Winning the National Award

Thank you so much for all your messages on my winning the National Award for my work in Madhur Bhandarkar’s film ‘Fashion’. It is such an honour and it is a memory I will cherish forever.

Fashion was a great film. Madhur Sir, is by far, one of the most talented Directors in our industry and deserves all credit for this win. When he called me yesterday with news that I’d won this award, I was surprised and delighted. He told me to turn on the TV. It was only when I saw the tickers on TV channels announcing Priyanka’s win, and my win, that I really believed it!

You never go into a film thinking of the awards it will win. The focus is always on making a good film that audiences will enjoy. But as an actor, I do put my heart and soul into the roles I essay. So when you receive an award, a complement or fan mail that tells you someone appreciated your work it is always special. Its only been three years for me in the indutry and I’ve been lucky to win something each year. But because the National Awards are one of a kind - they are the oldest, given by the President of the Country, and they are about your country conferring an honour on you -this moment becomes really extra, extra special!

It’s been an emotional time for my entire family. My father had tears in his eyes when he heard the news. He was saying “You’re just 22, this is really incredible, to have achieved so much so soon!” My family and friends all have big smiles on their faces. My house is filled with beautiful flowers and chocolates, and my mail box and phone with sweet messages that have been sent by people from the industry, friends and well wishers. Celebration is in the air for sure!

I’m looking forward to going to Delhi to be with the team of Fashion and celebrate this. Madhur Sir, Priyanka, Mugdha, Arjan, Arbaaz and I all had a wonderful time making this film. It would not have been the same without any one of them. I look forward to working with everyone again.

It is your support that keeps me going most of all. Thanks for your great letters, messages and words of encouragement. I love you.

Pic Courtsey: Yogen Shah

Happy 2010 all!!!!

Kaise hain aap? When the clock strikes twelve on December 31st, people all over the world cheer and wish each other a very Happy New Year. For some, this day is no different from any other. For others, it symbolizes a whole new beginning, while taking stock of the year that passed.

Stepping into 2010, I’m doing a little bit of that myself!

Films:
With filming for so many projects on at present, I am most of all looking forward to all my releases next year — from Kites, No Problem, Tanu Weds Manu, Once Upon a Time in Mumbai and Knockout. Each film is unique and I’m excited by the stories, the looks and the characters I essay. Thank you for your sweet support during Fashion and Raaz - The Mystery Continues. I hope you enjoy these films as much.

Fitness:
I’ve had a regular yoga practice for four years now, and it’s been the cornerstone of my fitness programmes. I plan to continue this, and also get more regular with my dance classes. In keeping with this, I also want to focus on eating healthier and avoiding junk food. This can be hard sometimes, because I’m a real foodie!

Fun:
While outdoor shoots take you to different countries, there’s a completely different quality about a full fledged holiday, with no responsibilities whatsoever. I had a lovely time in Italy this year and with family in Manali. I hope I get to travel and explore lots more this year.

Future:
And last of all, I want to buy my dream home in Manali. I love the mountains, the simplicity and purity of life. Having a home in Manali has been something I’ve wanted all along, and it’s sweet to know that this might happen in this coming year.

Whatever your resolutions for the year or perhaps you have decided to make none…I wish that this journey around the Sun be one that is filled with happiness for you. Dream! Discover!! Explore!!! Happy 2010!

Love always,

Never met Headley

Hello,

I promised this would be a space where I would give you the real news so you don’t wonder about baseless rumours that arise from speculative media reports.

There have been news reports that speculate about my meeting a person named Headley through Bhatt Saab’s son Rahul.

I am putting on record here on my official site, that I have never had any contact whatsoever with this person Hadley, and have absolutely no idea who he is. Infact, I have never had the opportunity to meet Rahul Bhatt in my life, so meeting anyone through him is out of the question.

