Dr. Shriram Nene did not know Shah Rukh Khan or Salman Khan at his wedding reception with Madhuri Dixit. The U.S.-based surgeon only recognised Amitabh Bachchan. He said, "I didn't know anyone. It was like Prom King, you just waved at everyone." He never watched many Hindi films before.

Dr Shriram Nene, a celebrated Cardiothoracic Surgeon in the U.S., did not know who Madhuri Dixit was to the Hindi film industry when they got married. He also failed to recognise Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan at their reception.

Madhuri Dixit tied the knot with Cardiothoracic Surgeon Dr Shriram Nene at the peak of her career in Indian cinema. After marrying outside the industry, the actress relocated to the U.S. and led a quieter life. Before the sabbatical, Dixit's wedding became the talk of the town. Shriram, raised in the U.S., was unaware of Indian cinema and Madhuri's popularity. Besides Amitabh Bachchan, he did not recognise any Bollywood stars at their wedding reception. Talking to Farah Khan for her YouTube vlog, Nene said his knowledge about Hindi cinema was weaker than now.

Madhuri Dixit's husband was unaware of her stardom

When Farah asked Shriram whether he did not know Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan, the Cardiothoracic Surgeon said he did not watch many Hindi films as he spoke Marathi in LA. In fact, he was not aware that Madhuri was also a big star when they got married. "I grew up on George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Star Wars. So I didn't watch her films," before adding, "Then we met and we dated for three months. We just hit it off. Three months later, I proposed to her."

Madhuri Dixit's husband did not recognise Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan

Nene added that they got married in an intimate ceremony before hosting a grand wedding reception which was attended by Madhuri's co-stars and friends. "I didn't know anyone. It was like Prom King, you just waved at everyone and later look at the wedding album because you don't know anyone. The only person I knew was Amitabh Bachchan because I had seen Amar Akbar Anthony," he said.

Shriram praised Shah Rukh and Salman for being warm and kind to him. Farah further said the industry adored Madhuri.

Dr Shriram Nene on being known as 'Madhuri Dixit's husband'

In 2025, Dr Nene spoke on a panel discussion hosted by the founder and CEO of INK, Lakshmi Pratury. Shriram shared how he became famous instantly after returning to Mumbai and getting called 'Madhuri's husband.' He said, I'm the accidental Yankee in King Arthur's court, and the incidental tourist, if you will. My wife's the famous one, I'm just here for the ride. But, other than the imposter syndrome that all of us face on the spectrum, it's the power of one to make a difference in the lives of many. Don't ever underestimate how powerful each of you is."

He further added that he was not prepared to handle paparazzi attention. "I was at UCLA, I took care of a lot of celebrities. This was even before I was married. The only thing they wanted was anonymity. They only wanted to put their pants on one leg at a time, and not be addressed. Now I'm facing the opposite of that. Everyone wants a selfie with me. How do I deal with this? Honestly, I want to have a conversation with them and it becomes challenging," he added.

About Madhuri Dixit and Dr Shriram Nene

Madhuri and Shriram got married in 1999 and have two sons. They lived in the US for the first 10 years of their marriage and then moved to India.