"I had butterflies in my stomach" Madhuri Dixit... Contd.

Any memorable incident during the shoot of the film?
We had this scene where they were suppose to use the projector and I see something on screen and it's a sad scene where I had to cry because my guru (teacher) is dying. The crew then brought these little old projector reels that had Charlie Chaplin on it. I think I must be the only person in the world who has cried while watching Charlie Chaplin on screen so that's a memorable scene that sticks out in my mind because I had to just ignore the fact that it's Charlie Chaplin and not watch it and yet I was looking at the projector and crying away.

Do you miss working with your yesteryear co-stars like Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Shahrukh Khan, etc?
Yes, I do miss working with them but who knows, one day I might be signing a film opposite them if the script demands it. We will have to wait and watch.

How different is it working with your producer Yash Raj Films after a decade?
Yash Raj Films have always been very organized but now I would say they are super organized, they are like ten steps ahead of what they used to be and it's always a delight to work with them again. It's also funny that I always wanted to work with my director of Aaja Nachle, Anil Mehta, before but in a different capacity. I wanted him as a cameraman for one of my projects and it didn't happen at that time so I think God had different plans then in his mind and now here I am working with him. It's been a wonderful experience. Yashji has always kept their standards high in filmmaking which will never change.

Can you tell us something about the character you play in this film?
The character I play is called Diya. She is extremely strong and is very independent. She actually elopes from her village with someone she falls in love with and tries to make a life for herself in New York where she realizes that the person she ran away with is not the same; somewhere she realizes that this not what she had come for. She is a choreographer and a mother who makes a life for herself in the unknown country. But when she has to come back to her village to see her dying guru, she faces too many problems. People don't like her anymore and think that she has brought with her the Western influence. How Diya tries to save something that is very close to her heart, something that she believes in and how she stands by it and how she see's the whole mission through is what the movie is all about.

What was it like working with Anil Mehta?
It's been wonderful, I used to always think I am the only patient person in the world and that I am very mellow but when I worked with Anil Mehta I realized there is another person who is much more patient than I am, much calmer then I am and that has helped me a lot because he's always been very patient even if we were shooting in the sun or the worst weather. He has been a pillar to all actors. He knows exactly what he wants, what the shot is going to be and never hesitated in letting ourselves experiment.

How do you prioritize your personal and professional life together?
I have my priorities set right. My kids are my first concern. Even when I was working I made sure they were comfortable so I didn't have to worry about anything once I go on the sets. Yashji was very sweet. He made a play area in case they come on sets so that they can go and play while I am shooting. Their grandparents were there too. My mother in-law came in for sometime. My husband came twice to be with the kids for a good 10-15 days. I had all this support around me and it became possible for me to shoot without any tension on my head. I think my kids enjoyed themselves getting pampered, meeting my cousins who have kids of their age; they were socializing, watching movies and having fun. Its been a great learning experience for my kids as they have opened up and learnt different languages too.

Any parting message for your fans?
Here's wishing all my fans a very Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year. Thank you for all your lovely letters. It's very touching and keep watching my films as we make them with a lot of heart and sweat. I love you all.