After an unsuccessful year in 1996, Madhuri Dixit appeared in Yash Chopra's 'Dil To Pagal Hai' (1997). The film also had Shah Rukh Khan and Karishma Kapoor and was a blockbuster hit.
In the same year, she starred in Prakash Jha's critically acclaimed 'Mrityudand' (1997). It won the Best Feature Film award at the Cinéma Tout Ecran in Geneva and the Bangkok Film Festival.

Famous Indian painter M.F. Husain made a film named 'Gaja Gamini' (2000) which was intended as a tribute to Madhuri Dixit.
In the film, she portrayed various forms and manifestations of womanhood including the muse of Kalidasa, Leonardo's Mona Lisa, a rebel and an incarnation of musical euphoria.

In 2002, Madhuri potrayed the role of ‘Chandramukhi’ in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Devdas'. Her performance earned her a lot of applause.
The film which was the second remake of the original novel also had Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai in it.