Madhuri Dixit Nene has remained one of Bollywood’s most celebrated stars, making it nearly impossible for her to go unnoticed in public. However, she left the industry at the peak of her stardom and settled in the USA after getting married to Dr Sriram Nene. After many years of marriage and after having two children, the actress moved back to India and resumed her career. During a recent interview, Madhuri spoke about her life after marriage and how she was just Mrs Nene there and not a superstar. She said in an interview with HT City, “In Denver, it was smooth and nicer because there were less Indians there. Where I lived, mostly there were Americans. For a long time, they didn’t know who I was, I was Mrs Nene there. I had my kids (Arin and Ryan), I would go to school to drop them. One day, I saw a car would come and stop at our house, then take a round and come back. My neighbours called me… vahaan darr laga rehta hai that someone could be trying to rob us, so people are careful. The neighbour asked ‘should I call the cops?’; I said ‘please don’t!’ I had to tell them I am a celebrity, and that the people in the car were trying to get a glimpse of me.” The actor described those years away from fame as one of the most fulfilling periods of her life. Enjoying the freedom of being largely unknown, she was able to focus on family and spend quality time with her children.Calling the experience “liberating”, she said, “I was free to do anything at any time. I enjoyed so much of ‘me time’ with my kids. It was a big part of my dream in life… that I have a husband who I love, with kids. I was living my dream there.”Madhuri also revealed that when she met Dr Nene, he was unaware of the scale of her stardom in India. Reflecting on how he adapted after moving to India, she shared that he has now become deeply connected with the film fraternity.“We have been here in India since 2011. He’s more friends with the people of the industry than I am now! He’s even said in interviews ‘I knew she is an actor, I didn’t know how big an actor she is!’ When he came here initially, it was a shock. It’s all good today, our kids are growing up, I have enjoyed playing the character of Rekha in Maa Behen. I am in a good place.”
