Madhuri Dixit - The Only Constant.

"Sir... wo wahaan kaun baitha hai? Itni baarish mein bouquet pe photos laga raha hai!"
"Madhuri Dixit fan hai...bouquet ko dekho! Itni saari Madhuri hain!"

I smiled & continued the job I suck the most at in this world, - Cut and paste of pictures for decoration, while I overheard people around me saying all this in a well audible tone. It was a beautiful bouquet filled with chocolates, on which I was pasting few pictures of 'Madhura Sane' - Madhuri Dixit's character from Bucket List. Why was I doing this? Well, I did not want to go empty handed this time to my meet with the Diva. Yes, I was going to meet her again! This was going to be my 15th meet with her!

Meeting the person you admire the most, particularly, when it is a Superstar of Bollywood, would not be a privilege everyone gets. I had experienced it 14 times before, and this was going to be the 15th. How my world cycles in and around only Madhuri Dixit is what I wonder sometimes. They say everything that happens to you, happens for a reason. I have been trying to decipher the reason behind these memorable encounters and have finally made some sense out of it.

I reached the venue, viz, Film City sets of Dance Deewane, before time. There never is a fixed time for fan-meets. Everything depends upon the shoot schedule, the stars other commitments and a little bit of luck (which has been in my favour every single time!) . This time I took 2 fans along - one who had been wanting to meet MD for many years - Aditya , and other, Desmond, who was a mutual friend, and had been a fan of only one star for years - Madhuri Dixit. As we waited outside her van area, minutes before the meet, thousands of thoughts began flowing within my mind. I had not met MD in quite a while.There was so much to tell her - about fans, about reactions for Bucket List, about the Fanclub activities and a lot more! I knew I would forget half the things I had on mind, but did not really make a conscious effort to note down all I had to say - Eventually in those final minutes before meeting her I just let go and enjoy the moment-not holding the burden of things I need to discuss.

As I entered the van, with the hand decorated bouquet, she welcomed me with a huge Hello and a broad smile. While I gave her the bouquet, like always, she said," Why do you need to get all this?". To this I replied saying " That's our way of saying Congratulations for the success of Bucket List!"
She quickly noticed a small rolled paper too along with the bouquet. Seeing it, she jokingly asked "Is that your Bucket List, Nitesh? ". I laughed and immediately responded, "No ma'am...My Bucket List ,if I brought it along, would give your manager nightmares! ". She laughed hearing that and so did her manager.  Well, it indeed is true - My Bucket List would've been with so many unknown wishes as a Madhuri fan, like A good face to face interview with MD, Twitter live for @MadhuriEmpress with the Empress herself, and way lot more, that her manager would suffer a mini-heart attack hearing, and wouldn't even help fix the meet with her. Well, I don't really need a Bucket List ....What could be on the Bucket List of a Madhurian who has met her 15 odd times? Mine's way beyond a bucket, that has turned into a Bath-tub of happy moments now.  I shouldn't even ask for more. But, I am always unsatisfied. That's human. I don't think any huge fan of hers, who has met her just once, would be content with it. There's always more and more we crave for as fans. She's our world &; I do not see anything wrong in fans wishing to meet her over and over again. Her aura and magic is such that you are left asking for more every single time. However, she's a legend - Easy to be on one's wishlist, but then she / her team should have you on their wish list too na, for the meet to happen? Luckily, I have earned many memorable meets - just like this one!

As we walked into her newly renovated vanity, I again began shivering! This was anyways nothing new. I was in front of Madhuri Dixit yet again - and those shivers were bound to happen. While the other 2 fans spoke to her, and posed for the pics, I tried capturing few pictures, eventually not being successful with good clicks, I handed over my mobile to her team. It was then my chance to pose for the picture, which I as usual did with my infamous star-struck expression that comes out naturally in front of her. I looked at her post the picture and said softly , "Every time..every single time..I have so much to say, and I am at loss of words looking at you!"  She laughed as usual. I somehow re-collected a lot from what I had to tell her & began... "Ma'am, so have you been happy with the response for Bucket List? " . She smiled saying, "Yes indeed. It has been doing well". I continued,
"We heard there's a 4th song, which has not been added to the film?" . She was surprised - "What song? We had shot just for 3!- Movie always had just 3 songs!" . I exclaimed "Ma'am, Tejas told us about this". She laughed it off still denying the fact of there being a 4th song. I also did not hesitate stating something more about Bucket List - "Ma'am we fans love you in movies particularly with powerful roles like these, where we get to see more and more of just you!". She thanked me for acknowledging this.

 Moving on, I showed her a video - of Sej Shah (from London, who's a good online friend)'s  daughter- Priscilla, where she's crooning to  the tunes of Mai ni mai. The video indeed was super sweet since she is less than 2 months old! She smiled throughout watching the video. In between , also stated "Did I see this on Twitter?". Maybe she had seen Sej's tweet. I wanted her to see the video because I personally found it way too sweet and Sej has been a known Madhurian for years. No, Sej had not requested me to show it to her - she didn't even know I was meeting MD. Sometimes you do things your heart says in that real time- this was one of those!  After this, I gave her few autograph sheets, which she happily signed, without a grudge. While she signed those, I was still talking to her.

"Priscilla? OMG that baby - for her too you want an autograph?"
"Yes ma'am..She is Sej's daughter. Remember Sej Shah, from London"
"Okk I'll write it for Sej's Priscilla then!"

One of my best Madhurian friends - Maddy Smita had missed quite a few chances of meeting MD recently. I had a separate page for MD's autograph to her too.  Not that Smita has never met MD, but , trust me, I totally understand her disappointment whenever she misses an opportunity of meeting her -  because I myself go through the same always. Madhuri smiled as I told her about Smita and she exclaimed Smita to the same and not be disappointed!  Such is her down-to-earth nature. She could've easily questioned me saying - Smita has met me soo many times! Why an autograph for her?  - But what she did was the sweetest gesture. She involuntarily signed for Smita in the booklet. However, later, when she signed the last autograph, she exclaimed "Don't you want a sign for Smita?". I was taken aback for a moment. Maybe it had skipped her mind that she already gave an autograph for her. I replied saying "Neki aur pooch pooch! ...like you say in Aaja Nachle!"- She doesnt' forget fans and this is an evident proof to it.

