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Madhuri Dixit on television

Overview

Madhuri Dixit, one of the leading actresses of Hindi cinema, has had a notable parallel career on Indian television, primarily as a judge and mentor on dance-based reality shows. Her television presence began in the late 2000s, after she returned to public life following her relocation from the United States, and has continued alongside her film work. Her appearances have been associated chiefly with the dance reality format, where her classical training and screen image as a dancer have been central to her on-screen role.

Key facts

Name Madhuri Dixit (Madhuri Dixit Nene)
Born 15 May 1967, Bombay (Mumbai), Maharashtra
Primary television role Judge on dance reality shows
Notable shows Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, Dance Deewane, So You Think You Can Dance (India)
Main broadcasters Colors TV, Sony Entertainment Television
Production banner RnM Moving Pictures (co-founded with Ram Madhvani)
OTT debut The Fame Game (Netflix, 2022)

Background

Madhuri Dixit established herself as a major star of Hindi cinema during the late 1980s and 1990s, with her dancing in films such as Tezaab (1988), Beta (1992) and Devdas (2002) becoming a defining feature of her popular image. After her marriage to Shriram Madhav Nene in 1999, she relocated to Denver, Colorado, and reduced her film commitments. The family returned to settle in Mumbai around 2011, which coincided with a sustained engagement with Indian television.

Television career

Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa

Madhuri Dixit joined the celebrity dance competition Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa on Colors TV as a judge for its fifth season in 2012, alongside Karan Johar and choreographer Remo D'Souza. She continued on the panel for the sixth season in 2013. Her role on the show was widely cited as a key part of her return to active public life in India.

So You Think You Can Dance

She appeared as a judge on the Indian adaptation of So You Think You Can Dance, titled Dance+ / So You Think You Can Dance – Ab India Ki Baari, broadcast in 2016, which featured contestants competing across various dance styles.

Dance Deewane

From 2018, Madhuri Dixit served as a judge on Colors TV's Dance Deewane, a format that brought together amateur dancers from three different age generations. She continued in subsequent seasons, with the show becoming one of her longest-running television associations. Co-judges across seasons have included Shashank Khaitan, Tushar Kalia and Suniel Shetty, with Bharti Singh among the hosts.

Other appearances

She has made guest appearances on a number of Indian television programmes, including episodes of Comedy Nights with Kapil, The Kapil Sharma Show, Koffee with Karan and various awards telecasts. She has also featured on cookery and lifestyle segments tied to her films and product endorsements.

Production and digital work

Together with filmmaker Ram Madhvani, Madhuri Dixit co-founded the production company RnM Moving Pictures, which produces content for film and digital platforms. In 2022, she made her web series debut as the lead in The Fame Game, an eight-episode mystery drama released on Netflix, directed by Bejoy Nambiar and Karishma Kohli and produced under the Dharmatic Entertainment and RnM Moving Pictures banners. The series, originally announced as Finding Anamika, marked her first long-form streaming role.

Timeline

  • 2012: Joins Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Season 5 (Colors TV) as judge.
  • 2013: Continues as judge on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Season 6.
  • 2016: Judge on the Indian version of So You Think You Can Dance.
  • 2018: Begins judging Dance Deewane on Colors TV.
  • 2019–2022: Continues across further seasons of Dance Deewane.
  • 2022: Stars in The Fame Game on Netflix, her digital debut.

Significance

Madhuri Dixit's television work has been significant in three respects. First, it provided a high-visibility platform for her professional return to India after more than a decade abroad. Second, her presence on dance reality formats reinforced her long-standing screen identity as a classical and film dancer, and contributed to the popularity of the dance reality genre on Hindi general entertainment channels. Third, her transition to streaming with The Fame Game placed her among the senior film actresses who moved to lead roles on Indian OTT platforms during the early 2020s.