Says Madhuri Dixit, who has recorded a song in English, an ode to Coronavirus warriors
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.
Ten times Madhuri Dixit made every 90s kid's heart go dhak dhak
Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit turns 53 on Friday. The Hum Aapke Hai Kaun actress, who marked her debut in 1984 with Abodh, first tasted success with the 1988 film Tezaab, and from then on, there was no looking back for her. She not only ruled Bollywood but also the people's hearts and fans went crazy every time she came on the silver screen with her charming smile. Along with winning several accolades, she also garnered immense love and appreciation from the audience over the years. Besides her top-notch expressions, one of the highlights of Madhuri's career is her songs and impeccablly graceful dance moves. The 90s kids have grown up dancing to Madhuri's songs and even today, when one of those chartbusters are played, the millenials cannot stop themselves from shaking a leg to them. On the actress' special day, let us have a look at songs which have the 90s kids hooked to her moves even today.In 1988, when Madhuri stepped up on the stage in a pink top and the signature colourful striped skirt, it took the entire nation by storm. Family gatherings, weddings, school annual functions, college fests -- everywhere youngsters wore a similar outfit and tried to match Madhuri's steps from the Tezaab song and hoped that they were somewhere near it. With that one song, Madhuri cemented her place in the film industry and showed that she was here to stay.There might not be a single person who did not like this song from the film Sailaab. Madhuri, dressed up as a quintessential fisherwoman danced her way into our hearts and has stayed there ever since. Parents dressed up their kids to look like Madhuri, be it in dance competitions or fancy dress competitions and even encouraged them to practice the dance moves which the actress so effortlessly performed on the screen.Madhuri went on to be known as the Dhak Dhak Girl post the release of this song. Even today, when one hears this song, one cannot stop oneself from performing a move or two, and if nothing, then the Dhak Dhak hook step is enough to prove that they are a true-blue Madhuri fan. We all are guilty of practising the step in front of the mirror and failing miserably every time. The song was a part of the film Beta which also starred Anil Kapoor.If you haven't danced to this song and not tried to sync your steps with Madhuri's then you are not a 90s kid! The actress proved that she only got better with each and every song she performed and there was no one who could beat her to it when it came to dancing. Not just the fake crowd in the film, but the real crowd in front of their screens too cheered for Madhuri when she folded her hands and did the hook step.We bet the hook step flashed in front of your eyes as soon as you read the title. Madhuri mesmerised everyone with her charm in the song from Anjaam, which saw Shah Rukh Khan in one of his scariest roles of all time. Choreographed by Saroj Khan for her favourite student, the song just couldn't have gone wrong.Desi weddings till date are incomplete without this song. Millenials practised the steps of Didi Tera Devar Deewaana and even imagined themselves dancing at their sister's wedding with her to-be brother-in-law. Everything about the song is iconic -- be it Madhuri's dance, her purple lehenga, the hook step, and of course, Salman hanging on to a chandelier!Just when you had thought that Madhuri cannot present you with anymore hook steps, she appeared on the silver screen once again with Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai. When the song was first released, it stirred up a lot of controversy for being "vulgar" but eventually went on to become everyone's ultimate favourite. Director Subhash Ghai had once revealed that because he did not take down the song, he even had to lose a National Award, but he had no qualms about it.Most of the kids today believe that Tamma Tamma is Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan's songs, but only 90s kids can tell you, who were the OG stars. If it wasn't for Madhuri then the song would not have been made in the first place to recreate it now. And let us all just accept the fact that what Madhuri did at that time, even Alia and Varun couldn't recreate it in Badrinath Ki Dulhania.Watching Madhuri and Prabhudheva dance to Kay Sera Sera is a treat even after all these years and we are not exaggerating when we say it. The song which went on to become a rage back then, was choreographed by Prabhudheva himself and he has even confessed that he did it only for Madhuri.No one could have played Chandramukhi better than Madhuri and she proved it in the film. While growing up, every 90s kids, at least once, has dressed up and tried performing the dramatic number, be it in front of everyone or maybe in a closed room. Within days of Devdas' theatrical release, youngsters had the dialogues by heart at the tip of their tongues, and while at it, they never missed a chance to practice her trademark spins and dramatically collapsing by the end of it.
