Anil Kapoor on working with Madhuri Dixit after 18 years

“Would you believe, I’ve done 18 films with Madhuri Dixit!” enthuses Anil Kapoor as he teams up with Dixit once again in Indra Kumar’s Total Dhamaal.

The two actors had teamed up with Indra Kumar for the iconic hit Beta in 1992.

Says Anil, “We’ve teamed up in so many movies that we could tell each other’s responses on camera without any discussion. I am very comfortable working with Madhuri. The last time we came together in a film was for Raj Kumar Santoshi’s Lajja in 2001 and now she’s back, looking just as beautiful as she did back then.”

Anil is happy Madhuri hasn’t changed. “It is reassuring when your co-star of many years takes a break to build her personal life, gets married, has children and comes back and is still the same. Believe me, it didn’t feel like we hadn’t worked together for 18 years. It felt like just yesterday when we did films like Tezaab, Beta, Khel and Pukar.”

Anil singles out Rakesh Roshan’s Kishen Kanhaiya as his favourite film with Madhuri. “We had so much fun mimicking Dev saab and Hemaji. I still remember that. Now, in Total Dhamaal we had a wild time. The film is non-stop entertainment. There are lots of scenes with animals. Some of them have been shot with real animals. But all of it is pure fun. Kids and grownups will love Total Dhamaal.”

This would be Anil  Kapoor’s second release within a month.

“That’s true,” he concedes. “But Total Dhamaal is as different from Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga as chalk from cheese. Audiences won’t mind seeing me twice in one month. I haven’t had so much fun shooting for a film in a very long time.”