Madhuri Dixit has never shied away from reinventing herself, and Dedh Ishqiya marked one of the boldest chapters of that journey. In an exclusive conversation on mid-day’s Sit With Hitlist, the actress spoke at length about why she chose the film, how it challenged stereotypes around leading ladies, and why she believes an actor must fully surrender to the character, without worrying about perception. 
  
Opening up about her decision to say yes to the film, Madhuri said, “No, but I loved the script because I thought it was a strong woman’s character, who’s talking about women`s empowerment and stuff. And I said, I want to do this movie. It was zidd se, main yeh film karungi.” Looking back, she added, “And I’m glad I did.” 
At the time, many questioned her decision. “People said, ‘Oh, you’re a commercial actress, there’ll be no makeup. And then you don’t know how people are going to react to you,” she recalled. But that didn’t deter her. “I thought it was something that I wanted to do, and I did it.”

On doing Begum Para in Dedh Ishqiya

The film, which saw Madhuri in a never-seen-before avatar, became what many now call “Madhuri 2.0.” The conversation also touched upon the film’s nuanced themes, including its subtle exploration of same-gender attraction inspired by Ismat Chughtai’s Lihaaf. When asked if she ever worried about how mainstream audiences would perceive her, Madhuri was clear: “Yes, I do. Because I think, as an actress, I shouldn’t be thinking of what the audience is going to think of me as a person. I’m playing a character.”