Madhuri Dixit Reveals She Was Judged For Being Skinny Before Tezaab Became A Hit

Long before the applause, the awards, and the iconic status, Madhuri Dixit was navigating an industry that had opinions about everything, especially how a new actor should look. Today, she is remembered as one of Hindi cinema’s most loved stars. Back then, she was just another newcomer being told what needed fixing. In a recent interview, Madhuri opened up about a phase many may find hard to imagine. She revealed that before her first big success, comments about her appearance were routine, unsolicited and often blunt. Speaking to Nayandeep Rakshit on his YouTube channel, Madhuri recalled how people around her constantly pointed out supposed flaws. “A lot of people told me when I had just started — do this, how is your nose, your this, your that.

I used to go and say, ‘Mom, they’re saying this.’ And my mom would say, ‘Don’t worry about it. Once you have a successful movie, that’s the very thing they’ll love about you.’” At the time, Madhuri admitted she struggled to believe her mother’s confidence. The advice sounded reassuring, but it felt distant from the reality she was facing as a young actor in the mid-1980s. Everything changed with Tezaab. The film’s release marked a turning point not just in her career, but in how she was perceived. Almost overnight, Madhuri became a sensation. The same traits that once invited criticism were no longer questioned. Looking back, Madhuri said the noise around her appearance disappeared once the film worked. “After Tezaab, nobody said anything about being skinny or being this or that. People just accepted me for who I am.” That shift left a lasting impression on her, shaping how she now views individuality in the industry. Drawing from her own experience, she shared advice she often gives young actors today. “Even today, I tell the new girls—Don’t try to be in a mould. Don’t say this is how a heroine should look. If you’re different, that’s a uniqueness you have. Play on that.” Madhuri is once again in the spotlight, this time for her latest OTT series Mrs Deshpande. Directed by Nagesh Kukunoor, the show is officially adapted from the French series La Mante and places Madhuri in a darker, more complex space than much of her earlier work. The story follows a police investigation into murders that mirror the crimes of a female serial killer already in prison. A review by News18 Showsha noted the controlled storytelling, stating: “Nagesh Kukunoor, after City Of Dreams and The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case, once again demonstrates his fluency with OTT-coded storytelling. The series is mounted aptly, and it rarely feels padded. More importantly, the pace pulls you inward like an undertow.”