Actor Shekhar Suman recently shared an old memory from the early days of his career when he worked with Madhuri Dixit. The two were part of the 1984 film Utsav and later worked together again in another early project called Manav Hatya, which was one of Madhuri Dixit’s first films in Bollywood.
Shekhar Suman said that at that time neither of them were big stars. Both were new to the industry and trying to find work. He recalled that the director approached him for the role of a journalist in the film but clearly told him that the project had a very small budget. He was offered only ₹5000 for the entire film, which he admitted was disappointing at first.
Things surprised him even more when he found out that his co star would also be a newcomer, Madhuri Dixit, who was just starting her journey in films. Even though the project had many limitations, Shekhar decided to accept it. He said he felt inspired by his earlier experience of working with veteran actress Rekha, who had once agreed to work with him when he was new.
He recalled their first meeting in a very simple and humorous way. He said they went to Madhuri’s house to meet her, but she was getting ready at the time, so they had to wait. When she finally came out, he was impressed by her simplicity and charm. He jokingly said that he was so impressed that he told the director he would even work for half the amount, although he made it clear he was only joking.
The film’s production conditions were extremely basic. Shekhar revealed that the budget was so low that the team could not afford proper shooting locations. In fact, the producer even asked permission to shoot parts of the film inside his own house because they did not have money to rent studios or locations.
He also shared that there were no funds for basic things like costumes, makeup artists, or transport. In one unusual situation, Shekhar’s wife stepped in to help the team. She provided clothes for Madhuri Dixit and also helped with her makeup during the shoot. Shekhar even used to pick Madhuri up on his motorcycle and take her to the set because there was no money for taxis.
Despite these struggles, Madhuri Dixit went on to become one of the biggest stars in Indian cinema during the 1990s and early 2000s. She is now preparing for the release of her upcoming film Maa Behen, which also stars Triptii Dimri and is set to release on June 2.