38 YEARS AGO SIDDHARTH NAGAR & MADHURI DIXIT CUT THEIR BIRTHDAY CAKES TOGETHER IN RAJSHRI FILM’S OFFICE’S PROJECTOR ROOM

Jyothi Venkatesh

Today, on May 15, two actors who celebrate their birthday are my friends, one with whom I am in touch right from the time he was struggling to make a name and even today when he has proved his worth as a popular TV serial director- Siddharth Nagar and the other one -Madhuri Dixit who I used to meet quite often right from the first time I had met her first during the press meet of Abodh at Hotel Natraj in town when she was struggling  as well as the next time at the press show of Abodh at New Excelsior preview theater  at Fort but sadly after she became a top star, we hardly meet. The actor turned director Siddharth Nagar also happens to be the son of the veteran writer Achala Nagar. While on one hand Madhuri Dixit had started her acting tryst with Rajshri’s film Abodh and today become the founder of an on line dance academy where she will be teaching dancing even all through the lockdown, Siddharth Nagar is busy writing his next script because he is quite popular as a director with both Doordarshan National as well as DD Kisan having directed over 3000 episodes of different shows till date in a span of around 30 years.

In the projector room at Rajshris both Siddharth and Madhuri had cut two different cakes to celebrate their birthdays way back in 1982, according to Siddharth Nagar.Besides sharing one another’s birthday, there is yet another major connection between both Madhuri Dixit and Siddharth Nagar. Madhuri had been auditioned for her part as the leading lady in Abodh on the same day when Siddharth Nagar was also auditioned for his part in the film Babul and luckily while Madhuri had bagged the role in Abodh, Siddharth also bagged his part in the film Babul in which Gyan Shivpuri and Upasna Singh played the key roles. Akashdeep , who is also actress Sheeba’s husband besides being a director today, played the leading man in the film. Destiny has different ways to test people, especially the actors. After Abodh, Madhuri started tasting stardom whereas Siddharth who had started acting in various films like Sada Suhagan, the Tamil film Nandu directed by J. Mahendran, Saat Bijliyaan, the telefilm Indrasabha, Subah Hone Tak in which he was pitted with Pallavi Joshi and Kishor Namit Kapoor opted for a career as a director and soon started producing and directing TV serials.

Siddharth remembers when I wish him a happy birthday today that while Madhuri Dixit had bagged her parts in not only Abodh but also Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, in the Rajshri family ,Siddharth Nagar who was considered to be part of the Rajkumar Barjatya family after Abodh found him eased out of the role of Mohnish Bahl in Maine Pyar Kiya though he was confirmed for the role. Before Mohnish Bahl was brought in by the Barjatyas. Actually Pankaj Berry was almost zeroed in for the role that Mohnsih Bahl did but when Siddharth was confirmed for the role by Rajkumar Barjatya,  Raj Barjatya’s son Suraj Barjatya called Siddharth to his room and politely told him that he was in a  dilemma because Salman Khan had recommended to him that his friend Mohnish Bahl ought to be given the part of the swashbuckling villain in the film. Without any fuss or even asking Rajkyumar Barjatya, Siddharth Nagar opted out of his part especially when Suraj told him that he felt that instead of him he also felt that Mohnish Bahl would suit the role even better. Little did Siddharth release that he was cut out to make a name as a writer director in the latter years when he agreed to vacate the role to Mohnish Bahl in Maine Pyar Kiya.Isn’t it ironical that though both Siddahrth Nagar and Madhutri Dixit were born on the same day of course in different years, the two have till date not worked together in a single film, she as an actress and he as a writer director?