Madhuri Dixit-Nene: I never had to pay a big price for fame

Madhuri Dixit Nene

In her debut web series The Fame Game, Madhuri Dixit-Nene plays a superstar whose beauty and success have captivated the Indian audience. In other words, she is playing herself on screen, you'd think. But Dixit says the similarities between her character Anamika Anand and her end right there. "Anamika's equation with her family - be it with her husband or mother - is different from mine. She is a fictitious character. You read so many stories [about showbiz]. I think the writer [Sri Rao] has taken these [instances], and woven them in Anamika's life. It's an exaggerated depiction; not all film people are like that," she says.

A still from the show

The Netflix series tells the story of Anamika whose seemingly perfect life comes crumbling down when she goes missing. Through the protagonist's journey, showrunner Sri Rao goes beyond the veneer of glamour to take a hard look at the pitfalls of fame. Dixit, who has had a three-decade-plus run in the industry, has had a long romance with stardom. How does she handle its flipside? "I have never had to pay a big price for fame because for me, it is just a by-product of what I do. My focus is on my art - be it dancing or acting - and my family. I have kept the two [spheres] separate. Stardom doesn't define me. I like to learn new things. My personal happiness, my kids and family, and my fan base are important to me. So, fame hasn't negatively affected me. If you make fame your top [priority], then it has drawbacks."