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Madhuri Dixit is an Indian actress known for her work in Bollywood films. She made her acting debut with the role of a young bride in the 1984 film Abodh. Dixit went on to appear in several films over the next two years, including the dramas Awara Baap (1985) and Swati (1986), though none of them garnered her much recognition. Her breakthrough role came in 1988 with N. Chandra's thriller Tezaab, the highest-grossing film of that year. "Ek Do Teen", a dance number that she performed in the film, was widely popular. She continued to play the lead in the commercially successful action-dramas Ram Lakhan (1989), Tridev (1989), and Kishen Kanhaiya (1990). The role of a wealthy brat in the 1990 romantic drama Dil earned Dixit her first Filmfare Award for Best Actress. The following year, she starred in Saajan, and won a second Best Actress award at Filmfare for playing a woman who rebels against her manipulative mother-in-law in the drama Beta.
Dixit featured alongside Jackie Shroff and Sanjay Dutt in the action thriller Khalnayak (1993), one of the highest-grossing films of that year. She then played an avenger in the drama Anjaam (1994) to positive reviews. Dixit's subsequent release was Sooraj Barjatya's Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994), a family drama which emerged as the highest-grossing Bollywood film to that point, and established her as a leading actress of Bollywood. The following year, she featured in Raja and Yaraana; in the latter she played a woman who attempts an escape from her abusive husband. Both of her releases in 1996—Rajkumar and Prem Granth—were financial failures. However, Yash Chopra's 1997 romantic film Dil To Pagal Hai was a major success for her, earning her a fourth Filmfare Award for Best Actress. She garnered critical acclaim for her work in the drama Mrityudand (1997). Three years later, she was paired opposite Anil Kapoor in the critically acclaimed drama Pukar, following which she portrayed five roles in the experimental film Gaja Gamini.
Dixit was praised for her supporting role as a woman fighting against gender discrimination in Lajja (2001), a drama on women's rights, which performed poorly at the box-office. The year 2002 saw Dixit starring in two romantic dramas, including Devdas opposite Shah Rukh Khan, in which she played the Chandramukhi character, a courtesan in love with an alcoholic. For the film, she won a Filmfare Award in the Best Supporting Actress category. After a five-year absence from the screen, Dixit played a leading role in Anil Mehta's dance film Aaja Nachle (2007). Despite the film's failure at the box-office, her performance was praised. The widely praised role of a con woman in Abhishek Chaubey's black comedy film Dedh Ishqiya (2014) marked her first acting role in seven years, and she received her 14th Best Actress nomination at Filmfare for it. She followed it by playing the leader of a vigilante group in the crime drama Gulaab Gang alongside Juhi Chawla. In addition to her film work, Dixit has hosted Kahin Na Kahin Koi Hai, a reality show on arranged marriages, and has served as a talent judge for four seasons of the dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa.