Madhuri Dixit’s career has quietly but decisively evolved over the past decade. Once celebrated almost exclusively for grace romance and timeless dance numbers the veteran actor has increasingly stepped into complex layered roles many of them far darker than anything she attempted in her early years. Her latest web series Mrs Deshpande marks perhaps her boldest turn yet with Madhuri playing a serial killer who hides in plain sight. Ahead of the show’s release the actor spoke about why playing such a character did not unsettle her and how her changing film choices have also reshaped the way her sons see her work. Why didn’t playing a serial killer disturb her? Madhuri admits that making a morally questionable character relatable can be tricky especially for actors who are widely loved. Shah Rukh Khan one of her most frequent collaborators once famously avoided playing a tyrant because he feared making the character too likeable. For Madhuri the challenge was similar but intentional. Rather than leaning into loud villainy she focused on the ordinariness of her character. “Outside she’s just a housewife. She loves to cook make her modaks” Madhuri explained. According to her the horror of Mrs Deshpande lies not in exaggerated evil but in quiet normalcy. “It’s not loud. It’s very silent. It’s inside the skin” she said describing the restrained unsettling tone of the role. Is this darker phase a conscious career choice? Madhuri’s recent choices suggest a deliberate shift. From nuanced OTT characters to roles that explore grey areas of human behaviour she appears more interested in depth than image. Mrs Deshpande fits right into this phase allowing her to explore psychological tension rather than glamour. The actor believes that such roles challenge her as a performer and keep her creatively engaged especially in a time when long-format storytelling on streaming platforms allows characters to breathe. How do her sons react to her work? Interestingly Madhuri revealed that her sons Arin (22) and Ryan (20) grew up without watching much of her filmography. “It’s funny” she laughed sharing that they actually watched more of her films after leaving for college largely because of their Indian friends. She recalled how their classmates would be shocked to learn that they hadn’t seen many of her iconic movies. “They’d be like ‘What are you saying!’” Madhuri said. Eventually peer pressure worked and her sons went back to watch her older films after finishing school. What is Mrs Deshpande about? Directed by Nagesh Kukunoor Mrs Deshpande also stars Priyanshu Chatterjee and Siddharth Chandekar in key roles. The series presents a gripping character study blending domestic normalcy with an unsettling psychological undercurrent. Streaming on JioHotstar Mrs Deshpande further cements Madhuri Dixit’s transformation from a symbol of classic Bollywood charm to an actor unafraid to explore the darkest corners of human nature.