Madhuri Dixit hid in a burqa to watch ‘Tezaab’ in theatre

Tezaab was the highest-grossing Hindi release of 1988 and enjoyed a long theatrical run

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Devadasan K P, Chief Visual Editor
Madhuri Dixit in a recent photograph and in a still from her iconic ‘Ek Do Teen’ song in Tezaab (1988).
Madhuri Dixit in a recent photograph and in a still from her iconic ‘Ek Do Teen’ song in Tezaab (1988).

Dubai: Bollywood star Madhuri Dixit once went undercover in a burqa to watch her own film Tezaab at a single-screen theatre, hoping to experience the audience reaction to her hit song ‘Ek Do Teen’.

Dixit recalled the unusual experience during an appearance on The Kapil Sharma Show, saying she wanted to see for herself the craze surrounding the song after people told her how much audiences enjoyed watching it on the big screen.

She went to Mumbai’s Chandan Cinema, a single-screen theatre, wearing a burqa and took a seat in the front row. However, her disguise did not make the experience quite as discreet as she had expected.

As ‘Ek Do Teen’ began, the audience’s excitement quickly turned into an unexpected spectacle. People sitting behind her started throwing coins towards the screen, with several of them landing on Dixit and her companions.

Dixit said they eventually decided to leave the theatre. Despite entering in disguise, they were recognised in the lobby, with people calling out that Madhuri Dixit had arrived.

A career-defining hit

Released on November 11, 1988, Tezaab was directed by N Chandra and starred Dixit opposite Anil Kapoor. The film also featured Anupam Kher, Chunky Panday, Kiran Kumar and Suresh Oberoi.

The film became the highest-grossing Hindi release of 1988 and enjoyed a long theatrical run. Its success, particularly the popularity of ‘Ek Do Teen’, marked a major turning point in Dixit’s career and helped establish her as one of Bollywood’s leading stars.

The song, choreographed by Saroj Khan and performed by Dixit, went on to become one of the defining dance numbers of Hindi cinema.

With inputs from Agencies

Devadasan K P
Devadasan K PChief Visual Editor
Devadasan K P is the Chief Visual Editor at Gulf News, bringing more than 27 years of experience in photojournalism to the role. He leads the Visual desk with precision, speed, and a strong editorial instinct. Whether he’s selecting images of royalty, chasing the biggest celebrity moments in Dubai, or covering live events himself, Devadasan is always a few steps ahead of the action. Over the years, he has covered a wide range of major assignments — including the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, feature reportage from Afghanistan, the IMF World Bank meetings, and wildlife series from Kenya. His work has been widely recognised with industry accolades, including the Minolta Photojournalist of the Year award in 2005, the Best Picture Award at the Dubai Shopping Festival in 2008, and a Silver Award from the Society for News Design in 2011. He handles the newsroom pressure with a calm attitude, a quick response time, and his signature brand of good-natured Malayali humour. There's no fuss — just someone who gets the job done very well, every single time.
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