Bollywood actor Madhuri Dixit is currently receiving widespread praise for her performance in Maa Behen. In the film, her character faces constant scrutiny from society for wearing sleeveless blouses.
Reflecting on the theme of judgement and societal expectations, Madhuri recalled how she herself was criticised in the early days of her career for being “too skinny”. In an interview with News18, the actor opened up about the comments she faced and how she dealt with them.
Madhuri Dixit recalls being bodyshamed
Talking about how female actors are often body-shamed, Madhuri said, “You’re a public figure. You’re putting yourself out there. There will, of course, be some comments coming your way that yeh aisi hai, yeh waisi hai. When I had started out, they thought I was too skinny. They would be like, isko kuch khilaao (feed her something). When it comes to these things, people are very quick to judge. They judge you for putting on weight, they judge you if you’ve lost weight.”
She revealed that, since there was no internet back then, navigating such remarks was comparatively easier. “But I believe that one has to take these things in one’s stride and not pay too much attention to them. Today, because of social media and the anonymity that comes with it, people can say anything. But one should be more focused on what they’re doing and what they’re passionate about and enjoy and love doing. The idea is to love yourself,” she said.
Madhuri began her acting career in the early 1980s and made her debut with Abodh (1984). However, success did not come immediately, as several of her initial films failed to make an impact at the box office. During her early years in Bollywood, she also faced criticism for being too thin and not fitting the conventional heroine image of the time.
Her breakthrough came with Tezaab (1988), opposite Anil Kapoor. The film emerged as a massive success, while the song Ek Do Teen turned Madhuri into a household name. Following Tezaab, she cemented her position as one of Hindi cinema’s biggest stars with films such as Ram Lakhan, Dil and Saajan.
Madhuri Dixit’s recent release
Directed by Suresh Triveni, Maa Behen also stars Triptii Dimri, Dharna Durga and Ravi Kishan in key roles. The film follows Rekha (Madhuri Dixit), a single mother who calls her two daughters, Jaya and Sushma, in the middle of the night with alarming news: their neighbour Gupta (Ravi Kishan) is lying dead on the floor of their house. What follows is a frantic attempt by the trio to figure out what to do next.
Released on Netflix, the film has received positive reviews from both critics and audiences and ranked among the platform’s top-performing non-English titles globally.