for herself out there she works like exactly what her guru was to her and she is to the others and then when she has to come back her whole journey when she comes back to her town where people don’t like her anymore and how she tries to save something that is very close to her heart, something that she believes in and how she stands by it and how she see’s the whole mission thru is what the movie is about. So I see her as a very intelligent and a very strong person who doesn’t sit and cry about her problems but instead takes everything bang on and says lets go ahead from here. She is a very positive person who always looks forward to life and she believes in the spirit of people, she believes that goodness exist and everybody has a good side and something good comes out of it.

Q.4.What was it about the script that made you decide on doing this film
First of all I think it’s a story of believing in something and standing by it and Its a very feel good kind of a movie, it’s a very positive movie and also that its very relevant in today’s times where you see western culture taking over everywhere else and our own roots are kind of fading away like theater especially is kind of a dying art today and something needs to be done to revive it. So I think it’s like basically going back to your values, your roots and back to your culture and I think that’s very relevant today.

Q.5.Can you tell something about how this offer came to you and what made you decide to do this film
It all started with my performance at Filmfare and that’s where Yashji saw me and said that would you be interested in working again. It was just a conversation like that I never thought about it seriously and then I happened to meet Aditya Chopra when I had come to see the studios and we just got talking and I think that’s when something clicked in Adi’s head and he had some subject with him for a long time that’s what I came to know later because they didn’t tell me anything then. After which I left for Denver then my secretary Rikkuji got in touch with me saying they have a subject for me and then I just kind of had an idea of it and I quite liked the gist of what he had given and then told me that he would send me he script then Adi came over to Denver just to tell me what he had in mind and I thought it to be a very good subject, its also very relevant to where I am right now and also I have worked with Yashji before in “Dil to Pagal Hai” and I knew they are extremely professional and when say they will be complete a film in four months they will do and also I have very high regards for Yashji and I know that whatever product they make they make sure they do a good job of it so I had that confidence in them as a filmmaker also and as people, They have also worked with married artist so there was a kind of a comfort for me to work with them so there were many such factors that went into deciding for me to love to do this film.

Q.6.How different is it working with YRF after 10yeras now
Yash Raj Films has always been very organized even 10 years back but now I would say they are super organized, they are like 10 steps ahead of what they were and it’s always a delight to work with them again. Its funny I always wanted to work with Anil Mehta before but in a different capacity, I wanted him as a cameraman for one of my projects and it didn’t happen at that time so I think god had different plans then in his mind. It’s been a wonderful experience. When I did Dil To Pagal Hai I had a lovely time working with them and even today Yashji has kept his standards and also built this beautiful studio. It’s been a beautiful experience working with them

Q.7.Was making a comeback a difficult decision
Well yes one is scared when you making a comeback because everything you do, you want it to be the best, because there is a lot of speculation on what subject should be, what kind of role Madhuri should do and you there is a lot of expectation also there is a lot of genuine happiness from different people I have met and that they are genuinely happy to see me do a movie after a long time so there is a lot of expectation that rest on the shoulders and that kind of can weigh you down sometimes, whether this will be a right kind of a move and Whether people will like me in this kind of a role and stuff like that but when we were working it was such a beautiful experience through out that I had to keep my fingers crossed that people like the movie. Yes it’s always a difficult decision to work again after a long time also because I have two kids now its not just my responsibility towards my film its also the babies now. There was always an apprehension about how they will adjust to Bombay because they have never lived here for along stretch of time so in that sense it was a little scary to come here and shoot and hope they enjoy but they really had fun. My older son has started speaking in Hindi, singing Hindi songs. Out there we are not in touch with Hindi films but here they watched a few movies and they are getting use to the filmy clout.

Q.8.What was it like working with Anil Mehta

It’s been wonderful, I used to always think I am the only patient person in the world and that I am very mellow but When I worked with Anil Mehta I realized there is another person who is much more patient than I am much calmer then I am and that has helped me a lot because he’s always been very patient even if we are shooing in the sun or the worst weather in whatever situation we are he has always been calm he has been a pillar to all actors and since I wanted to do a film with him before It was wonderful to work with him finally and I am glad that I worked with him in this capacity as a director because he understands performances and he is also a big help when you perform, he knows exactly what he wants, what the shot is going to be and he never hesitated to tell me that lets take it a little higher or lower also he is very flexible that if I wanted to do something he would let me go ahead and do it, He has not been rigid that he wants it only in a particular way but he understands performance and that’s been the biggest help in this film.

Q.9.What was the experience like working with Vaibhavi Merchant
I think with Vaibhavi its been a challenge for her as well because I have worked with different choreographers like Saroj Khan,Chinni Prakash,Prabhudeva and so many other people and they have always been like Madhuri Dixit dances and she has to compete with all the background that I have had and yet make it look little different that its her style, it’s a different choreographer who is giving me the dance steps and also she had a wide range in this movie from Western dancing to Indian to Rustic. I must say that she has come off with flying colours and has done a very good job in all the songs and I enjoyed working with her. She is very bright and quick.

Q.10.Can you tell us a little about your look in the film
The look is different because I am playing the woman who has spent like a good 10years abroad and she has made a place for herself there, she is a choreographer and her whole attitude is that it is a man’s world kind of a thing. She’s not very feminine or delicate so she has to look her part through out the movie where as when she is dancing or when she is doing nothing she fits into a different role all together so I think that was the biggest challenge for Manish for it to look constantly like that she’s not a frail or a delicate women and that she’s out there, tough and to give that look without being over the top and keeping a balance so its like a mixture of everything and that had to be brought across throughout the movie and we have successfully managed to do that.

