Hell Yeah To Madhuri Dixit As Comedy Queen, Goodbye 'Dhak Dhak Girl'

They say Madhuri Dixit's grace is unmatched - and it has been for decades. Actresses come and go, each generation with its own divas whose beauty lights up the screen and whose performances linger on celluloid.

But Madhuri Dixit is an emotion.

The actress is currently basking in the phenomenal success of Suresh Triveni's crime-comedy Maa Behen on Netflix. For the first time in a long while, it gives us a glimpse of the Madhuri Dixit whose beautiful face often eclipses everything else.

Interestingly, it is her moniker - the 'Dhak Dhak Girl' - and the feeling behind it that director Suresh Triveni uses to tell a pertinent story in Maa Behen. And honestly, the audience have been won over.

Madhuri Dixit in Maa Behen

In an exclusive conversation with NDTV, Triveni also praises Madhuri Dixit's mimicry.

He says, "When you see her in films like Raja, where she's done, I mean, outlandish roles and all of that, she had a great funny bone. In terms of humour on screen, she's brilliant. Even off screen she has a very poker face. She has these one-liners that are really good. She's a brilliant mimic."

He continues, "So she can mimic everyone without making a big deal of it. And she enjoys comedy. She thrives on it."

Madhuri Dixit - Good Looks As Main Character

You rarely see Madhuri Dixit as the eccentric one on screen, which is probably why Maa Behen felt so refreshing and offered such welcome fodder for the star.

The mere mention of Madhuri Dixit brings to mind passionate romantic sagas in the Yash Raj Films universe, dramatic family outings in Sooraj Barjatya's world, and the actress cementing her legacy as the OG entertainer at the peak of the 1980s and 1990s.

Her smile would light up the screen, her twinkling eyes were the envy of many; there was a bewitching presence about Madhuri Dixit that seemed to triumph on celluloid.

When Beta released in 1992, Dhak Dhak Karne Laga was not just a song - it became an identity that refused to leave Madhuri Dixit's shadow. The prefix soon became a way of addressing the beloved actress, an indication of how she set hearts racing on the big screen. A song that could have gone wrong, but under Saroj Khan's tutelage, Madhuri Dixit revolutionised the number in her filmography. It became a quintessential example of her timeless grace, showcasing her in a sensuous avatar performed with dignity, and it boosted the representation of mainstream heroines in 1990s Bollywood.

As a '90s kid, one can never forget her contagious innocence in Dil Toh Pagal Hai, a simple girl imagining her dream love story, or her vivacious energy in Hum Aapke Hain Koun!. One remembers the beloved musical Saajan (1991) and the poise with which she portrayed the tragic Chandramukhi in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 2002 film Devdas. Madhuri Dixit was made for the expansive drama and emotive gestures the big screen demanded between the 1980s and 2000s, and she delivered them with conviction.

It's not that Maa Behen alone makes us appreciate her versatility. She delivered blockbusters in crime and action too - her massive breakthrough came in 1988 with Tezaab, which also gave us another reason to celebrate her as a glorious dancer with Ek Do Teen.

She broadened her repertoire with choices such as the action flick My Name Is Lakhan, assuming an undercover police officer's garb in Khalnayak, and impressing audiences in the espionage tale Pukar.

Madhuri Dixit in Pukar

Madhuri Dixit has dabbled in many genres. But Maa Behen showcases a comic streak that, to the public, has not been fully explored - or perhaps it's been too long. She makes you laugh until it hurts.

A Dhak Dhak Moment For Comedy

What's notable in Suresh Triveni's Maa Behen is how he uses everything that defines Madhuri Dixit on screen and makes fitting use of it.

Her goregousness is once again on display, and it becomes a cue for the lecherous male gaze that follows. Her entry as Rekha, who will soon have men lurking around her, unfolds to the strains of Dhak Dhak Karne Laga once more.

And Madhuri Dixit looks stunning. Same as ever. It's all there.

But her comic timing takes the cake. It shifts your focus from her face, her enticing smile and lingering stare, to admire the craft that perhaps had not fully bloomed until now.

Maa Behen is the story of a mother and her two daughters, and the chaos that follows when their neighbour is found seemingly dead in their house. What follows is a streak of lies, complications and constant banter between mother and daughters that lightens the film's seriousness. Underneath, it is a well-crafted satirical commentary on the hypocrisy embedded in society, where women are judged no matter what: if they live alone, what they wear, who they meet, how they speak - everything becomes an all-encompassing assessment of a woman's character.

Madhuri Dixit as Rekha, who has spent years in Adarsh Colony - the fictional society where everyone passes judgement - makes you love her despite her troubles. She is fed up with people talking behind her back, with having no friends, and with two daughters who fight like cats and dogs.

There's a simmering sadness beneath it all, shrouded by her overreactions.

When she is constantly questioned about her "sleeveless blouse", which is pivotal to the plot, Rekha replies, "Garmi lagti hai humko" - instantly shredding the seriousness of the situation and leaving you in stitches. It has also led to a deluge of narrative on social media how the whole 'sleeveless blouse' plot is a gentle way of shutting up the critics who years ago questioned the morality behind Khal Nayak's Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai?

Her outbursts whenever her daughters are at each other's throats never feel merely frustrated; she makes them funny, chiming, "Haan maar daalo. (Kill each other)"

There is no one moment when her comic timing falters: be it an emotional plea for help on a conference call with her daughters, searching for a torn sari to attend a wedding, or gawking at a dead body and responding, "Chai banaye? (Shall we make tea)?"

Madhuri Dixit's character is written with surprises - her reactions or her comic instincts amid serious business - and it effortlessly shifts our gaze from a career long mounted on beauty, feminine charm and larger-than-life Hindi films.

If not forever, then at least in her next innings as one of Indian cinema's most revered actresses, it's time to bid farewell to our Dhak Dhak Girl and embrace the newest comedy queen on the block.

ALSO READ | How Triptii Dimri Is Doing A Maa Behen For Every Spirit