Dubai: Madhuri Dixit’s husband, Dr Sriram Nene, has revealed that he did not recognise Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan when they attended the couple’s wedding reception in 1999.
The surprising admission came during a recent visit by filmmaker and choreographer Farah Khan and her cook, Dilip, to Madhuri and Dr Nene’s Mumbai home for Farah’s cooking vlog.
Recalling the reception, Dr Nene said he was unfamiliar with most of the celebrities attending the event, with Amitabh Bachchan being the only star he recognised.
“I didn’t know anyone. It was like Prom King, you just waved at everyone and later look at the wedding album because you don’t know anyone. The only person I knew was Amitabh Bachchan because I had seen Amar Akbar Anthony,” he said.
When Farah asked whether he had recognised Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan either, Dr Nene confirmed that he had not. He added, however, that the celebrities had been extremely sweet to him at the reception.
Why Dr Nene wasn’t familiar with Bollywood
Dr Nene also explained why Madhuri’s stardom had not been familiar to him before their relationship began.
Having grown up in the US and living in Los Angeles, he said he had not watched Hindi films and did not speak Hindi at the time.
Asked by Farah how he could have been unaware of Madhuri’s fame, Dr Nene explained that his interests lay elsewhere.
“Because I grew up on Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Star Wars. I didn’t watch Hindi films,” he said.
He recalled that he and Madhuri met, dated for three months and quickly developed a connection before he proposed.
“Then we met and dated for three months. We just hit it off and got along, and after three months I proposed to her,” he added.
Madhuri Dixit and Dr Nene’s marriage
Madhuri married Dr Nene, a cardiovascular surgeon, on October 17, 1999. Following their wedding, the actress moved to the US and took a break from her career.
The couple have two sons, Arin and Ryan. Madhuri later returned to Indian cinema and continues to be associated with films, television and entertainment projects.