EXCLUSIVE: After OMG Oh My God and 102 Not Out, Umesh Shukla's acclaimed play Madhuri vs Dixit to be made into a film

Umesh Shukla has been a popular name among Gujarati audiences for several years and since 2012, he has also enjoyed nationwide popularity. That was the year when OMG Oh My God, an adaptation of his cult Gujarati play Kanji Viruddh Kanji, was made as a Bollywood film. Starring Paresh Rawal and Akshay Kumar, the devotional courtroom drama emerged as a sleeper super-hit. Six years later, he made 102 Not Out (2018), an adaptation of the Gujarati play of the same name. The film adaptation, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor, was also a success. And now, Umesh Shukla is all set to adapt yet another of his acclaimed plays for the big screen – Madhuri vs Dixit.

Madhuri vs Dixit is a Hindi play and its premiere took place on April 26 in Mumbai. Interestingly, it was earlier staged in Gujarati, with the title Madhuri Dixit. It stars Riddhi Shukla and Jaideep Shah in leading roles. Interestingly, the former is also the wife of Umesh Shukla. Unnati Gala and Harshad Patel feature in supporting parts. Umesh Shukla has penned the adapted screenplay and is also one of the producers of the play, along with Chetan Gandhi and Saumya Joshi. Madhuri vs Dixit as well as Madhuri Dixit is directed by Swapnil Baraskar.

Umesh Shukla spoke exclusively with Bollywood Hungama and began by revealing the premiere experience. He said, “Paresh Rawal, Dilip Joshi and many others gave very positive video bytes. The premiere yesterday was zabardast. Kya show tha; it was electrifying!”

Umesh then confirmed that the script is in its final stages. When asked if the film will feature the same cast or different actors, he replied, “I plan to have the same cast, mostly. I first plan to make it as a Gujarati film and then I’ll see whether I want to make it in Hindi. The other alternative is to make it bilingual in Hindi and Gujarati.” He also revealed, “This would be my first Gujarati film.”

Umesh Shukla continued, “We did 149 shows of Madhuri Dixit in Gujarati. For the landmark 150th show, we launched the Hindi version as Madhuri vs Dixit. Now, I’ll stage both the Hindi and Gujarati versions of the play parallelly. The Hindi version is far sharper.”

This reminds one of Kanji Viruddh Kanji, which also had versions in multiple languages. Umesh Shukla confirmed, “Yes. In fact, it used to run in three languages – Kanji Viruddh Kanji in Gujarati, Keshava Madhava in Marathi and Kishan vs Kanhaiya in Hindi.”

Will the film also be titled Madhuri vs Dixit? Umesh Shukla replied, “Indeed. That is what the title of the film would be.”

Lastly, when asked if noted actress Madhuri Dixit has seen the play, Umesh Shukla said, “She was busy shooting yesterday and couldn’t attend the premiere. Our next show is at ISKCON Auditorium, Mumbai on May 9. I’ll be inviting her again and I hope she can make it this time. I am in touch with her team and she’s aware of the play.”

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