Pre-pubescence seems to have become a fashion statement even as women live longer. So is it surprising that Madhuri Dixit, the woman India idolised as the female Amitabh Bachchan, chose marriage as her career hit the down button? Even as the century ends, the woman who put the tamasha tradition of Maharashtra on the entertainment map, is doing precisely what many of her predecessors did: choosing marriage as the golden handshake. From Vyjantimala Bali, to Hema Malini, to Sridevi, if the long distance race tires you out, just opt out. And this as older heroes couple with younger women on screen whether it's Sean Connery with Catherine Zeta-Jones orAmitabh Bachchan with Manisha Koirala.

In a sense, it is to be expected. Movies, whether in India or elsewhere, are the last bastion of conservatism. Not only in the values they espouse but also in the people they endorse. While Hollywood does occasionally break this self-imposed rule by dusting off its Meryl Streeps and Susan Sarandons for artistic acclaim, the big bucks usually fly on the wings of 32-year-old Julia Roberts and 34-year-old Meg Ryan. In India, things are only somewhat different. The film industry may have been given official status, but it hasn't got that sort of financing. With so much uncertainty riding on the back of so many movies and with only 10 per cent of the films being released making some money (not even all) it is not surprising that the most surefire entertainer of them all, Sooraj Barjatya, has just made a `family film' with 40 characters, among them as many as four major heroines. With non-conventional cinema relying almost entirely on its lucky mascot, Nandita Das, itdoesn't leave much scope for a talented actress who wants to go beyond sporting the latest Manish Malhotra look and adopting the newest Farah Khan wiggle.

While Dixit's marriage may not mean the end of her career, it definitely will not enhance it in an industry where heroines have to double talk their way even out of affairs. Dixit has always been renowned for her discretion, even when she was rumoured to be Sanjay Dutt's girlfriend. A product of a middle class Maharashtrian family, much like Sachin Tendulkar, she has lived her life almost by the book. A perfect star, a perfect daughter (who was always accompanied by her mother on location) and many would think a perfect role model for young India, balancing the best of the East with the West, like one of those intricate Kathak-cum-disco steps so favoured by Bollywood dance masters. But it is to people such as Dixit that one looks for inspiration -- to become just another NRI doctor's wife is a comfortable way to exit Mu-mbai but it is also predictable.One only hopes she doesn't return as Mumtaz.