She signed an autograph not just for my office  team- i.e. Furtados family, but also my colleague Nitish, who keeps troubling me all day at work with weird antics and funny things about MDN, though all in good humour. He was pleasantly surprised while I presented him the autograph- I am not sure if he would ever be a Madhuri fan as he belongs to an age group and era different from mine and it would be difficult for him to connect with her legendary status.However, maybe one day he will understand the greatness inherited in that autograph and remember that he knew someone who was a huge Madhuri Dixit fan.

I told her about how I went for Bucket List with office colleagues and everyone enjoyed the film, which she was delighted to hear. I also mentioned to her about the excitement with which I received calls from so many colleagues when Dr Nene and her kids visited one of our stores to purchase a piano.She exclaimed "Yes, we have recently bought the piano. Kids play it!"

Flipping to the next page while signing, she exclaimed "ME! - Ohh for YOU!"
I replied saying "Yes ma'am...See I trouble you soo much! Inspite of meeting you so many times, I want one more autograph! So selfish and unsatisfied I am!". & she teased me, looking at her manager, and saying "Dekho..Yahaan fans hi selfish hain...& people blame us celebrities!". Those words and that smile while she gave those bunch of autographs still make me feel on the top of this world!
I smiled off, almost going to leave the room, when I realised my mobile's wallpaper- Her picture with a cute pup "Bunny". I showed that to her asking "Ma'am, was this also a part of Bucket List? It wasn't in the film". She excitedly said "No! This was the owner of the bungalow's pet dog, with whom we played a lot  on the sets! It was super fun." . I replied saying, "By now you must have realised, your fans notice everything that becomes public about you!" , to which she responded "Yes I do!"

The faces on the bouquet I gifted had now lost their impact- Because none of those printed smiles matched the level of the smile I saw on her face, while I stood right opposite her! Seeing her smile in a picture is different from watching her smile in front of you. Only someone who has experienced meeting her would understand this.
Leaving that grace and smile intact, which I could stare at for hours and hours, I finally had to bid adieu since everyone was waiting for her to join the shoot inside.Catching that last glimpse of hers, while she continued doing her final touch-up, I left the van, with a smile, lots of positivity and contentment.

I feel everything happens for a reason in life. There ought to be a reason why my life has revolved over and over again around Madhuri Dixit. Being at a stage in life where I am perpetually a loner, with minimal friends, a monotonous routine and a slow-paced unexciting outlook, I find my contentment being a Madhuri fan. Every time I have seen Bucket List in theatre, there is a sheer sense of satisfaction and happiness I experience. This is something only a Madhuri fan, or a true fan of any star, would understand and connect with. Not an obsession, but an absolute epitome of the much required positivity I crave for, is something I realise only watching her - be it in a movie, or be it on a TV show. Yes, I have been part of her fan-club for the longest period now. It has been quite a journey of sorts - From Orkut, to Facebook, to Twitter, but frankly, not much as a fan in me has changed. Even today, I get equally a excited as I used to be years ago with her songs playing on TV, or with a new movie of hers releasing. It's never been that this fanatism has let me compromise on my priorities though. For me, my family is the most important aspect of life. Among the other luxuries and challenges, my needs and aspirations too have been limited.

When I ask myself, if I am happy with the way life is treating me, the only answer I get is - To hell with all those tough times at home that you faced, those tough friendships and relations to maintain, the absolute unworthy remarks you heard from people at work about your simplicity and nature which has always been taken for granted, or anything that makes you feel miserable! - The person you admired you the most since your childhood, knows you as a fan today! Is that less of an achievement? Apart from my family, the only 3 people I am currently close to, and interact with daily, are my online friends are also Madhuri fans!!  I feel these are signs that define my life's purpose- which is being happy with whatever I do.  She truly has been and will remain to be THE ONLY CONSTANT in my life!

I have had 15 unforgettable meetings with the star I love the most, I am sure jolting down these experiences in a book would be an adventurous task - Maybe in a year or two from now, I plan to publish a book with this regards. It may need immense efforts and hardwork from my side but I am really hoping this happens. 

The #DanceForHappiness with Madhuri Dixit Nene!

Yet again, destiny brought me face to face with the person I adore the most in this industry - Madhuri Dixit Nene! - This time as a part of a contest - #DanceForHappiness organised by Tata Sky on their social media portals.

Being an enthusiast, I thought why not give it a try since there was no norm that I had to dance to be eligible ! Here's what my entry was like! :

The entry was liked by many Madhurian's around, shared, RT'd a lot....& eventually made me win the Golden chance to meet Madhuri Ma'am again! 

Reached the venue much before the actual time and amidst the set up going on I waited for the actual moment when I would be face to face with Madhuri Ma'am yet again! 4  LCD Monitors at the entry showcased my name as one of the winners, highlighting my entry. I could see entries of lot of other Madhuri fans I knew. A special mention to the super duper amazing Tata Sky's social media team which included Jennifer, Arjun and Dilpreeta primarily, who left no stone unturned to make me feel at ease and comfortable at the event.  I have won contests in the past but at times what you remember the most is how someone made you feel and this team made me feel really like a star who has won the privilege to meet a Diva! Take a bow Team Tata Sky! 

Once the other two winners, viz, Mr. Kamal from Jaipur , and Shristi from Mumbai ( who is already a dancer- was a contestant in DID 4! ) reached the venue, we were asked to give few bytes on video about how we felt at that point about the contest and meet that was going to happen!

We were made to sit on the sofa right next to the VIP's of the event. That was in itself overwhelming. As the show began, all 3 of us waited for the moment to arrive when we would get to go on the stage and meet Madhuri Dixit. This was NOT THE FIRST TIME I was meeting her.However, my heartbeats were equally as fast as they be at any Madhuri meets I have experienced in the past! 

