Madhuri Dixit Fan Club # 3 - Page 104

After a dance reality show, Madhuri Dixit Nene is set to host a Cookery Show on TV, but all this work means that her husband's donning the hat of mom as well as dad for their children in the US .

Here are excerpts from an interview with Mads about her kids, husband, cooking skills and life after marriage.

You will be hosting a cookery show on TV. How good are your culinary skills?
Thoda bahut banaa leti hoon (laughs). When I got married and started cooking for my family, I often had disastrous results in the kitchen. Kabhi khaana jal jata tha, kabhi kachcha reh jata tha... But I'm happy that my husband always encouraged me. He'd say, 'If you don't cook, how will you learn?' I also watch my mother cooking and take tips from her.

Are you a great foodie?
I'm a big-time foodie! It's no exaggeration to say that I have a sweet tooth and love sweets like modak, jalebi and even Rajasthani ghewar, which some day I would like to learn to make. The only compromise is to spend an extra 10 minutes on the treadmill.

How do you inculcate Indian values in your kids?
I will leave no stone unturned to give Indian values to my kids. Though we live in the US, my husband and I are very particular about our kids following Indian culture and traditions. I have narrated stories from the "Ramayana" and the "Mahabharata" to acquaint them with the kind of values we've grown up with. They know about all the Indian gods and goddesses and mythological characters. Even my husband, who grew up in the US, knows how to maintain our culture in a foreign land.

Who takes care of the kids when you are in India?
My husband dons the hat of mom when I am in India, so that my kids don't feel neglected. They are school-going kids and they cannot be with me all the time when I am in India. I cannot let their studies suffer due to my shooting schedule.

How do your kids react when they see you on screen?
They don't realise that I am a celebrity in India. But they are thrilled whenever they see me on television. Recently, they saw me on TV and came to me shouting, 'Mom, you are on television!'

You were offered Sonam Kapoor's mom's role which you turned down. Is it because you don't want to play a mother's role?
No, that was not the reason. Actually, the script did not excite me. I am not ready to play the kind of role that was offered to me. The script has to attract me in at least some way.