No mommy roles for Madhuri

Even though we have been seeing a lot of madhuri dixit nene on TV we don't seem to get enough of the dhak-dhak girl. Here, she talks about her future projects and how different life is in Denver and India.

These days, we're seeing a lot of Madhuri Dixit Nene ' she's just everywhere, on chat shows, as the judge of a dance reality show, at awards functions ' she danced with Shah Rukh at the Filmfare Awards last month, and was also spotted in Delhi, as the ambassadress of a food channel. And must say, the dhak-dhak appeal is still there ' even if she's begun to settle gracefully into her figure.

And she's still popular ' a fact made evident by the number of stars from the industry who made it clear to Karan Johar that they'd rather share the couch with Madhuri for his chat show. How does so much adulation feel, even after a hiatus, and a not so successful comeback (remember " Aaja Nachle"?) "It's always nice to be complimented and accepted and loved, and of course, to be welcomed back," says Madhuri, adjusting the pallu of her saree to fall just so. About re-living the " dil toh pagal hai" moment with Shah Rukh Khan for the Filmfare Awards, she says, "It was our first stage performance, and it was great. He's a very sweet person. It was wonderful because we have a mutual admiration society". Unlike other actresses, she also airs her views on the newbies of the fraternity quite openly. Who's the hottest female actress among the current crop? "I don't see many movies these days," she says, and that's when you realise that she's picked up a very slight American accent, and adds, "But I saw "Band Baaja Baaraat" the other day and I really liked Anushka Sharma's work. And I also saw "Dabangg" ' I liked Sonakshi. She's got potential," says Madhuri.

Talking of potential, has she made a conscious career move towards the small screen? Or are movie offers still coming her way? "There are many offers and scripts. Things are being finalised and I will talk about them at the appropriate time," she says. And what about Anil Kapoor offering the role of Sonam's mother in the remake of "Freaky Friday"? "Well, I've been asked, but I am not inclined to play the role of a mother right now," she candidly admits. And TV? How did that happen? "The "Jhalak..." people have been chasing me for two years. This time, they were very insistent that they wanted me. We went to Los Angeles, and saw the original American show ' " Dancing With The Stars" ' I liked the way they presented the stars and all that. They promised me this year would be bigger and better. So I thought they were really making an effort, so I took it up," says Madhuri. And what about rumours of being offered Season 5 as well? "Yes, they've asked me, we are working out the modalities."

Talking of roles she hasn't accepted, there's also the Indira Gandhi one. It was rumoured that she will be essaying the role of the iconic Indian prime minister in Krishna Shah's global epic. But she chose not to comment on it at that time. But now, she says, "Yes, I was approached for that, but things didn't work out." She had qualms playing Mrs G? "No qualms. I love Indira Gandhi. I've always loved her. Even in school ' during one of the fancy dress competitions, I had gone dressed as Indira Gandhi. I did everything to look like her. But with a film, a lot of other things have to be considered too, you know, everything has to fall into place, somehow, it did not work out."

Is she as busy when at home in Denver as she is once she reaches India? "A typical day for me there goes like this ' drop off my kids to school, pick them up, and then their activities and homework, there's dinner to cook, though Ram (her husband) is a good cook, and he makes that dish with roasted capsicums that's really tasty ' so it's more of a housewife's life that I lead there. Once I come here, I'm a professional. Also, there's more privacy there. When people who're familiar with me see me there, they greet, say how much they appreciate my work and move on, they are all busy with their own things. Here, it's a little different." Yes, here she's still the star, the dhak- dhak girl, isn't it?