Madhuri Dixit’s husband Dr Shriram Nene reveals how he came to terms with his superstar wife’s popularity: ‘In the US, no one knew who she was…’

Madhuri Dixit and Dr Shriram Nene have been married happily for nearly 30 years. The couple had often been each other’s cheerleaders and supported each other’s accomplishments. Dr Nene had often revealed how he was not aware of his wife’s big stardom in India, and this ignorance allowed them to get to know each other as individuals.

However, being a star’s spouse can be entirely exhausting. In an interview with CNBC TV 18, Dr Nene said, "I won’t question for a second that it’s daunting sometimes and you have to adapt. I trained at UCLA, where we took care of a lot of the celebrities from Hollywood. The only thing they really wanted was anonymity.”

However, he revealed how he made peace with his iconic star’s stardom. He said he was secure in his own career and success. He was an accomplished heart surgeon in the US, and she was a non-entity there, despite having a legion of fans back home.


“I don’t think you would say that I am just there falsely living on someone else’s coattails. In her case, in the US, no one knew who she was, and I was the heart surgeon. I recognise her stature here is on another level and I am very proud of her. And I mean it when I say that there are very few people like her,” he said.

The doctor also explained that he worked on making a reputation other than being the Hum Aapke Hain Kaun star’s partner. “I was like, 'Everyone wants to interview me because of her sometimes.'" ' But, I am not bothered in the least bit. You use what you have got when you need to. But when they meet me, they realise that I am the real deal too.”

Madhuri tied the knot with America-based cardiovascular surgeon Dr Shriram Madhav Nene in 1999. The wedding ceremony took place in California. Following her marriage, the Dil To Pagal Hai star relocated to Denver, Colorado, for a decade. In a chat with Rediff, the actress said she was happy being unknown in her stay in the US. The pair welcomed two sons - Arin and Ryan. She said, “I enjoyed being on my own and taking my car out for grocery shopping -- I loved doing that -- taking my kids to school, dropping them off, picking them up…”

Dixit and her family returned to India in 2011.