One of the most sought after Bollywood actresses of the 90’s, Madhuri Dixit can make your heart go dhak dhak even today. However, while she continues to ace her acting game in Hindi films and in the web-space, the actor has now also taken up the role of a film producer. Madhuri recently spoke to indianexpress.com about backing Marathi films, and the challenges heroines face while choosing the kind of films they want to do.
Madhuri also opened up about her latest production venture, a Marathi movie called Panchak that stars some of the greatest Marathi film actors of all times – Dilip Prabhavalkar, Bharati Achrekar and Adinath Kothare, among others.
While discussing how she’s raring to do more work than ever before, take up varied roles like producing films along with acting, Madhuri said, “When I heard the script of Panchak, I found it very unique, the subject is very different. I had not seen any film on this topic which was funny. We’ve seen serious films on superstitions, but this film takes a comedic look at them and the fear of death. So yes, that’s what is keeping me excited about producing films.”
Panchak, which was released on January 5, is running successfully in cinemas. When asked if she is superstitious, she said she wore the same shirt every day during her Class 12th exams. She said, “I am not really superstitious, but there are a few things I do. Like when somebody says, ‘yeh acchha ho gaya,’ I quickly do ‘touch wood’, or cross my fingers. I remember in Class 12th exams I had this shirt that I wore once and my exam went very well. I thought ‘oh my god, that’s my lucky shirt,’ so I wore it again for my next exam, I wore it until one day when my paper went just ok, it wasn’t great. My mom had said to me that it’s not the shirt that’s lucky, it’s you who work for things. I remember it till date.” Madhuri, who has been an actor for over three decades, also commented on how difficult it is for female actors to first establish themselves and then work on their own terms.
She said, “Every generation faces new challenges. When we were working, our challenges were very different, today the generation is facing a different challenge with social media and the noise that happens. So I think we should have respect for every generation. They are working hard to establish themselves and once they establish themselves, they can pick and choose your roles. Sometimes, when you are new, you have to do whatever comes your way. Once you establish yourself you can put your foot down and say ‘no’. When they get to that point, they can also dictate what they want to do and we’ve seen that happening.”
She then discussed how it has become more and more challenging to find filmmakers and producers to back films on “out-of-the-box” topics, the kind of films she’d like to feature in.
“There are a lot of expectations around the kind of films we should be doing especially as actresses. People expect that you’ll do something different, but it’s hard to come across these sort of subjects and for makers to put their money. They are confident enough to invest their money and make a film on it. So, all these factors count,” the 56-year-old concluded.

Source: Indian Express