Bollywood diva Madhuri Dixit is set to make a comeback on the screen in a never-seen-before avatar in ready-to-release Dedh Ishqiya, a hinterland based thriller-drama.
Her role in Dedh Ishqiya is certainly a giant leap for the actress. Director Abhishek Chaubey is presenting her as a widow looking for a husband and she organises a poetry competition in her house every year where prospective grooms come and try to woo her.
“For women, it’s a great time to be in the industry. When they narrated the script to me, I was very excited. It’s a role that appealed to me,” said Madhuri who has some bold scenes with Naseeruddin Shah in the film, which also stars Arshad Warsi.
“Begum Para is a beautiful character written by Abhishek. She is a poetic woman. She is a widow and her late husband’s wish was that if she ever marries again, she should marry a poet.
“So every year she organises a swayamvar for her. She has been completely unimpressed for two years, but in the third year Babban (Arshad) comes,” she said.
Begum Para in Dedh Ishqiya marks her second innings in filmdom post marriage and when asked how important the film is for her, she said: “Everybody wants to see me after a gap. Begum is a strong character. She is a multi-layered kind of a woman. How the film does is very important.”
“The more depth in the character the more fun you get to perform,” Madhuri said when asked how comfortable she was with the bold role in Dedh Ishqiya, which brings her out of her comfort zone.
“I am so thankful that our cinema has come a long way, and I am happy that women are portrayed as characters and not just eye candy in the films. Women are very beautifully portrayed on the screen,” she said.
Dedh Ishqiya is a sequel to Ishqiya, a film that made its lead actress Vidya Balan a name to reckon with.
Madhuri rose on the film firmament in the late 1980s and 1990s with blockbusters like Tezaab, Ram Lakhan, Dil, Beta and Saajan.
After ruling the roost for years, Madhuri shifted base to Denver when she married US based doctor Sriram Nene in 1999. Her last big hit was Devdas.
