Madhuri8217;s Makeover

From midnight feeding sessions to washing her son8217;s nappies8212;she has done it all for her son. 8216;8216;I don8217;t have any help at home. I8217;ve been looking after Arin since the day he was born, though my mom and mother-in-law were always there to guide me,8217;8217; she says, getting all nostalgic about the time she counted Arin8217;s fingers and toes after he was born. 8216;8216;It was such a humbling experience to hold him for the first time. No amount of stardom can ever compare with the feeling of seeing this perfectly created part of you, an extension of yourself.8217;8217;

It8217;s amazing how the 33-year old actress fits so comfortably into her new role. Madhuri, after all, was for almost a decade the closest thing Bollywood had to a female superstar, transcending class barriers and leaping over art and mainstream film fences. Small beauty saloons that dot the city where Madhuri became famous still have her posters in their windows. They even made a movie about someone who wanted to be just like her but the original still hasn8217;t seen Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon.

She8217;s her usual matter-of-fact self. 8220;I8217;ve always led two separate lives. The moment the camera switched off, I became the girl-next-door. And I continue to live my life the same way after my marriage and the baby. I don8217;t ponder about what I was, I only think about what I will do next.8217;8217;

She pauses and then adds, 8216;8216;There are days when I8217;m in the mall in Denver, busy wondering which cereal to buy Arin when suddenly I hear excited chatter. People flock around me and ask, 8216;Are you Madhuri Dixit?8217;. For a minute, it doesn8217;t strike me8230; I ask myself, am I Madhuri? It8217;s a funny experience but it does happen.8217;8217;

She points to a huge MF Husain on the wall, which depicts the various roles of a woman. 8216;8216;This was done during Gajagamini. I8217;ve had it for many years but it8217;s only now that I understand the power of being a woman,8217;8217; she smiles. 8216;8216;All those roles that I played and emotions that I acted out, I understand them only now.8217;8217;

These days8212;and she8217;s here for a couple of months8212;Madhuri plans to just 8220;relax, chill and catch up on movies8221;.

8220;I8217;ve been out of touch for almost a year,8221; she says, 8220;and once this Energizer battery gives me some time off, I intend to catch up,8221; she points towards Arin.

Since she has come home, Madhuri has been listening to scripts. Film-makers like Zoya Akhtar, Zafar Hai, Rituparno Ghosh and Rajkumar Santoshi have approached her but she8217;s taking her time. 8216;8216;The film should be worth taking the effort of me coming all the way from the US and shooting for it.8217;8217;

Husband 8216;8216;Ram Shriram Nene has never had a problem8217;8217; with her work, 8216;8216;He8217;s with me always and encourages me not to give up acting and my Kathak.8217;8217;

However, she does admit that all this will require sound planning and balancing on her side. 8216;8216;I think one can do anything at any point of time. Nothing is really over as long as you keep on doing something.8217;8217;

Considering the fact that some of our Bollywood actresses are trying hard to woo the big H, will Madhuri do the same? In fact, it8217;ll be easy for her to hire an agent and all that jazz since she lives there. 8216;8216;If I get a good role from Hollywood then I might consider it. But even if it doesn8217;t happen I won8217;t be losing any sleep because there8217;s so much more to life than just acting and roles.8217;8217;