Madhuri reveals her secret to happy, successful marriage

Bollywood star Madhuri Dixit Nene has been married for 25 years. The actress has now shared her thoughts on what makes a happy and successful partnership, which she agrees is not “easy peasy.” 

The dancing diva tied-the-knot to Shriram Nene, a cardiovascular surgeon from Los Angeles, California in October 1999, in a traditional ceremony held at the residence of the actress’ elder brother in Southern California. The couple welcomed their first son Arin in 2003 and their second boy Ryan was born in 2005.

“It's a lot of things. You have to give and you have to take. It's like, it's a give and take. And you have to realise that, you know, these are two human beings under one roof. So, there will be positives and there will be negatives and you just understand that,” Madhuri told IANS.

“And understand the fact that you will always be working towards a goal that's, you know, equal to both of you, right? You both have dreams and you have equal goals. And you're always working towards that,” she added.

The actress, whose latest release is “Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3” with Kartik Aaryan, Vidya Balan and Triptii Dimri, said that one has to work towards their marriage everyday.

“It's not easy peasy. And, you know, it's not like, it's not like that. But you have to work at it every day and it's a partnership. There should be respect for each other. There should be love for each other. There should be space for each other also.”

“I think all these things together make a marriage work,” she added.

The 57-year-old actress has been in the industry for almost four decades. She made her debut in 1984 with “Abodh” and was then seen in over 70 films. In her journey in cinema, Madhuri has been lauded for her acting and dancing skills, which earned her several honours including a Padma Shri in 2008 by the Government of India.

Has self doubt ever crept into Madhuri?

“No, not really, because I've always gone with gut feeling and when I heard the ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ script, I had a feeling that I had to be a part of it because that's just what I felt. Also, I felt that it gave me something different to do, you know, on screen. People have not seen me in this avatar. And for me, it's always been about what I want to do, what excites me, what I feel is going to add a new dimension to who I am.”

“So I've always selected a script like that. And I think that's always been my motto in life. You know, do what you love to do. There's nothing to prove. It's like, just enjoy what you're doing.”