Nikita Dutta is an actress who transitioned from television to films, gaining recognition with roles in movies like Dybbuk (2021) and Dange (2024). She is all set to star in the Netflix heist thriller Jewel Thief – The Heist Begins alongside Saif Ali Khan, Jaideep Ahlawat, and Kunal Kapoor. In this high-stakes drama, Nikita plays the character Farah, further showcasing her adaptability in various genres.
During an exclusive chat with Bollywood Bubble, Nikita got candid about wanting to be a Sanjay Leela Bhansali heroine, dreaming about playing Nandini in the Salman Khan-Aishwarya Rai romantic drama Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and wanting to be Madhuri Dixit for a day. Scroll below to know all she said and watch the full interview
When asked which role from a past film she would love to steal, Nikita Dutta replied, “There’ll be lots, I’ll be honest.” She then continued, “If I have to really go back, I can think of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. Nandini (played by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) for me was that correct form of looking pretty, dressing well and dancing well – we all loved that.”
Talking about how fascinated she was with Nandini in HDDCS, Nikita continued, “She was like everything to me. I really tried to grow my hair but I could never get the braids (right). I used to run like her.” In the following statement, she added that she was obsessed with the way Nandini ran while on a bridge in Budapest and manifested doing it when she visited the country.
When asked if she would like to be a Bhansali heroine, Nikita Dutta replied, “I really want to be a Bhansali heroine. I don’t think anyone else has managed to present the classic Indian heroine with such beauty, grace, and elegance the way Sanjay Leela Bhansali does. “
Siting examples of past Bhansali heroines, the ‘Jewel Thief’ actress continued, “If you look at his films—take Devdas, for example—and watch Madhuri Dixit’s songs like Maar Dala, you’ll notice something striking. There’s absolutely no skin show. Her outfits are fully covered, everything is so modest. Yet, it’s absolutely stunning. Her face, her expressions, her performance, the grand sets—everything comes together so beautifully that you just can’t take your eyes off the screen.”
She continued, “Bhansali has this incredible ability to make a heroine look incredibly desirable and powerful, without relying on external elements like revealing costumes. And that’s something I really love and admire.”
During the same conversation, when asked which Bollywood actor she would love to live as for a day, she replied, “I think it would be Madhuri Dixit. I just want to be that beautiful, graceful dancer—Madhuri Dixit—who has it all. She’s adored by people, effortlessly walks into any song, dances, and completely steals the show. It’s like a dream. I would absolutely love to be her. To me, she is the OG Bollywood heroine.”