Madhuri Dixit

Madhuri Dixit Nene (née Dixit, ; born 15 May 1967) is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi films.

A leading actress of Indian cinema, she has appeared in over 70 films.

Noted by critics for her beauty, dancing skills, and characters, Dixit was credited for singularly paralleling her male contemporaries and leading star vehicles in a male-dominated industry.

Madhuri Dixit was born on 15 May 1967 into a Marathi Kokanastha Brahmin family in Bombay (present-day Mumbai) to Shankar and Snehlata Dixit.

She has two elder sisters and an elder brother.

She kindled an interest in dance at an early age of three, and went on to train in Kathak for eight years; later on becoming a professionally trained Kathak dancer.

"I received a scholarship as a Kathak dancer when I was nine. I even remember that it was due to a dance performance that the first time my name had appeared in the paper. I was seven or eight years old at that time and had performed at the Guru Purnima festival. And there was a journalist who was there and he had written this article saying that 'this little girl stole the show' – something like that. I was over the moon. So dance gave me a sense of achievement. Of worth.'"

Dixit received her education at Divine Child High School in Andheri.

Apart from her studies, she participated in extra-curricular activities, such as dramatics.

Aspiring to become a microbiologist, Dixit enrolled at the Sathaye college in Vile Parle (Mumbai) where she studied microbiology as one of her subjects in BSc.

However, six months after she had commenced her course, Dixit decided to discontinue studies and pursue a full-time career in films.

Born and raised in Mumbai, Dixit made her acting debut in 1984 with a leading role in the drama Abodh.

Dixit made her cinema debut in 1984 with Rajshri Productions' drama Abodh, opposite Bengali actor, Tapas Paul.

Upon release, the film failed commercially but Dixit's performance earned her positive reviews from critics.

Aakash Barvalia of Gomolo wrote, "Madhuri excels in her role as a young bride who acquits herself well as the naive village girl and does not realise what marriage actually entails."

Her only release of 1985 – Awara Baap – flopped at the box office.

During this time, a monochrome photograph of hers, shot by Gautam Rajadhyaksha was featured on the cover of the then-popular magazine Debonair and she appeared as the cover girl of Filmfare in April 1986.

Dixit's next four releases were the dramas Swati (1986), Manav Hatya (1986), Hifazat (1987) and Uttar Dakshin (1987).

None of these films performed well either critically or commercially.

Hifazat marked Dixit's first of several collaborations with Anil Kapoor.

After a few successive commercially failed films, she rose to prominence with the action drama Tezaab (1988), and established herself with starring roles in the top-grossing romantic dramas Dil (1990), Beta (1992), Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994), and Dil To Pagal Hai (1997).

She won four Filmfare Awards for Best Actress for her performances in them.

In 1988, Dixit had film releases; two of them —Mohre, and Khatron Ke Khiladi —were commercial failures.

In 1988, Dixit acted in Dayavan, which was a commercially successful film.

In her next movie from the same year she finally attained recognition when she played Mohini, an impoverished and miserable woman, who is forced to dance to make money for her father in N. Chandra's action drama Tezaab opposite Anil Kapoor.

It went on to become the highest-grossing film of the year and she received her first Filmfare Award for Best Actress nomination; the film's success established Dixit as a leading actress of Hindi cinema, and marked a significant turning point in her career.

Akshay Shah of Planet Bollywood wrote, "Madhuri Dixit also gives a fine tuned performance. Though she is more remembered for her crowd pleasing dance act 'Ek Do Teen', her acting needs to be noted, specially in the scenes where she is pitted against Anupam Kher."

Her other commercially successful films during this period include Ram Lakhan (1989), Tridev (1989), Thanedaar (1990), Kishen Kanhaiya (1990), Saajan (1991), Khalnayak (1993), and Raja (1995).

Apart from Dixit's mainstream success, she earned appreciation from critics for her performances in Prem Pratigyaa (1989), Parinda (1989), Anjaam (1994), Mrityudand (1997), Pukar (2000), and Lajja (2001).

She was among the country's highest-paid celebrities throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, and has featured in Forbes India Celebrity 100 list since its inception in 2012.

Her accolades include six Filmfare Awards from a record 17 nominations.

Since 1999, she has been married to Shriram Nene, with whom she has two sons Arin and Ryan.

She received the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for playing Chandramukhi in Devdas (2002).

Following a hiatus, Dixit made a brief comeback by starring in the musical Aaja Nachle (2007), and acted intermittently over the next decades.

In 2008, the Government of India awarded her with Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian honour of the country.

In 2023, she was awarded the Special Recognition for Contribution to Bharatiya Cinema Award at the 54th IFFI.

She has worked with UNICEF since 2014 to advocate the rights of children and prevent child labour, participates in concert tours and stage shows, and is the co-founder of the production company RnM Moving Pictures.

Her highest-grossing release came with the adventure comedy Total Dhamaal (2019), and she continued to gain praise for starring in the black comedy Dedh Ishqiya (2014) and the Netflix drama series The Fame Game (2022).

During this period, she primarily featured as a talent judge for dance reality shows, such as Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa.

In addition to acting in films, she has been engaged in philanthropic activities.