Madhuri Dixit’s sons missed her stardom growing up, discovered her films much later
Bollywood star Madhuri Dixit has shared an unexpectedly relatable revelation about life at home, that despite being one of Hindi cinema’s most iconic actors, her sons Arin and Ryan did not grow up watching her films.
Speaking ahead of the release of her upcoming web series Mrs Deshpande, the actor explained that her children only became familiar with her extensive body of work much later.
Reflecting on this, Madhuri told Hindustan Times, “It’s funny, but my kids, growing up, had not seen a lot of my films,” before adding, “They have seen more films of mine after they went to college, and because of their Indian friends.”
She went on to recall how this often led to disbelief among her sons’ classmates, many of whom found it hard to accept that the children of such a celebrated star had not watched her most famous movies.
Sharing these humorous exchanges, Madhuri said, “They’d ask them if they had seen a particular movie of their mom, and they would say no. They’d be like: ‘What are you saying!’”
She noted that it was only after finishing school that Arin and Ryan finally sat down to watch several of her earlier films, largely due to repeated encouragement from their peers.
These personal anecdotes come at a time when Madhuri’s professional choices are drawing attention for a very different reason.
In Mrs Deshpande, she steps into one of the darkest roles of her career, portraying a serial killer, an unconventional turn that places her firmly in morally grey territory.
Addressing parallels drawn with Shah Rukh Khan, who once expressed reluctance to play a tyrant for fear of making the character too appealing, Madhuri clarified that her own approach was rooted in realism rather than restraint.
Explaining her mindset, she said, “For me, the focus was on making her relatable,” adding, “Outside, she’s just a housewife. Yeah. She loves to cook, make her modaks. So, it’s not like the loud villainy. It’s like the very quiet silence. It’s inside the skin.”
Over the past decade, Madhuri Dixit’s career has evolved significantly, with the actor increasingly gravitating towards layered, psychologically complex characters that stand in contrast to the roles that defined her earlier stardom. Mrs Deshpande continues this trajectory, placing her at the heart of an intense, character-driven story.
The series is directed by Nagesh Kukunoor and also features Priyanshu Chatterjee and Siddharth Chandekar in key roles. Mrs Deshpande is currently streaming on JioHotstar.