JUNE 1- Actress Madhuri Dixit, who will be seen in two upcoming Hindi films, is happy to work with a new crop of talented actors and says she has been working in Bollywood as per her own plan.
Madhuri is set to stage a comeback in Bollywood after a gap of six years with two projects – Vishal Bharadwaj’s home production Dedh Ishqiya and Anubhav Sinha-produced Gulab Gang.
She has also done an item song in Karan Johar’s home production Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, which released today.
The item song,Ghagra, features her and new age actor Ranbir Kapoor.
After her marriage in 1999 to a US-based surgeon, she did Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas in 2002. She then took a break and staged a comeback with Aditya Chopra’s home production Aaja Nachle in 2007.
Despite missing from the silver screen, the 46-year-old filmstar was very much present on small screen. She appeared as one of the judges in TV dance reality show Jhalak Dikhla Jaa in season four and five. She will be again judging the show in its sixth edition that starts from June 1.
Gulab Gang, directed by newcomer Soumik Sen, also stars Juhi Chawla, Mahie Gill, Shilpa Shukla and others.
“I have done everything in this film – fight scene, dancing and singing. It is an entertaining film. We are saying quite a few things through this film but in an entertaining way. It is not a heavy film which delivers sermons. It was good working with a new crop of actors. They were full of energy, have ideas and are confident. It was wonderful working with talented actors,” she added.
In the late 1980s and early 90s, Madhuri and Juhi Chawla were considered on-screen competitors. But now, they are working together on Gulab Gang, loosely based on a group of women fighting against social injustice.
“I have worked with Juhi for the first time (in this film) and she is a wonderful co-star. We have some niceinteresting scenes together,” Madhuri said.
For Gulab Gang, Madhuri did sing a few lines with her mother Snehlata. “They wanted a voice for a particular sequence, not a proper song. With a couple of instruments playing in the background, they wanted the actress (Madhuri) to break into a song. They wanted to make it realistic, so when the director asked me, I thought about it and agreed.” Madhuri said the artistic talent in her is because of her mother, who has interest in music.
For the sequel the makers have retained lead actors Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi. Madhuri is expecting positive response to the sequel as well.
