Veteran singer Suresh Wadkar has addressed the long-standing rumour that he once rejected a marriage proposal from Madhuri Dixit because she was “too thin.”
‘Madhuri might pull out whatever hair I have left’
Speaking to Lallantop, Wadkar dismissed the claim and revealed that he never actually received any proposal from the actress’s family.“Hey Bhagwan, woh Madhuri wali afwah! Madhuri toh mujhe kisi din na… jitne andar natural baal hain woh bhi noch legi (Oh God, that Madhuri rumour! One day Madhuri will pull out even the few natural hairs I have left),” he joked, referring to the persistent rumours.Calling Madhuri a close friend and colleague, he said, “Bahut meri achhi friend hai. Industry ki colleague hai. Mujhe bahut pasand bhi hai woh (She is a very good friend and colleague from the industry. I like her a lot).”Wadkar blamed the rumour’s popularity on a remark made years ago by Archana Puran Singh.“Yeh shaitani Archana Puran Singh ki hai. Woh bhi meri behen hai, bahut pyaar karti hai. Pata nahi kahaan se sun ke unhone TV pe bol diya. Us waqt se mere jitne interviews hote hain, sab mein yeh question poocha jaata hai (This mischief is Archana Puran Singh’s doing. She is like a sister to me and loves me dearly. I don’t know where she heard it from, but she mentioned it on television. Since then, I get asked this question in every interview).”
‘How could I reject her when the proposal never reached me?’
Asked whether he had ever discussed the rumour with Madhuri, Wadkar replied, “Nahi, kaise kar sakta hoon main? (No, how can I do that?)”The singer also acknowledged that there may have been some inquiry from Madhuri’s family at the time when he was one of the industry’s most eligible bachelors.“Ho sakta hai us waqt koi aisa kissa hua hoga. Unke father ki taraf se koi inquiry hui hogi (It is possible that something like that happened at the time. There may have been an inquiry from her father’s side).”However, he strongly denied reports that he had turned down the actress.“Yeh likh ke aata hai ki Suresh Wadkar ne usko isliye mana kiya kyunki woh bahut patli thi. Patli toh thi woh. Agar Abodh picture aap dekhenge toh usmein aisi patli thi ladki (People write that Suresh Wadkar rejected her because she was very thin. She was thin at the time. If you watch Abodh, you’ll see how slim she was).”He quickly clarified, “Aap tak baat pahunchi nahi, main kaise mana karta? (The proposal never even reached me, so how could I reject her?)”
‘Padma had already come into my life’
Wadkar revealed that by the time such rumours were circulating, his future wife Padma had already become an important part of his life.“Tab tak Padma meri zindagi mein aa chuki thi. Padma meri student rahi hai (By then, Padma had already entered my life. She was my student),” he said.Sharing how their relationship evolved, the singer recalled, “Mujhe idhar se kabhi nikalna nahi. Mujhe bhale ek kone mein rehne dena, magar main idhar hi rahungi (Don’t ever ask me to leave this place. Let me stay in a corner if needed, but I want to remain here).”
How Padma stood by him during a health crisis
The veteran singer further revealed that Padma stood firmly by his side during a difficult phase in his life when he underwent bypass surgery in 1997.“Meri tabiyat kharab ho gayi thi. Bypass surgery hui thi. Meri didi ne aur Padma ne bahut seva ki. Didi toh meri aashraydata thi hi, magar Padma ne bhi itni seva ki (My health deteriorated and I underwent bypass surgery. My elder sister and Padma took great care of me. My sister was always my support system, but Padma also looked after me with immense dedication),” he shared.Wadkar also recounted a memorable moment involving Sathya Sai Baba, whom he and Padma deeply revere.“Baba ne mujhe kaha tha, ‘Abhi tumhara first-class operation hua hai. Aaram se raho, lambi life jiyo, achhe se khao-piyo. Main tumhari shaadi karaunga.’ Padma bhi us interview mein thi. Bahar aakar woh rone lagi thi (Baba told me, ‘Your operation has been successful. Relax, live a long life, eat well and enjoy life. I will get you married.’ Padma was present during that interaction, and when she came out, she started crying),” he recalled.
