When Madhuri Dixit married Dr. Shriram Nene in 1999 and moved to Denver, stepping away from her illustrious Bollywood career, she left behind countless admirers. Among the most devoted was the iconic artist Maqbool Fida Husain, who considered the actress his eternal muse.
The Muse and the Mother: Husain's Denver Pilgrimage
In a recent conversation, Madhuri Dixit reminisced about the legendary painter's visits to her American home. She shared with interviewer Faye D’Souza that Husain, after years of seeing her as a screen goddess, expressed a new desire. "He said, ‘I’ve always seen you as Madhuri Dixit, the actress. Now, I want to see you as Madhuri Dixit, the mother,’" Madhuri recalled. By then, she and Dr. Nene were parents to their two sons, Arin (born in 2003) and Ryan (born in 2005).
Her last film before this hiatus was Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas in 2002. Madhuri remembered how during one visit, Husain was eager to paint her immediately, but she insisted he rest first. "He said, ‘Why are you punishing me?’... ‘I’m most relaxed when I paint,’" she recounted. This statement resonated deeply with her. "That’s exactly how I feel about my art. I’m most comfortable in front of the camera... Hussain ji, you made me realise that about myself," she told him.
The Rollaway Bag of Wonders: Husain's Unconventional Style
Madhuri narrated with great amusement the extraordinary simplicity with which Husain travelled. "Every house he went to, he brought along a lot of goodwill, laughter, and sense of humour. When he came to visit me, he had nothing but a rollaway bag," she said. Assuming it contained clothes, she was taken aback when he asked for a canvas to paint.
When she mentioned they would need to buy paints, Husain simply pointed to his bag. "He showed me the rollover bag and said, ‘No, here are the paints.’" Puzzled, Madhuri asked about his clothes. The painter revealed he was wearing his only shirt and pants, with his night pyjamas underneath for warmth in Denver's cold. "I said, ‘Okay, let’s go shopping now!,’" Madhuri laughed, recounting the incident.
From Canvas to Celluloid: A Legacy of Inspiration
MF Husain's admiration for Madhuri Dixit transcended traditional art. He dedicated his 2000 film Gaja Gamini to her, creating a cinematic ode to his muse. Their artistic connection was visible earlier in the 1997 film Mohabbat, where Madhuri played a painter. Interestingly, the artworks featured in that movie were Husain's own creations.
This profound connection and Husain's perspective on art played a subtle role in nudging Madhuri back towards the arc lights. She made her acting comeback with Aaja Nachle in 2007. Subsequently, she joined the dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa as a judge. By 2011, Madhuri Dixit and her family had permanently returned to Mumbai, marking a full circle in her journey—a journey profoundly touched by the devotion of India's most celebrated painter.