Manish Paul, who has been my favorite anchor on Jhalak, was hosting the show. It was amazing to see his Pallu prem with Madhuri ma'am post she entered!  It was indeed a treat to watch them dance together- reminded me of the good old Jhalak days where I used to love MD and Manish's talks throughout the show!

Dressed in an amazing Yellow Salwar kameez, with her hair well tied MDN made a graceful entry. Seconds before her actual entry I had already seen her pic in the outfit as she posted it on Twitter! As she spoke about Tata Sky Dance Studios, I kept staring at her , waiting for my chance to go up there and talk to her. For a glimpse she looked at me sitting right on the front sofa & flashed that million-dollar-smile , which was enough to make me go shiver - WELL YEAH...YET AGAIN!

As Manish announced our names, we were asked to go on the stage and collect our HUGE CERTIFICATES, signed by Madhuri Ma'am and Pallavi Puri - the head of Tata Sky. She saw me on the stage and gave that  "oh-I-know-you " expression!  Haaye.....I wanted to tell her I have finished the Ek do teen counting and this was my 13th meet with her...And she still left me equally as enchanted!

We posed for the shutterbugs with the certificate. Once that was done, Manish announced that we could now go down. In my mind I thought- That's it?  I somehow gathered courage to ask Madhuri ma'am before I was leaving the stage -
" Ma'am can we not get to learn a step from you? ".  She instantly looked at Manish and said ... "Manish inko step sikhna hai...! " . Did I know what I was doing?  I AM COMPLETE NON-DANCER & I WANTED TO LEARN A DANCE STEP FROM MD - IT MEAN'T I HAD TO DANCE ON STAGE WITH HER ! The last I must've danced would have been after a lot of zabardasti by my best friend at my MBA Farewell- I am an absolute anti-social and non-party type person! She quickly handed over a mike in my hand and said please request me on mike! Trust me when the mike was in my hand, I wanted to say sooo much...soo much that I have never said in my last 12 meets..which included what Madhuri Dixit Nene meant to us fans with me representing all the Twitter Fanclubs - But all I said was "Can you please teach us a dance step? " :/   Maybe another Madhurian getting this chance of speaking on mike being next to Madhuri ma'am would make most of the chance- I am an idiot not to! Kya karun yaar...I always go lost whenever I meet her!

 I was very very apprehensive  after she agreed to teach the dance step! Infact I even told her- Ma'am I dont know anything! She was like - " Stay calm . Just follow me! " . Well I tried but I was too mesmerised by her magic to get any of the steps right! At a point I stopped, folded my hands and was just looking at how amazingly someone could dance! She had a smile throughout the act! It was not that I wanted the music to stop , nor was it that I wanted to do the dance! - as paradoxic as it sounds, that was the state of my mind.

But ,somewhere within I thought - Dancing is synonymous to Madhuri Dixit Nene and being her fan I need to respect that.  Maybe one fine day soon in the times to come, I would try to learn dancing - only for her! Dancing with Madhuri on the stage in front of the media is an experience I would never ever forget even though I am highly embarrassed with the way I am dancing when I look at the videos . Anyway, atleast I tried! It takes a lotsss of courage to be sporting enough to dance for an introvert and I am glad I asked her for teaching those steps!

I can now say to the world - I HAVE DANCED WITH MADHURI DIXIT -well dance kaisa bhi ho, she taught me, and that's what mattered! I promise maybe in few years when things in my personal life settle down, I would pukka try and learn dancing that too from DWM ! ;) I decided this only after I danced with her!

Look at me in this picture- You would know how lost I was!!!!!!!

After the event was over, I wanted to meet her again and atleast ask for a selfie - I HAVE NEVER HAD A SELFIE WITH HER- In none of those 12 previous meets!  She readily agreed and I quickly gave my phone in her hand and said you know I shiver so can you please click it? She took the phone and was checking the right light. We turned around- SHE CLICKED IT and gave the phone in my hand & left for her interviews. & Whoa! what do I see......! NONE OF THE TWO SELFIES HAD GOT SAVED ! :/ 2 AMAZING SELFIES CLICKED BY MADHURI DIXIT NENE ON MY PHONE DID NOT SAVE!!!!!! Enough reason for me to sue HTC ? I didn't know what to do then! I decided to wait until her interviews ended. Maybe I would get to meet her one more time after it ?

Waiting for almost an hour I somewhere in my mind knew that maybe I would get another moment with the diva if she sees me. What even a minute of conversation with her means to us fans is best known only to us!  -  No non-MD fan can ever understand this!

Zoom tv reporters had lined up an interview with MD and Doc which was supposed to be on the X'mas theme. Coincidentally,I had a small caricatured card for them which I was carrying. I suggested the reporter to incorporate it in her interview and she readily agreed. Once they saw the card in the interview, the reporter pointed out at me saying I was the one who created it.Looking around at me, MD told her "Ohh Him....! That's Nitesh!!! "

Post the interview, since both  Doc and MD had noticed me, they made it  a point to speak to me since I was around. Both congratulated & thanked me for coming. I told MD about the unsaved selfies and she sweetly said " Ohh okk chalo lets take another pic! " . If she wanted, she could refuse for the pic - I have met her 12 times before- that was a reason enough. But she didn't ...Just because...she is Madhuri Dixit Nene - :- )

This #DanceForHappiness event would remain indelible to me all my life as I did something that I couldn't dare even dreaming of- Danced with Madhuri Dixit! I am not the best dancer around...But I am a huge Madhuri fan..and would remain one forever...!  Ending on this note with just one request to MD  which I even screamed about when she was leaving  : "PLEASE DO A MOVIE! "...That would make us not just Dance for Happiness but also keep our smiles intact throughout! ;)

#MadhuriMeetsMadhuri - Another Dream Comes True!

They say you make idols only of Gods- who is perceivably immortal. In  the fast growing world of today, not  everyone follows that ideology. Infact, idolizing humans by  making miniature replicas of them, to keep it as an everlasting memory has been an all new fascination to many. And I was one among those fascinated. Not many companies do this- Infact, From what I researched, there was just one company in India- THE ULTIMATE KOPIE ( ), which had a  Facebook page, and had recently initiated doing so. I loved the concept totally. Infact, I loved it soo much that I decided to make one of these replicas for a Best Friends birthday- & within 1 months time, the same was ready! I was very happy with the final output and was surprised that even hand made art could have such perfection! 

