Are Sanjay Dutt And Madhuri Dixit Trying Too Hard?

With three mega-pairs to boast of, Abhishek Varman’s Kalank is grabbing attention by the truckload. But none hit more than the long-awaited comeback jodi of Sanju and Madhuri. Ahad Sanwari tries to discover what’s really going on between the two and if that differs from their public personas…

Bollywood is just as complex and complicated as it is easy to figure out. Let’s take a look at one case here, that of Sanjay Dutt and Madhuri Dixit. Now these two have a complicated relationship. As co-actors, the two allegedly first set the screen on fire in 1988’s Khatron Ke Khiladi and continued to work together well into the decade. Of course, that chemistry happened to extend off-screen and the two allegedly carried out a secret but not-so-secret affair throughout the first half of the 90s, despite Dutt at the time being married to Richa Sharma, who was fighting her own battle against cancer. It was Richa’s death that brought their relationship to a halt and Madhuri eventually stopped not only speaking to Sanjay but also denied having ever even been that close to him.

Now, the two have reunited onscreen for the first time in 22 years for Dharma’s period drama Kalank. And, predictably enough, we’re all waiting with bated breath to see how our favourite controversy-courting, romance-defining pair comes together. But at recent promo events for the movie, their camaraderie seems to be a bit… amiss. The two don’t seem like two old friends or even frequent co-stars coming together again for a big show, it’s more like two awkward celebs who don’t really know much about each other but are being forced to pretend they do.