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Madhuri Dixit is celebrated as one of Bollywood’s biggest superstars, but her journey to fame was not without struggles. In a conversation with Siddharth Kannan on his YouTube channel, filmmaker Indra Kumar, who directed Dil (1990) and Beta (1992), revealed that Madhuri was once labeled the “jinxed girl” of Bollywood in the late 1980s.
Indra recalled that Madhuri faced challenges in finding work due to a string of box-office failures early in her career. “At that time, Aamir [Khan] only had one hit, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, while none of Madhuri’s films had worked. She was called ‘jinxed.’ When I signed her for Dil with Aamir, it was still fine, but when I signed her for Beta too, everyone said, ‘Paagal hogaya hai tu, iski koi film nahi chal rahi (Are you mad? None of her films are working),’” he shared.
Despite the skepticism, Indra had unwavering faith in Madhuri’s potential. “There was something in my heart which said, ‘Yaar, isme baat hai, kuch hai isme (She has something special),’” he said. His instincts proved right when Madhuri’s fortunes turned around with the blockbuster successes of Tezaab (1988) and Ram Lakhan (1989), which released during the early stages of Indra’s work on Dil and Beta.
Her ‘flop’ tag faded after Tezaab and Ram Lakhan. Distributors’ perception of her changed completely. By the time Kumar resumed shooting after six months, Madhuri was already a superstar. Despite her meteoric rise, Madhuri’s humility remained intact, according to Indra. “She was down-to-earth on her first day after becoming a star, and she still is. There is no change,” he said.
Madhuri went on to establish herself as a Bollywood icon with iconic performances in films like Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!, Dil To Pagal Hai, and Beta, cementing her legacy as one of the most beloved actresses in Indian cinema.
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