Few months from then, the idea of gifting these replica dolls to my favorite actress  - MADHURI DIXIT NENE for her birthday this year, struck me ( Have planned her birthday gifts for the last 3 consecutive years successfully ) . Was it feasible? What if they got it wrong? Money doesn’t grow on trees!- How would I manage arranging the money for the plan I had in mind?  I was very certain that if I am planning a replica for her, it had to be not just ONE..But many..defining different stages of her career! But, would Madhuri like it? Moreover, would it even reach it? – That’s the way my brain functioned with those questions popping up in my head every single day. Finally, I told to myself, I need to start doing something if I wish to work this out. Thought, why not share the idea with some fans I knew?  I remember the first LONG message I typed in all the Whatsapp groups related to Madhuri of which I was a part… Few reactions were super positive…few did not react at all. Didn’t find any negativity thankfully. That’s where I thought maybe the idea is good enough.  Since it was a  big gift, it required cash contributions too as a major part. I wanted to make it a rule that I would take money ONLY from WORKING PROFESSIONALS who are MADHURI FANS and WISH TO CONTRIBUTE without any COERCION. I still remember AMNA AL OTHMAN, who is a fan from KUWAIT,’s first reaction being that She would contribute  as much as she could and cash was not a constraint. She insisted that through Western Union cash transactions are easy and that I should allow her to contribute. Since she was the first one to agree, I couldn’t say no accept the amount. Post that, there was no stopping.

 Many fans themselves volunteered to be ok with contributing cash. Some from abroad who were students wished to contribute but I couldn’t take money from such & told them rather support the initiative we begin for this  gift on Twitter.  In the next 3 days, a group on whatsapp was created with all the cash contributors and  co- admin of  @MadhuriEmpress Fanclub-  Bhagyashree Kulkarni . The next challenge was to get the cash arranged ASAP since the  creation of the gift required atleast a month of  hard work by the creators.  By Gods grace I arranged the entire cash in-time, included my contribution, and gave a  green signal for the gift to be made!  We zeroed upon 3  different looks highlighting different stages of Madhuri’s career- Movies, Jhalak & Dance With Madhuri!

Next  stage was to create a buzz and It has always been my dream to work with every single FanClub of MDN together as a group and this time I made sure I would strive to do this! There was absolute co-operation by other FC’s   @MadhuriD_Tweets  & @AmaniAnusha ..not once did they question my  foresight!..We built a strong positive team to move ahead..Now what we wanted was a  name to give for this entire campaign & after numerous discussions  we zeroed upon  using the hashtag # MadhuriMeetsMadhuri for our gift!! The enthusiasm with which we began posting stuff related to this surprise made Madhuri fans go ga-ga!..We trended  on the first day of launching the hashtag!!!!!

I wanted to make sure every supporter was acknowledged and hence thought of coming up with a booklet-cum-card, which would have been given to MD along with the gift. I left this to be entirely designed by Amani Anusha and coordinated by Avinash and Aakrati. As expected, they did a phenomenal job!!

Jumping on directly to the D-Day now…Fast forwarding a tad bit too much as I understand people would otherwise stop reading this out of boredom !

The Replicas……Check..! MDN Birthday Card…Check…!.. Camera..Check.! Perfect Outfit..Check…!

I was all set to reach the launch of #DanceWithMadhuri App, where we were invited by Madhuri’s Team, because of the efforts we put in on Twitter, so as to present our gift to her! THIS WAS THE DAY NOT JUST ME, BUT ALL MADHURIANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE GIFT IN ONE WAY OR THE OTHER WERE WAITING FOR!!...Our DREAM was about to come true!!!!

2 other Madhurians accompanied me at the venue- one being Palak, who is a huge MD fan from Rajkot, and the other being my  first ever MD-related friend and Co-admin of Empress FC, Maddy Smita!Post the launch event, we were told to wait outside in the hotel lobby & were told that Madhuri Ma’am would be there to see us shortly. We waited impatiently since the launch event was already over and we were scared that what if Ma’am goes away without seeing our gift maybe because she would be exhausted! A 1000 thoughts, zillion jitters & butterflies later, we saw her walking towards us.

I could very well freeze  at that very moment! What began as a dream was about to become a reality!!!!- Yes we were about to reveal to  The Madhuri Dixit Nene- what #MadhuriMeetsMadhuri was!!!-This was  THE Moment we were waiting for!!! As she moved forward, she saw and instantly recognized me. She greeted all of us. I moved my hand forward to wish her for her birthday in advance. She readily put her hand in mine and we shook hands! Might appear as a small moment to many but this was something that I was gonna cherish was a lifetime!- I shook hands with her, wished her for her Birthday, 2 days prior to it..This has never happened in the past years..and would be recorded in the history of our fandom for her, for this lifetime. Quickly post she greeted Palak and Maddy Smita, I put the gift in her hand and told her to guess what it could be! She began thinking, trying to figure out what it is!...Guessing a little, she said, post I hinted, I said it has something to do with 4 stages of your career, she  stated, “ 4 Stages..Uhmm..maybe 4 films of mine or something? ! “. I insisted her to try a little harder.She thought a little and said like a curious kid. “ No ..now I am opening this..! My brain is not working at the moment! “. Then, we began helping her open the gift. The packings were tough since the gift was delicate. Opening the gift wrapper, and finding a lot more packing inside, she exclaimed, “ Arre itna packing? Arre Deva!!!! Help me unpack it now!”  All of us, along with her team began helping in opening  the  gift. Then I removed the first replica, packed in white plastic, and told her to open it. As she opened it, she said “ Ohhh my God!Look at that!! That’s a lovely  doll!!!”. It was the Jhalak replica. I then asked her if she remembered where that look was from. She struggled a bit, but couldn’t figure that out. I myself revealed it to her that the replica was of her JHALAK 7 Finale look & then she remembered!!!!!!!!!! She showed the doll to her staff with soo much excitement &  told them to place it  carefully  so that they don’t break. I remember her saying “ Its very delicate!!!!”

