Madhoo Says Being Hema Malini's Cousin Gave Her Respect But No Hits: 'Didn't Give Me Appreciation'

Actor Madhoo, who stars in the upcoming film Kartam Bhugtam, recently discussed her experience in the film industry. Despite being related to Hema Malini and Juhi Chawla, Madhoo said that having family connections to stars doesn’t guarantee success. However, she noted that her relationship with Hema Malini has brought her respect and opportunities.

In an interview with Zoom Entertainment, Madhoo said, “I am Hema ji’s cousin and Juhi ji my sister-in-law married to my husband’s cousin. We are a family of actors. But, Juhi ji came into my life much later as a family member, only after I got married. And when I got married, I had kind of left the industry. So her being in the family, emotionally, or mentally, or physically, did not affect me. But me coming from Hema ji’s family had an impact and only good impact. The thing is, coming from the home of an artist of Hema ji’s stature gave me a lot of dignity.”

Madhoo mentioned that unfortunately, many aspiring actresses in Mumbai have difficult experiences. However, she noted that she was fortunate to avoid such situations, possibly because her father was a producer and she was related to Hema. The Roja actress added, “So I carried that kind of dignity, some kind of respect. It did not give me a movie, it did not give me a hit, it did not give me appreciation even, but it gave me access and respect. If I went to somebody’s office, I was treated with respect. So that much respect I got because I came from Hema ji’s home.”

During the same chat, Madhoo added that after doing a film like Roja, she expected meatier roles but did not get any so she decided to quit. She said that she wrote a letter to multiple people saying she was quitting, and the intention was to say that they did not deserve her. However, later she wanted to make a comeback but realised that she might be typecast into older roles. “It was difficult because I did not want to play mother to Ajay Devgn, with whom I was introduced in the same film. We are of the same age,” she further said. However, she acknowledged that things are changing for the better, citing the example of Tabu who has appeared opposite Ajay Devgn in recent films.

Madhoo won over fans from all parts of the country with an electrifying performance in Mani Ratnam’s pan-India 1992 Tamil film Roja and also did other films like Yeshwant and Diljale. However, towards the end of the 90s, Madhoo disappeared from films.