I get a sort of divine happiness and confidence when I dance,” says Madhuri Dixit-Nene. “Even now it gives me a kind of freedom. It feels like I am in a different world altogether. The way I feel when I dance is something I have always wanted to share with the world,” says the actress who launched her app, Dance With Madhuri.
One would imagine that her husband Dr Sriram Nene would not be associated with dance and other things B’wood. But that is far from the truth as Madhuri says, “This dream has come true only because of my husband. I shared a thought with him just like that. I told him, ‘Sriram is it possible that we take dance to every household across the globe?’ And he said, ‘Of course! We can make this possible’.”
And just like that the focus shifts to Sriram, who was sitting by her side. “I am the mystery man of her life about whom you guys have heard a lot, but know nothing about,” he says with a smile. Sriram’s company has developed this app, which functions as an online dance academy.
Sriram says he’d like to do something similar in the field of medicine too, but that is still a work in progress. “I came to India with a vision of changing the way people get healthcare. I grew up in the US with computers and technology. My parents said you should be a doctor or an engineer or we won’t pay. So being the dutiful son, I became a doctor and practiced medicine.
The problem was I couldn’t scale what I did. No matter how hard I tried I was able to operate only on 300–500 patients a year. So I thought why not take my previous avatar of a software entrepreneur and combine it with my present avatar of a heart surgeon, and take some of her media talent and bring it together. Then we will be able to create a platform (an app) which will empower patients. But then Madhuri suggested this dance app, so we went ahead with it,” says Sriram.
The app is also well timed as a birthday present for Madhuri who celebrates it on May 15. “I want her to remember that I have always been a fan of her art,” Sriram adds. “In a classroom, you can only teach 30-40 students. This allows us to scale. I wanted to develop systems which were fun and social,” says Sriram.
The heart surgeon put a heart rate monitor on Madhuri during one of her dance sessions. “She burned 400 calories in 15 minutes. Would you rather be on a treadmill or have a beautiful woman teaching you how to dance?” he asks.
When asked if his dance steps have improved after marrying Madhuri Dixit, it’s the diva who cuts in to answer on his behalf. “I think I should answer this. He has improved a lot. Main inko bohot nachati hoon,” she says with a smile. “I am very fortunate to get a husband like him. I have always been in a supportive family, be it my in laws or my parents. Even my children are supportive of all my endeavours,” she adds.
The husband reciprocates. “I am blessed too. She is the most grounded person one would come across, even though she has achieved so much in her life. She supported me for 10 years when I was busy in my career as a heart surgeon,” he says.