Next up was the Dance With Madhuri doll seeing which she was yet again very surprised & happy. As always, I shivered a bit around her while I unpacked the gift. She told me while I opened one of the replicas “ Please be careful!!Aaram se” .I could see she cared for the gift we gave her. This was more than what I could have wished for! Palak stopped me while I was unpacking the last replica and asked MD if she could guess which could the last one be. She said, “ Uhmmmm Didi Tera Devar! “ . Smita noticed that MD has seen a bit of the open sides of the replica and thus guessed . To this, MD replied . “ Haan thodi si cheating kardi maine :D  “ . She was in absolute awe of all 4 replicas from what I noticed!

To add on to this, Doctor Nene joined her there while we still spoke. I handed over the Birthday card stating that this was AMANI ANUSHA’s design. She exclaimed with a huge smile , “ Ohh Amani & Anusha!!”. She randomly opened some pages of the card.She saw the #MadhuriReactions page and pointing at a particular reaction pic, she said :  “ Oh My God..Look at me there!.. “. To this , I replied, “ Yes ma’am, those are the trademark #MadhuriReactions made by AA! “. Her eyes looked as excited as that of a curious young kid who gets a chocolate he/she loves! 

She looked at Doctor and said “Did you see what they have gifted me!?” . Doctor stated that he just saw them and he too really liked the same ! He asked me where did I make them from and where I got this idea !I told him that I got it while browsing the net :D . He also asked us if we are liking the DWM App & we answered that yes we loved the same!

Meanwhile, she was asking others their names & then I interrupted saying, “Don’t know if you know” me? , teasing her with those words, like always. And she replied , yet again with that cute expression, like last time , saying “ U…noo I don’t think I know you!!! U must’be some Nitesh-Ritesh..I don’t knw :P “

Tell me one celebrity who can talk so openly with fans- I bet there just cannot be one! No one can match the nature this angel has- There is truly no one like her-and would never be! 

Next, I wanted to make the moment a memory for not just me, Palak and Smita, but also all the contributors and the creators. MD had no qualms giving an autograph on both the collages I had made for this. While signing the autograph for the creator-The Ultimate Kopie’s team- ( Avleen Kaur ), she asked Doctor, “ Arre figurines cha spelling kaay asto? !  F..I..G..U..R..? “  & Doctor replied answering the same for her! I found it very sweet of her to ask that question to him…Was such a simple & sweet convo! Even though we fans were around, it never made her conscious to casually converse with her hubby. This sweetness & down to earth nature of hers leaves us all spellbound everytime we meet her! Truly, there cannot be another Madhuri Dixit!. :

Before leaving, I wanted one last pic of hers with the Contributors collage, which she readily agreed for . Though the pic was NOT clicked as expected by the person whom I gave it to, I was very happy to see her be ready inspite of  having the urgency to leave since the event had wrapped up. While we were being pictured, I said to her " I am sorry I am demanding too much! ". Post the pictures were taken, she replied to that saying, " Its totally OKK Nitesh! .." ..And before she made a final move, she turned back again and said, "...But remember...To have patience...! PATIENCE is a VIRTUE! " And I agreed to the same! ...& She left from the entry door, yet again making me totally enchanted, and head over heels in awe of this persona!
Once again, I was successful in living my dreams, and gifting her what I  had  thought of, with strong support from soo many #Madhurians! I thank every single one who ever tweeted for #MadhuriMeetsMadhuri, from the bottom of my heart. You guys made this possible!- I could do nothing alone- Trust me!! On my journey this time I made a number of new friends with fellow MD Fans, got to know a lot new people and tried to spread as much happiness as I could!

What makes this blog extra special is the date when I am uploading it! 15^TH MAY 2015 –

Meanwhile, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADHURI is trending worldwide!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADHURI!!!-  HOPE YOU LIKED OUR SMALL SURPRISE!  :)

The Pic MD Tweeted says it all! I JUST COULDN'T BE HAPPIER!!!!!

'Shehr-E-Zaat' & The Teachings Within...

I have hardly seen any Pakistani tele series in the past. But ever since I began watching Humsafar, which aired on Zindagi Channel, I fell so much in love with Mahira Khan's performance, that I couldn't help myself from googling about her other shows, and eventually reading about Shehr-e-zaat, and the inherit debates associated with the show, knowing of which, I decided to watch the series online and that remained to be one of the best decisions I made.Here's this long due blog post describing how I fell absolutely in love with the concept of this beautiful Pakistani show- SHEHR-E-ZAAT!

SHEHR-E-ZAAT refers to 'City of One's self '.

The show portrays the life-story of Falak ( played effortlessly by Mahira Khan) , who defines 'beauty with brains' in terms of every action she undertakes. Until one fine day, when she falls in love with a face carved by her!Falak's nani , ( played by Samina Peerzada ) is a spiritual believer, living a simple routine life, who believes there is noone beyond Allah for any individual to love!

As luck would have it, Falak coincidentally meets  Salman, whom she feels has a face very very identical to the face she once carved. She gets infatuated  and Salman becomes the world to her! Salman is a difficult person. Falak's love remains to be a one-sided obsession inspite of Salman paying no heed to her actions.Eventually, she wins his heart  & marries him. But life does not remain a bed of roses always! Slowly, Falak realises that Salman has started neglecting her. One fine day, he confesses to her that he is in love with her office worker Tabinda. Fuming with anger, Falak decides to pour acid on the other female's face. She is shell-shocked to understand that  the female is an arrogant ugly woman who is known for her cunning ways!

The crux of the story lies post this point, where Falak's nani makes her understand how life is not always how we want it to be, and how Allah (God) , is the ONLY one, who can be considered one's own!..How God test's every individual at different of life, only to ultimately make them realise that it is just Him who one can look upto!-He is not just the Creator, but justifiably, also the one who has the right to be looked upon by his Creation in moments of Happiness or Sorrow & Only with the help of God can one find his/her own-self at peace and harmony.

