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Madhuri Dixit – Age is just a number, and your talent will never fail you. It has no expiry date: B’day Special

By Line: Shivendra Pandey

Madhuri Dixit, also known by her married name Madhuri Dixit Nene, is an Indian actress, producer, and television personality. One of the most popular and highest-paid Hindi Film actresses in the late 1980s and 1990s, she has been praised by critics for her acting and dancing skills. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including six Filmfare Awards. In 2008, the Government of India awarded her with the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour of the country.

Madhuri Dixit was born on 15 May 1967 into a Maharashtrian family in Mumbai, Maharashtra to Shankar and Snehlata Dixit. She has two elder sisters and an elder brother. She kindled an interest in dance at an early age of three and went on to train in Kathak for eight years; later on, becoming a professionally trained Kathak dancer.

After making her acting debut in the 1984 drama Abodh, Dixit had her first commercial success with the 1988 action romance Tezaab. She went on to establish herself as a leading actress of Bollywood by starring in several top-grossing productions, including Ram Lakhan (1989), Tridev (1989), Kishen Kanhaiya (1990), Dil (1990), Saajan (1991), Beta (1992), Khalnayak (1993), Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994), Raja (1995) and Dil To Pagal Hai (1997) — and received critical recognition for her work in Prem Pratigyaa (1989), Parinda (1989), Prahaar (1991), Anjaam (1994), Mrityudand (1997), Pukar (2000), Lajja (2001) and Devdas (2002).

Dixit began dating fellow actor, Sanjay Dutt, in 1990, while filming Saajan. Despite her father’s objections, the relationship continued. However, with Dutt’s arrest under TADA in 1993, the relationship ended. Talking about the break-up, film journalist Bharati Pradhan reported in The Telegraph that “Madhuri had always been a clean player. A Dutt-Dixit alliance would’ve been disastrous and she was too sensible not to see it.”

On 17 October 1999, Dixit married Shriram Madhav Nene, a cardiovascular surgeon from Los Angeles, California. The couple has two sons, Arin (born on March 2003) and Rayaan (born on March 2005). Following her marriage, Dixit relocated to DenverColorado, for over a decade. She moved back to Mumbai with her family in October 2011.

Dixit returned to film acting in 2007 with the musical Aaja Nachle, and she worked intermittently in the next decade, starring in the black comedy Dedh Ishqiya (2014) and crime drama Gulaab Gang (2014). Her first Marathi film release was the comedy-drama Bucket List (2018), and her highest-grossing release came with the adventure comedy Total Dhamaal (2019).

She has participated in several concert tours and stage shows, hosted Sony TV‘s Kahin Na Kahin Koi Hai and featured as a talent judge for the dance reality shows Jhalak Dikhhla JaaSo You Think You Can Dance and Dance Deewane.

In addition to acting in films, Dixit has been engaged in philanthropic activities. She has worked with UNICEF since 2014 to advocate the rights of children and prevent child labour. She was appointed the brand ambassador for the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign, by the Government of India.

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