And she smiles again...

Long long time ago when I was really small, she said “Chane ke khet mein” and I said “Main Madhuri Dixit banna chahti hoon”! This post is dedicated to the greatest on screen dancer and my all-time inspiration, for her Ghaghra takes my heart away, all over again..

Twenty five years ago, she counted “Ek do teen” and in a flash of a second Mohini became synonymous to dream girl. She said “Dhak dhak karne laga” and I bet the entire generation of young men felt it too. She said “Didi tera devar deewana” and the counterpart generation of girls went backless! With “Choli ke peechhe kya hai” she pulled-off a deadly item song with her magical innocence. And then with “humko aaj kal hai intezaar” suddenly fishing nets became so sexy. With the numerous pieces following in Saajan, Raja, Prem Granth, Koyla, Dil toh Pagal hai, she was all set to break records and win hearts. But before anyone could frame her as the classical dancing diva, she set the stage on fire with dance master Prabhu Deva. And then with the numerous sequences in Devdas, which for the record no living or dead actress could have done justice to, she set new standards for dancing in Bollywood. Time passed, and just when we thought that the Dhooms and Beedis had taken over, she came back and said “Aaja Nachle” and filled new hope in the hearts of many aspiring dancers (well, not just in the movie). And now again with her seductive moves, evergreen turns, eye squinching expressions and the flowing Ghaghra in Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani, she has just portrayed that there is no age for dancing, for beauty or for grace!

Every time I look at her performing, I fall in love with her all over again. She has redefined seduction by comfortably blending it with the right amount of grace and charm. I wonder at times, what is it that clicked for her - her phenomenal acting prowess, her much talked about dancing moves, her scintillating beauty, her charming smile or maybe it was just her luck? Whom am I kidding, how is it that only the most talented people get lucky! It appears as if she was born to do this. I guess that is what perfection does to you. Sachin Tendulkar was born for cricket and Lata Mangeshkar was born to sing. But they really didn’t know it the day they were born. They learnt it over a period of time as they perfected what they really liked and ultimately became the best in them, so did Madhuri Dixit! Luck can give you a break but not the power to rule the hearts of millions of people for such a long time, be it Sachin Tendulkar or Madhuri Dixit. Having said that, “Main Madhuri Dixit banna chahti hoon” makes lot more sense. Not to be the dancer that she is but to be the perfectionist that she is!

-A follower of her steps (literally and figuratively)