Sheela Sharma recalls memories of debutant Madhuri Dixit on Abodh sets: She told me she was not very good at dancing – Exclusive

As

Abodh

clocks 40 years of release today, ETimes spoke to Sheela Sharma, who was

Madhuri Dixit

‘s first co-star in Bollywood! Madhuri marked the beginning of her glorious career with this movie, which also marked the Bollywood debut of Bengali actor

Tapas Paul

. From dancing together to their journey in films, Sheela Sharma gives an insight into Madhuri’s first day on the sets and much more!
On shooting for Abodh
The subject was based in a village.

It had the Rajshri touch of family being the essential thing. They made whatever the subject demanded. Sometimes, you don’t know what works and what doesn’t work.
On shooting for Madhuri Dixit

It was Madhuri’s first film with Rajshri Productions. It was also my first couple of films with them. We had a dance sequence where we sang, ran, danced, and all that. I still remember Madhuri telling me she was not very good at dancing. But you know now that she is a dancing queen. We had so much fun. I used to go to her house. She used to play with my Pomeranian dog. She is so homely and friendly. Her mother used to come on the set. And Abodh being a Rajshri film, there was so much warmth on the set.

Rajshri Productions

is like a home to me. Tapas Paul was a shy person but a fine actor. A lovely guy.
On shooting for Nadiya Ke Paar
We shot for Nadiya Ke Paar near Jaunpur at a place called Karakat. The head of production at Rajshri had a house there so we used to stay at his place. Every scene and dialogue of that film was so earthy. And that’s how it came out so naturally. Despite being a Bombay girl, it was easy to get acclimatized because they didn’t make it difficult for us. For an actor, once you get into the costume, scenes and dialogue, it becomes easier to get into a character. I thought it would be difficult but it came out well. I was playing a stupid, silly girl.
On Hum Aapke Hain Koun being a modern version of Nadiya Ke Paar
It was very nice. The subject itself was accepted very well by the audience. The way Sooraj (Barjatya) Ji modernized the story was amazing. The songs were lovely.
On Madhuri Dixit’s journey
I feel that her hard work and dedication set her apart. She never gave up and that’s what has brought her to this level. Gradually, she grew so well as an actor and dancer. She proved herself that she was good at everything. In Abodh, she was nervous while shooting the song because she thought that she couldn’t dance well. She was spontaneous and did the scenes nicely. She was never edgy. She was calm and fun, all the time giggling and laughing.
On her own journey in films
Even I never gave up and kept on working. I got offers but I didn’t take up any work because my husband is a little ill. He wanted me to be there with him. The actors of our generation are not working only to achieve something. We work because of our passion. Today, the warmth that our generation shared is lacking. It has become too much of a mechanical thing.