M F Husain and his love affair with Bollywood

He was so charmed by the bubbly Madhuri Dixit in "Hum Apke Hai Kaun" that he watched the film 67 times and booked an entire theatre to see her comeback movie "Aaja Nachle" in 2007.

His love for Madhuri led him to reinvent his career as a filmmaker. Husain made his Bollywood debut as a director with "Gaja Gamini" starring Madhuri and Shah Rukh Khan in 2000.

The Padma Vibhushan immortalised her "quintessential beauty" in his paintings and no matter how many Bollywood divas impressed Husain, Madhuri indisputably remained the `Queen of his heart`.

Other Bollywood beauties also fascinated the artist, who, despite the critical and commercial failure of "Gaja Gamini", ventured into filmmaking for the second time with Tabu as his muse in "Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities". The film did not suffer a similar fate but remained ignored by the common audience.

This however, did not discourage Husain`s love for all things filmy. He continued to adore Bollywood divas and though he did not attempt a third film, rumours never died about his latest ventures and current muses.