A sequence on the show where Falak drenches herself in muddy waters on a beach, and screams out how she is in search of her own-self  & she pleads God  for the same , is applaud worthy. It not only defines what a brilliant performer Mahira Khan is, but also highlights the high-point of the series!

The situation faced by Falak maybe a slightly more complex one,however, even in everyday life, I believe similar situations are faced by lakhs of people on a daily basis! With emotions rise expectations, which are bound to be broken someday or the other! Have been a firm believer of the 'Expect nothing, lose nothing' philosophy, which in a way teaches me that the only one I could rely upon for remaining happy is myself and my God! As philosophical as this sounds, sooner or later, everyone realises this in their lives! In no way do I mean that I do not believe in Love or I do not count upon people. I surely do, but doesn't life truly become much simpler when you discover the city of one-self placed within your own hearts- the city which is ruled by only and only the one who created you- God! Try talking to him someday , you may not get answers, but you would surely be at content with yourself! :)

There are very few shows which  I would never ever forget. Shehr-e-zaat joins the list of those. If you liked or agree to any of thoughts as mentioned above, I am sure the show would be a treat to watch for you! :)

You could watch the entire series ( 19 episodes)  here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R00hQQu1OD4&index=3&list=PL5456F557E2A11B60

Yet Another 'JHALAK'....One of its Kind!

' I AM DANCING WITH MADHURI...... ARE YOU?' : This is what a t-shirt I got at my workplace reads. You must've guessed it by now that I have been a part of Madhuri Dixit's Digital Team. I had given a interview for my summer internship here in January and finally began my Summer Internship here in the month of May.
How would it feel to work as a part of a Team for someone you have always idolised? I consider myself honored to have got this chance to be a part of an organization who have a client as legendary as MADHURI DIXIT NENE, and who are constantly working hard towards developing her online presence.

I knew JHALAK's season was beginning in June, and always knew that like always, I would surely be on the sets, atleast for once, to see the performances and more precisely,  Madhuri ma'am!:)
So, along with a set of 4 other fans , I  dressed myself in my 'DANCING WITH MADHURI' t shirt, which rightfully belonged to only her Team members until now, and reached the Jhalak sets!

The Jhalak show has always been even more bigger and larger than life when experience Live!Yet again this time, Jhalak's set was huge and very well designed. Not just that, the stage had some fabulous performances which I couldn't actually believe that I was watching Live!..Be it Sonali and Sumanth's energetic  robotic fusion or the fiercy and aggressive Sita Haran act as part of Ekta Kaul's fusion dance, which left me speechless with the way Raavan(Tushar) took Sita(Ekta) away flying (literally) with him, the dances had a sheer magic touch!

Yet again I got the privilege of watching Madhuri ma'am do a  small jig on MAIN KOLHAPUR SE AAYI HOON and DIDI TERA DEVAR with some of those lucky Jhalak contestants! She looked prettiest to the t in that beautiful Pink saree  and her dancing just added to the beauty!:)

Many outtakes of the show I always cherish when I watch...Sharing in some behind the scene moments I loved this time:

1.)  Madhuri's small dancing jigs on her judge seat whenever the Jhalak title song plays ( particularly when the contestants move from the floor to Hawa Mahal ..Those impromptu steps she does on the seat are wayyyy too sweettttttt!
2.)  A serious shot was given to the judges : MD, Remo and KJo.. wherein they had to say with a straight face : WE WANT MORE!  All 3 of them were so in splits as soon as the shot began that it eventually could'nt take off... Finally after 3 takes, the 4th time, they zeroed it Perfectly!!!! :D :D :D It was just amazing to see them laugh in between that serious shot :D

Soo many indelible memories I make every time I visit that Jhalak set!:) I also notice that it takes soo much effort to be a part of a reality Dance show!They all r superhard workers...and I mean every single one!!!!! Its a pleasure watching them perform and create that mesmerizing magic!:)

Once the show ended, we all waited outside Madhuri ma'am's van hoping to get a chance to meet her. Seeing us stand with posters of MDN, some photographers and journalists from FILMFARE which included Mr Raghuvendra Singh, who is quiet a famous journalist for mag told us to pose with the posters for some pics. They also waited along with us to capture our golden moments with the Empress!

Almost 40 odd mins after the wait, we were called  near her van.... and MD came downstairs from her van so as to meet the fangroup. It was yet another MAGICAL MADHURI MOMENT for me!:) She is a 100 times more beautiful when seen in person. ....U got to experience  it to believe it!:) The first thing she did was greet all the fans who were present with a huge smile and then ask me ,"Oh Hi Nitesh...How are you? "..Yes, she knows who I am by now and I am so glad she does!!!!!!:) I told I was good and quickly handed over the fan booklet that I had made compiling a no. of writeups for the Diva  for her b'day in 2013 which happened last month. She said ,"Ohh..another booklet?"
  I guess she remembered that I had given her a booklet last year as well which was a picture representation of her life and her fans. :)
I said "Yeah ma'am..this was actually for your B'day ..but then..Its not too late to present it now!:)"
She smiled... and I was enchanted!!!!!!!:)
Moving over, I went on clicking pictures of the others fans from the group as the met her.
While doing so when one fan asked her for a picture , she  told her, "Dunn worry....Look at Nitesh..he's gng on and on and on.......at a jet speed :D"  .I actually was trying and capturing as many pictures as I could because I did not want the moment to be lost for fans who were present there :).At a point she said ,"Look..ur hand is on the flash...pic wont come proper...."
To which I replied on realising the fault "Ma'am...sorry.. actually I shiver always when I meet u..  Dunno y!"
She smilingly replied ,"Ya yaa..I know :D :D"
Then towards the end..just before she left, I gave her the collage  I had made for Dancewithmadhuri.com telling her that I was supposed to present it somedays before at an event which got cancelled. She was delighted seeing the gift and said that she would surely see it later!:)
Greeting her a goodbye I told her We were liking Jhalak!....She gave that dazzling smile yet again and said ...Thanks ..M glad u r !:) And other shouted from behind that all r looking fwd to Gulaab Gang and Dedh Ishqiya too!:) She left to the sets with an inexplicably enchanting aura amongst us. It was yet another MAGICAL MEET with the Diva that I had just experienced!:)

