Madhuri Dixit has addressed and dismissed recent claims that she was pregnant during the filming of Dola Re Dola, one of the most celebrated dance sequences in Hindi cinema, saying the timeline of events makes the allegation impossible.
Madhuri Dixit clears the air around whether she was pregnant while filming Dola Re Dola
The actor’s remarks come after comments made by Rubina Khan, a former associate of late choreographer Saroj Khan, sparked renewed discussion about the making of the song.
In an interview with SCREEN, Madhuri rubbished the claim, citing the timeline of her son’s birth to set the record straight.
“Arin was born in 2003. So, you do the math,” said Madhuri.
Arin Nene, the actor’s elder son with husband Dr Shriram Nene, was born on March 17, 2003. By contrast, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas had already premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 23, 2002, before its theatrical release on July 12, 2002. The chronology, Madhuri indicated, does not support suggestions that she was four months pregnant while shooting the song.
The actor acknowledged, however, that the production schedule was physically demanding and contributed to her feeling unwell during that period.
“I was under the weather because I was travelling a lot. I was going back and forth, shooting here and going back. And all my shoots were night shoots. So, for me, it was very grueling. I was a little under the weather, but nothing like that,” added Madhuri.
The clarification follows claims made by Rubina Khan during a podcast appearance on the YouTube channel Bollywood Thikana. Recalling the filming of Dola Re Dola, she said: “There’s a step in which Madhuri ma’am turns and sits down. That shot kept happening from 9 am to 10 pm because she was four months pregnant. So, she couldn’t turn properly and was feeling dizzy. She also had a fever at that time. She struggled a lot. She’d never ask for a step to be changed. Whatever Masterji (Saroj Khan) said was set in stone.”
More about the song and film
Dola Re Dola remains one of the defining musical moments of Devdas. Composed by Ismail Darbar with lyrics by Nusrat Badr, the song was sung by Kavita Krishnamurthy and Shreya Ghoshal, with KK providing backing vocals. The lavish dance number was picturised on Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai, whose on-screen performance became one of the most memorable sequences in modern Bollywood.
Released in 2002, Devdas was directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and based on the landmark 1917 Bengali novel of the same name by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. The period romantic drama starred Shah Rukh Khan in the title role, alongside Aishwarya Rai as Paro and Madhuri Dixit as Chandramukhi.
The film gained international attention when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it was showcased as part of the official selection, further cementing its status as one of Indian cinema’s most ambitious productions.