I am deeply disturbed by irresponsible media reports that unnecessarily drag my name into a controversy to gain TRPs. I plan to take strong legal action against the channel that has started such a baseless story and is damaging my credibility, and causing emotional distress to my family, friends, fans as well as me.

Warm regards,

Tanu Weds Manu

Hi friends,

As you may know I’ve been busy shooting for my film Tanu Weds Manu in Lucknow for the last few days. It’s been a really fun time, in a really fun city, with a really fun cast and crew! On our very first day here, the Director Anand Rai, discovered a delicious “Chaat” place and since then, there’s been no stopping us, it’s a chaat party on the sets and we often step out into the city to the restraunts to have a bite of the famous Lucknow cuisine!

My sister Rangoli has been with me through this schedule, and we’ve had a lot of fun shopping for beautiful chikankari cloth and more. Infact I’m quite excited about my look in this film, as its the first time I have an all Indian look, with shararas and short kurtis, morjaris etc. The script is fun and the cast and crew are really nice as well. Maddy is an all time jokster with great stories up his sleeves and has us in splits all the time with his anecdotes. The team led by Shailesh Singh and Anand Rai is one of the most caring I’ve worked with.

There were a lot of rumours about my getting eve-teased by the crowds in Lucknow recently, and I want to let you know there’s no truth to these at all. A couple of days ago there was some mild trouble with crowds on the sets, however neither Maddy nor I were on the set at the time. The people in Lucknow have been most kind and very hospitable and we’ve really enjoyed our visit.

I will be sorry to leave, but am now looking forward to joining the crew on the sets of “Knockout” next. with so many films on my plate simultaneously, it is a challenge shifting so quicky from one character to another, but then life’s not fun without a challenge I guess!

Do keep writing in with your comments. It is lovely to hear from you.

All my love,

ROMAN HOLIDAY

Hello again!

In school, holidays were always special. I sooo looked forward to breaking for the weekend, or summers or Diwali. But there’s something super-special when a holiday comes your way unexpectedly…it’s delicious in its spontaneity…really yummy!

We were to shoot this fortnight for ‘Once Upon A Time in Mumbai’ this month, and the schedule got cancelled unexpectedly, leaving me with a stretch of fifteen days completely free. So I decided to make the most of this and seek some adventure!

I travelled to Italy. A first.

Alone. No assistants, colleagues, friends or family. Another first!

Italy’s a place I’ve always wanted to visit… and I was not disappointed…ancient culture, amazing art, fabulous food, lovely people, and lyrical language…I certainly did fall in love - with the place itself.

And it was amazing to travel alone… I began in this industry when I was very young, and have never travelled alone. I always wondered what I would do if I was completely alone. I was delighted at my own contentment… I ate good food, visited beautiful places, fell in love with Michelangelo’s art, made wishes throwing coins in the fountain. I loved the works of Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael, by far my favorites. The ‘Last Supper’ is such an exquisite piece of art…I could look at it forever.

The Italians were very nice. The lighthearted and earnest flirting of young single Italian guys, calling me princess and asking me to marry them…some in French, because they thought I was from France, made me laugh! And I was touched by people’s easy helpfulness - strangers clicked my picture for me or attended to me at hotel receptions or called a cab for me or helped me carry my very heavy suitcases! Strangers were friends and companions and I felt like we connected in a very spiritual way, even though I didn’t know their names. People were so polite and humble, that Italy became the most beautiful thing I have ever experienced.

I loved Rome, and I loved the Vatican too. Venice surprisingly I did not enjoy…sorry all you Venice lovers! Perhaps I have too much of the mountains in me.

And the fashion! Ooooooooooooooooh…Milan is really such a dream for any fashionista. It’s no secret I love clothes. One of the craziest things I did when I was not wealthy at all, soon after my film GANGSTER, was to buy a dress that I paid so much for that I had no money left at all…not even to put dinner on my table…and I never regretted it! So you can imagine my delight at being in Milan, which really does deserve its title as a fashion capital. I had the most fun shopping in Milan.

