Husainji was my true well-wisher, says Madhuri Dixit

Actor Madhuri Dixit Nene is gearing up to return to acting in films as well as judging a TV show. DNA caught up with her:

Q: You seem to have a busy year with a TV show and two films in hand. How are your kids coping with it?
A: They are coping wonderfully. They have their own social calender learning tabla, squash, dancing and not to forget, going out with their friends. In fact, they are busier than me. Also, I am not shooting simultaneously for the show and films. I will be done with the show first and then start shooting for my films Dedh Ishqiya and Gulab Gang.

Q: Tell us a little about your role in both the films?
A: I cannot reveal my role but I can tell you that Dedh Ishqiya is interesting because I will be working with Naseerji (Naseeruddin Shah) and Arshad (Warsi). It is kind of a game played by con artists. I had seen Ishqiya and was impressed with the director’s work and also Vishal Bhardwaj, which is why I took up the film.

Q: What about Gulab Gang in which you play a gangster?
A: Let me clarify that I am not playing a gangster neither is it about  gangsters. We are a group of women who are vigilantes, visiting small villages and trying to solve their problems. I found that concept very interesting. 

Q: You are making a debut as a singer in your TV show...
A: The show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa is about dancing but it has people from different walks of life stepping out of their comfort zones. There’s ghazal singer Talat Aziz, who has never danced and the international cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya, who will be on a completely different pitch here. So, even I stepped out of my comfort zone, which is dancing, to sing. My mother has learnt classical singing and I have grown up listening to her. I have never done riyaaz. We have taken  the Kabhi kabhi mere dil mein tune and even Karan (Johar) has recited a sher. It is also my way of saying thank you to people, who have loved me for so many years.

Q: You have also played a dancing tribute to yesteryear actresses..
A: Yes. It is about the dances through the generations and where we are today. Pakeezah was my favourite film for the dances and it was wonderful recreating it.

Q: It is MF Husain’s first death anniversary tomorrow...
A: I think he was my true well-wisher. It was his dream to make a movie at some point and we did Gaja Gamini. I knew him not only as a great artiste but also as a good friend.`