In an interview to Mumbai Mirror, Madhuri Dixit herself acknowledged the milestone and said, “The Ek Do Teen song turned the tables for me. Every producer wanted me to do a dance number in his or her film. We were shooting a song for Tridev. Sonam was a bigger star and so, she was made to stand in the centre. But as soon as Ek Do Teen became a hit, the producer changed our positions. I was in the centre.”

There was no looking back for Madhuri post that. She continued to dance her way into our hearts, sending fans into a frenzy with each big release. While Indra Kumar’s Beta (1992) saw her rocking the house with “Dhak Dhak,” the “Choli Ke Peeche” number from the 1993 blockbuster Khalnayak saw her at her sultry best. Even though the controversial song had all kinds of raunchy undertones, it was the virtuosity of Madhuri that she was able to add her signature grace to that song too.

With 1994’s “Chane Ke Khet Mein,” Madhuri Dixit gave Bollywood another one of those numbers that made every 90s kid stand in front of their TV sets trying to duplicate her hook steps. In the song, she is sheepish yet mischievous and that is just one of those anomalies that only a prolific dancer like Madhuri can embody. That same year, she upped her game once again in “Didi Tera Dewar Deewana” from Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! which went on to become THE wedding song of the decade.

In fact, the 90s was a time when Madhuri’s dance numbers were reason enough for cinephiles to flock in hordes to the theatres. Such is the case with 1995’s Yaraana which was a rather dull affair but was elevated manifold by Madhuri’s “Mera Piya Ghar Aaya” sequence. Madhuri made sure to bring something unique to the table with every one of her performances. A visible proof of the fact is her drool-worthy moonwalk in Pukar’s “Kay Sera Sera” (2000) which gave a number of her contemporaries a run for their money and broke the prejudice that Madhuri could only nail the traditional Bollywood style dancing.

In 2002, we saw Madhuri Dixit matching steps with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in what could be called the biggest dancing collaboration of the decade, “Dola Re Dola” from Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas. And even though she played a courtesan with titillating moves in songs like “Maar Daala” and “Kaahe Ched,” she did it with pure aplomb.

Madhuri is one of those stars who is equally gifted in her craft as she is in her dancing skills. She does most of the talking with her eyes and is able to convey almost all her emotions with her expressions. Something that even accomplished dancers struggle to come to terms with. Be it a coyish ‘devarani,’ a scintillating courtesan, an undercover agent, a nightclub dancer or just an indulgent lover, Madhuri’s dance performances always embody the character she is portraying. This is why we never see only Madhuri the actor performing, but rather the Mohinis, the Chandramukhis and the Nishas dancing their hearts out.

Also Read | The oomph, the beauty and the craft, Madhuri Dixit is how they spelled perfection in the 90s