Q.11. Can you tell us about the sets that was created for this film
It was small town created called Shamali right there in filmcity and at the end of Shamli was the theater Ajanta,which is the pillar of the story everything revolves around it and they have done it so beautifully it was very refreshing to go there and see one storey houses like you have in small towns which was very pleasantly made, the little gallis that you miss out on these days, little shops lining the gallis and the changes that happen once I leave Shamli and come back after 10 years, all the changes that have happen in 10 years suddenly the little town looks very different because it’s got these jazzy looking things happening there like new mobile shops etc,I think they did a brilliant job with that we were so comfortable in that village that it became a part of our life’s in those 4 months and everybody kind of got attached to it.

Q.12.How do you prioritize your personal and professional life
I have my priorities right my kids are my first concern even when I was working I made sure they were comfortable so I don’t have to worry about anything once I go on the sets.Yashji was very sweet he made a play area incase they incase they come on sets they can go and play while I am shooting their grandparents are here my mother in-law came in and supported for sometime she came and stayed here with them so that they are kind of well settled so everybody has been so supportive my husband came twice to be with the kids for a good 10-15 days because I had all this support around me it became possible for me to shoot without any tension on my head and I think my kids enjoyed themselves getting pampered meeting my cousins who have kids their age, they are socializing watching movies and having fun. Its been great for them as well they have opened up, broadened their horizons and learnt different languages

Q.13. You are back on the sets after a very long time? Do you see any changes in the way things are done in the industry?
Yashraj has always been the same very organized and competent but when I look around me I see a lot of changes I come to know about different movies been made and how organized they are, all scripts are made before hand, actors getting bound script which use to never happen we use to step on the set sometimes not knowing what we are going to say in that particular scene, dialogues use to be written on the sets but that does not happen any more and which is wonderful for actors because they can prepare much better, perform much better because they have everything ready in going for them, looks are decided before hand what you are going to wear in every scene is decided, different subjects are being made because of multiplexes today they know their audiences and target that audience and they make that particular film like Bheja Fry, Khosla Ka Ghosla its wonderful for Indian cinema, it needed that and its happening and it beautiful.

Q.14.What was it like working with sync sound as it’s the first time we are working
I have always dubbed for all my films and I have never heard my own voice because it gets drowned with all the camera noise and the other noises around us even the studio’s used to be so noisy in those times but it was the first time with sync sound that there was pin drop silence and I could literally hear my voice for the first time when I talked on the sets and I think that was wonderful because you can hear your own voice and you can analyze your own dialogue and you can say you want a little bit of inflection. It is also wonderful because you don’t have to dub for the movie because when we used to dub for the movie it used to be like you are doing the whole movie again and trying to recreate what you have done sometimes it’s a struggle to recreate what you have done and sometimes it’s a boon you can correct if there is a mistake made so now there is no chance of making a mistake you have to be perfect and sure of what you said the words have to be very clear but that helps the performance and its been great doing sync sound.

Q.15.Are you open to do doing more films post Aaja Nachle
I don’t know yet I haven’t decided if I would be doing more films or which film I will be doing. Right now I am just living in the moment. These four months have been lovely while I was shooting Aaja Nachle,I feel as if I have achieved something and everything went off smoothly and that was lucky because anything could have gone wrong I could have got, my kids could have got sick and things could have got delayed but I think god has been kind and everything went of well so right now I am reveling in whatever we have done and not really giving a thought.

Q.16.How did you feel on the film sets after years
It was great. The first day I was little apprehensive its not as if you are going to forget something but when you are working there is a certain kind of discipline that happens automatically, everything around becomes very mechanical except the performance its like well oiled wheels churning round and round but when that stops and you come back you feel am I a little rusty in starting but once I started shooting it was just the first two hours after which I never thought I didn’t feel I was coming back after six years.

Q.17.What was it like working with Konkana Sen
It was wonderful, I think she is a bright actress and she is so natural. All the people I am working with in this movie are so natural I forget that I am working in a movie and that I have to give a shot, I am just reacting to whatever they are doing they are all brilliant performers even Kunal Kappor who is not a very experienced actor and yet they are all very professional and they suited their characters so well. Its been a wonderful experience working with them whether its Vinay Pathak,Ranvir Sheorey.All are scenes together is so full of life, there was mutual respect, admiration, affection in the group it was like a small close knit family.

Q.18.Any one memorable incident during the shoot of the film
We had this scene where they were suppose to use the projector and I see something on screen and it’s a sad scene where I am suppose to be crying because my guru is dying and they bought these little old projector reels and they had Charlie Chaplin on it. I think I must be the only person in the world who has cried while watching Charlie Chaplin on screen so that’s a memorable scene that sticks out on my mind because I had to just ignore the fact that it’s Charlie Chaplin and not kind of watch and yet I was looking at the projector and crying away.

Q19.The outfits you have worn in the film would you like to wear it otherwise?
What is your favourite outfit?
Most of the outfits I have worn in the film you can wear otherwise except for the theater outfit which is very theatrical even that if you modify you can wear it in real life. My favourite outfit is the black cocktail dress which I wear in a particular scene in the film.