But.......we were NOT done yet!!!!:) Something remained to surprise us before we left..!I spotted Dr Nene outside MD's van and went and introduced myself telling about the Team I work in and he replied saying "Yeah I know u!" ..Okk this came as a shocker that even he knew me!I had seen him soo many times at work but never had the guts to go and talk.....And lo!I finally was there talking to him!:)
He was very casual and so damn down to earth!!!!!I feel I was more confident and free talking to Dr Nene than I am in front of MD..Pata nahi kya ho jaata hai MD ke saamne :D
Dr Nene met the entire fangroup and called in MD's van to give the rest of groups the t shirt I was wearing!!!!!Isn't that just amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!I mean which Superstar or superstar husband does that??? My respect and affection towards him grew to a  even higher level seeing that! We all as a group had a almost 10 minutes conversation about MD's upcoming projects on Dancewithmadhuri and other things... Trust me...There's a hell lot in store at Dancewithmadhuri for MD fans!!!!!!!...Its gonna be awesome..I am an evidence of seeing whats coming up and believe me its fabulous!:)

After taking some pics with Dr Nene, we also got to meet MD's mom who was in the van!:)  Could there be  a better  delight for us?? We were treated to be so special as MD fans....Just cudn't ask for more!!!! The more I meet her, the more my respect for this actress and the people around her increases!.. I couldn't ask God for anything else for myself  ..I am glad he made me a Madhuri fan! :) I bet I would remain one All My Life!:)

'Rabba Ve' And The Memories Remain! :)

I still remember being online one fine evening during January someday this year and having my cousin and a college friend online to chat with. The time being around 8-8:15 P.M , I decided to give the chats a wrap for a while, and have my dinner. All of a sudden one of the college friends said , "Star Plus chala..Teri Madhuri ke gaane pe dance chalu hai" .After reading that , I casually went up to TV Switch and put it on, just to see what was going on STAR PLUS! Thought it mustbe just another boring daily soap drama with someone spoiling my Madhuri number. There was this actress, Sanaya Irani, whom I had seen before on Miley Jab Hum Tum (which I left watching mid-way cos of the script ) , who was dressed as MD from HAHK and was dancing to Didi Tera Devar's rehash for the show. There was something about  the dance that made me feel inquisitive to watch it!..There was a one of its kind cuteness on her face and every character shown on the camera seemed very 'worth watching'! I must say, I was pretty impressed by the clip I had just seen. 

Later the next day, before it was 8 PM, i decided, I'd give it a try and watch this show 'ISS PYAAR KO KYA NAAM DOON? ', the  MD dance in which, I saw a day back!
Ever since,my journey of being a viewer to IPKKND began, and not a single day when I saw the show, was I disappointed!All of a sudden, I had become a ardent TV viewer of this show , every evening at 8!..Every single character of the show left a significant mark    , which made me even more curious to watch it daily! The show was NOT a RONA-DHONA FILLED SAAS-BAHU DRAMA..That was the BEST thing about it!!!!! The prime reason for me seeing it was that it brought a Smile on my face everytime I saw it! ..Khushi was always upto some gimmicks to make you laugh..ASR's 'What The! ', Manorama's 'Hello Hie Bye Bye', Buaji's 'Hai Re NandKishore' ,Anjali's simplicity and sweetness, were truly epic and one-of-its-kind!!!!!!!!
The chemistry between Arnav and Khushi was UNMATCHABLE!!! In the past, I'd say , the last most happening jodi I saw on TV, which actually clicked , was Sumit and Kumkum's, before this one!...(I saw Kumkum for Juhi...was a hugeeee fan of hers..Still am!:) ). They had that SRK-Kajol spark, which lightens up when both are seen together on screen! No many jodi's are able to generate that magic! And on top of all this, the beautiful background scores was just an icing on the cake !(Wont ever forget the RABBA VE's :D ) 
The show portrayed a LOVE-HATE relationship between the leads in such a surreal manner that the viewers just could connect just instantly! 
Apart from this, I loved the relationship between Arnav and Anjali as siblings. Their scenes together always remind me of my sweet sis Taruna and the happy moments we both cherish. :) 
While I write this, I have already seen the LAST EPISODE of what I would consider to be one among my favorite shows on television!.I know all good things always come to an end and nothing is permanent. I would remember this show as one among those shows that always relieved me from any tensions I had !:) The show's end was sudden  and I was obviously shocked knowing about it last Monday!. I got to know the Final shoot was scheduled on Wednesday at a studio in Kandivali. I thought of giving it a try to visit the sets and meet my favorite characters from the show. This was once in a life time chance, as I would never get to see all those characters under one roof , post that last shoot schedule. Here are details of my visit to the sets!:


I reached NINETY STUDIOS (Where the Raizada House is located) at around 2:30. On reaching there I was informed that the final shoot is already over and the stars had gone back home. I did not believe what I was being told since I had seen Karan (NK's) Tweet that stated they were shooting behind Ninety Studios at Sana House. It was an adventure in itself to find that Sana House. I walked 3-4 odd lanes and finally found it..only to reach there and know that the shoot got over at 12:30!I asked the watchman like 3-4 times, was it actually over! He repeatedly said it was, but I believed that if I was a true IPKKND Fan, there would surely be a way out that made me meet the cast that day!.Moreover, it was Guru Nanak Jayanti and my second birthday ( was born on the same date in 1990 when it was Guru-Janam and hence its the second time my B'day comes :D )  and I believed that   I surely was going to meet the stars. I had taken a bouquet along , that I intended to present to Sanaya. Post hearing the watchman's words, I walked the ahead, disappointed, thinking of now going back home and studying. At the moment, I just felt, why dont I just go back once more and take a U-Turn then , one last time , to see the Studio. I did what I felt and while I moved towards the studio now, I saw NK- i.e Karan Goddwani standing outside the studio!..I was like...Seriously?!..Felt that , maybe that 'turn' was a direction by God to help me out!  ;) 

I went ahead, met Karan , and told him what I was there for! He was very down-to-earth while conversing with me , and said that since it was the last day of shoot, they werent allowing fans inside, but, he would go and ask inside if anything could be done!. I was totally Ok with it!I presented the bouquet to him and told him that this was for the entire cast!He went inside , while I patiently waited out. He came back in a while , only to tell me that since it was the last day, nothing seemed possible and that there was no way I could go inside.I  told him ki thats fine and whether I could rather have pics only with him and go back. He readily agreed. I took pics and thanked him for  trying to arrange for me going in. 

