‘I hope I make her proud’: Madhuri Dixit-Nene on stepping into Sridevi’s shoes for 'Kalank'

Even though a year has passed since Sridevi’s untimely demise on February 24, 2018, the void that the legendary actress has left in the industry, as well as her family, friends and fans’ hearts, hasn’t filled. Just like other members of the film fraternity, her contemporary, Madhuri Dixit-Nene, is yet to come to terms with the loss of the country’s first female superstar. The Total Dhamaal actress is filling in Sridevi’s shoes in Karan Johar’s production Kalank, which also features Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Sanjay Dutt, Aditya Roy Kapur and Sonakshi Sinha. 

We recently spoke to Madhuri about taking on the part that was to feature the Mom actress. About her equation with Sridevi, the Dedh Ishqiya actress said, “We had known each other for many years and shared a warm equation. It was difficult for everyone in the industry to wrap their heads around her sudden loss. It is still hard to accept the truth. I don’t think anyone of us has still come to terms with her absence. We will always feel the void.”

When prodded about shooting for the film, she said, “When I was on the sets, I looked at it as just another role. But, yes, I was extremely emotional when Karan (Johar) asked me to take up her role. I hope I make her proud.” According to reports, the role is that of a dancer and it goes without saying that both, Sridevi and Madhuri’s, skill in that department is unquestionable. 

“It is hard to talk about the character without revealing too much. When people watch the movie, they will realise how different it is from what I have done in my other films like Devdas where I played Chandramukhi. The role that I have here is poles apart from that,” she concluded.