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Bollywood star Madhuri Dixit on her new single 'Tu Hai Mera', a love letter to her fans

The actress told City Times she wanted to give something back to the people who supported her career that has spanned over thirty years.

Her career spans over three decades and has spawned memorable films like Dil, Tezaab, Khalnayak, Saajan and many more. Bollywood star Madhuri Dixit continues to surprise and amaze us as she adds to her artistic repertoire, whether it’s films, dancing or singing.

In May 2020, the Hum Aapke Hain Koun star released her first single, Candle, an inspirational track that sent out messages of positivity and hope during the coronavirus pandemic. She also dazzled us with her version of Ed Sheeran’s Perfect, in a global online concert to raise funds for Covid.

Now the dancing diva of the Hindi film industry is back with a new single, Tu Hai Mera, which she says is dedicated to her loyal fanbase.

We caught up with her to know more.

Tu Hai Mera is catchy as well as heartfelt. You’ve said that the song is dedicated to all your fans. When and how did the idea of making this song come about?

The song is part of the album, The Film Star, which has six songs. It’s all about the back stories of what it is to be a film star.

So the first song was Candle, where we talked about being a beacon of light even in the darkest hour, and the second is Tu Hai Mera, which talks about fans, because fans are very important in a film star’s life.

My career spans over 35 years and all my fans have given me unconditional love. They’ve always stood by me; they have appreciated and encouraged me and I wanted to do something for them.

And hence the song Tu Hai Mera, in which I talk about how I feel about them. You may call it a love letter from me to my fans!

We also love the fan engagement showcased in the video which is so true to life, in this age of social media where a fan can communicate directly with their favourite star. Are you happy with the way it turned out?

Since the song was about my fans and how I feel about them, it was very necessary to have them as part of the video. We had decided it would be incomplete without them.

So we started the song in a traditional way where people used to send letters to us and we used to reply to the letters, but today with social media and everything it’s very instant! You can talk to them directly.

Hence the last visual is where everybody is on their iPhones and they all are dancing with me; that is the universe we have created today. I was very happy with the picturisation.

You’ve been in the industry for over three decades and have a loyal fanbase that continues to grow. What do fans mean to you?

You have to watch the song Tu Hai Mera to understand what they mean to me. I think it’s been a wonderful journey so far where my fans have always been with me; mere se jude rahein hai woh!

I hope it continues to be this way and I hope that, like I said in the song, we go on and on and on…

You released Tu Hai Mera on your birthday, May 15, something that fans seem delighted about judging from their comments on social media. Why did you decide to release it on this particular day?

My birthday is the day that my fans are very excited and they basically celebrate it like a festival… I have seen that! They make all kinds of paintings, creative work, little snippets, they dance, they do social work on my behalf.

I thought what better day to release my song because it will be like a very humble return gift from me to them. And just like they give me pleasure, I wanted to make them happy, on a very happy day.

In the 80s and 90s, fans would express their love and admiration through actual letters and cards. There were fan clubs where you could write to your favourite star. With the advent of technology it became quicker and simpler to interact. But do you miss anything about those days?

In the 90s there was more distance between fans and stars; they would know about stars only through some magazines. They would write letters and wait with baited breath for the postman to bring the answer!

Today it’s a different world; everything is quicker. With just the press of a button you can Tweet, you can Insta, you can make reels, and it’s all so much fun too. It’s an instant connect with your fans. It’s a great way to conduct a relationship because then I know what’s going on in their minds; they know what I am doing and what my future projects are going to be, and what is my thought process about various things.

So it’s a great communication between the star and the fans.

It’s been two years since the release of your debut single, Candle, during the pandemic, which was basically about hope during a time of crisis. As you channel your musical talent further, do you believe it’s important to send out a message through your songs?

Well, any song you make should have an emotional connect, and I thought Candle had a great emotional connect because we dedicated it to the frontline workers — the nurses, the doctors, who were a beacon of light in very dark times. They were hope for everyone and that’s why Candle was released then.

Even my song Tu Hai Mera has an emotional connect, because I am talking about my fans who have given me so much love over the years and I’m talking about how I feel about them.

It’s very important to have that emotional connect to any song. If we hear film songs, you know and appreciate the songs. Sometimes if the rain starts falling and the atmosphere becomes a certain way, suddenly you remember songs that you connect that weather to. And you connect songs to memories.

So I think it’s very important to have an emotional connect and if there is a message through the song, that’s even better because you are making a statement; you’re making people’s lives better, or you are telling them or making them aware about something.