Further, I was about to leave, when the watchman of the studio, came up to me, and was apologizing for lying about the shooting being over. I told him that it was his job and I totally understood his perspective , putting myself in his shoes, even I would do the same. He was happy I understood his plight and told me to wait for a while  and he would try if he could something. I just couldn't believe my luck this time!I  thanked him for the efforts he was about to put it for making me get inside the studio!.While I waited outside, for the next 30 odd minutes, one of the production co-ordinators named Vicky saw me and came up to me asking what I was there for!.I told him about how much I loved the show and that I was there only since it was the last day of shoot!. He seemed to be very understanding  and told me that he had few guests from his side going inside the studios in a while, and I could join them. I was more than thrilled on hearing this!I just couldn't thank him enough. He said 'You seem to be a true fan, thats why I feel like helping you!'. Well, that toh, I was! ;)

In a couple on minutes, I was inside the studios of SANA HOUSE, where  ASR's Office was located, where they were shooting the Finals of Mrs India. It seemed like there was a break that time. While I waited inside the ASR Office Reception Set for the stars to come there, It all seemed a dream! First we met Utkarsha Naik who plays Manorama and looked extremely different from her onscreen character!The first words I told her were HELLO HI BYE BYE :D .. She smiled at it and I exclaimed, "Ma'am , We are going to miss your character". She replied while we clicked a picture together, "Ohh!And  I am going to miss fans like you!". I thanked her for the picture and wished her all the best ahead. She thanked me and made a move outside since she was done with her shoot.

Later , we saw Aarav and Anjali on the sets. Aarav was too shy and Gujju aunty's around me were cuddling him  a lot which  made him blush even more :D 
Daljeet i.e Anjali was getting ready with rollers on her hair and dressed in a beautiful blue saree. She was so damn sweet that she actually told her costume guys to remove those rollers to pose with us for pictures. She is truly as Sweet and Kind as her character on screen. She saw the collage I made and gave an autograph on it. The marker I gave her was not working and she kept telling me that the market isn't working fine , but then she ultimately managed signing the page with it! After me, she signed with the same marker for other fans and then did not forget to return it to me ( FLASHBACKS: Madhuri Oral B Meet: When I Made Her Laugh , Anyone? :D)
I told Daljeet how much I loved the show. She said its indeed good to hear it from  a guy that he loved their show  and I said the show was worth it for this to happen! :)Wished Daljeet all the best for her future projects and told her am going to miss the show a hell lot. She exclaimed she would miss it too and told us to continue pouring in the same love and affection. With such a humble nature, I am sure she has miles to go in this industry!:)

Finally came the moment when KKGSR..i.e Sanaya came to inside  dressed like a beautiful doll! She shook hands with us firstly and then agreed to pose for pics!..She looked a little stressed out and tensed, maybe because it was the last day of shoot!..But, she was way too kind with us fans!:)

All in all, I had an amazing day meeting my favorite stars from the show, who in true sense of word, are STARS, as they knew how to treat the common people on their sets!

I WOULDN'T SAY I AM GOING TO MISS THIS SHOW......BECAUSE INORDER TO MISS SOMETHING, WE NEED TO FORGET IT FIRST..AND I DONT THINK I WOULD EVER FORGET THE BEAUTIFUL MEMORIES OF THIS SHOW! 

A 'Jhalak' To Die For!

'Dance is a form of expression given to man just as speech, philosophy, painting or music.'

To me, Dancing is synonymous to Madhuri Dixit. Bollywood has never witnessed a better dancer,in my opinion. When anyone talks about Madhuri's dance, the first glimpse I behold in my mind, is her Kathak dance from Dil To Pagal Hai. It has been stored within my memory cells ever since I first saw it in DTPH! There surely is something beyond description in that act, which leaves me enchanted, every time I see it. 

 Not even in dreams, had I ever imagined, that one fine day, in near future, I would get to see Madhuri Dixit perform those same steps, live, on the sets of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa!

She wore a completely white, simple and elegant salwar kameez alongwith a pair of ghungroos in her legs with her hair tied up,when she came on the stage, before the 'Step of the week' segment began for the show. 
The director was guiding her about where the lights would be and how the performance would actually be taking place. 
Madhuri was very enthusiastic about the entire dance sequence. She practiced her steps with utter dedication, even at the  time, when the clock had struck 23:00 !  The audience kept  cheering her all the while she practiced!Everyone was excited...Who wouldn't be!They were watching the dancing diva groove to those steps LIVE!!How  luckier could one get?- And ,yeah, I was one among those in that audience, sitting and cheering for her performance.


Soon after some rehearsals, it was time for the final performance. As soon as the performance began, watching her dance to that DTPH Music piece, I was taken back to the 1997's, reminding me of her that dance!The way she travelled from one spotlight to another while performing the steps was beyond perfection!. I was overwhelmed to see her dance live for the first time in my life and that too, to my favorite dance number from DTPH!
Watch those steps this Sunday, 8th July,2012 on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa at 9 p.m only on COLORS to believe Me- Madhuri Dixit  hasn't aged a single bit in dancing , not in the past 15 years atleast!!!!..and, I bet, she never would!

THE WORLD WOULD REMEMBER THIS DIVA's DANCING, FOR 1000's OF YEARS TO COME!!!..THERE ISN'T A BETTER DANCER IN THIS UNIVERSE!