Now I’m back in the city. But will be away again soon on a shoot. ‘Kites’ is complete, and I’ve heard it’s looking really good. I’ve also begun work on ‘No Problem’, ‘Tanu weds Manu’, and have three additional films in the pipeline - each of these is a different genre from anything I have done before. So it does feel like a time of many firsts…my first comedy, first romantic comedy, first thriller and so on! Exciting!

Thanks again for all your emails in. I really do enjoy reading them. It’s always a pleasure to hear from you.

Stay in touch.

All my love.

Durban…

Hello!

Thank you for your sweet mail. I love reading your comments. It means so much to me to hear from you.

I’ve spent the last few weeks in beautiful Durban in South Africa. I’ve done many shoots in South Africa now, and it’s always a pleasure to be in that country. I love the weather, the beaches and the scenic beauty of the place. I must say though, that the busy schedule of shoots and other engagements this year has kept me away from Mumbai for long stretches and I do miss home a lot as well -specially, food and cooking. I love cooking my own meals. It’s such a relaxing thing to do after a long day, and I love to cook for family and friends as well.

I’ve been shooting for Anees Bazmi’s No Problem, and had a great time on the sets with Sushmita, Akshaye and Sanjay. I enjoyed spending girl-time with Sushmita, who nicknamed me ‘Minnie Mouse’ because of my hairdo for the role I play, which has bangs and two pony tails…and probably because I wore a lot of pink…and she thought it looked so cute. It was fun to hang out with someone so chilled out.

I also recently shot for the covers of Femina and Grazia. Do check out the issues…I’d love to know what you thought.

Thanks for visiting the site. I look forward to hearing from you.

Love,

Macau Moments

Hi there,

Thanks for all your sweet fan mail, I love reading this. It’s so honest, refreshing and encouraging, I really do appreciate it.

Firstly, thanks for your congratulatory messages for my win at IIFA for Fashion. It was a really fun weekend in Macau, and winning the award made the occasion unforgettable for me. The organisers had gone a long way to make sure everything was really well organised. From the hotel and stay arrangements to the award ceremony itself, the entire event was smooth and elegant. My designer friend Rik Roy, had created a special outfit for me for the Green Carpet, that weighed 25kgs and was studded with Swarovski crystals. It was surprisingly easy to carry and wear and I was flooded with compliments on the look. My sister Rangoli accompanied me to Macau and we had a lot of fun shopping and hanging out in the city in the little time we had.

Another highlight of the Macau IIFA was of course the informal after award party thrown by Mr. Bachchan in his suite, which was huge, complete with pool and all, making it a perfect venue for such a do. Priyanka and I went to the party together, and I was touched by the graciousness of Abhishek and Aishwarya as hosts. Most stars who attended the awards were at the party, and I had fun catching up with everyone.

I leave for Switzerland tomorrow, to shoot the last schedule of my South Indian Film Ek Niranjan. After Mumbai’s heat, I’m sure being in the mountains will be a pleasant change. I’ll stay in touch with you via this blog.

Keep writing in!

Love always,

IIFA Awards 2009 at Macau.(Picture Credit: Yogen Shah)

ALL MY BAGS ARE PACKED…

Good Evening!

Its 9:30 pm, and I’ve returned from a day of shooting a rain sequence for my film Once Upon A Time in Mumbai with Ajay Devgan that is being directed by Milan Luthria. It’s been a lot of fun, specially dressing up in 70’s costume inspired by the talented, beautiful actresses of that time. I love the look, with the big hair, the khol lined eyes, the sarees. After wearing my make-up and costume, even I did a double take, not quite recognizing myself in the mirror!

I love reading the comments and letters you leave on the site. Thank you so much for your appreciation for my role in Raaz and in Fashion. I’m glad you enjoyed the movie. And thanks for your supportive comments on my relationship status changing! For those of you who are sorry, thanks for your empathy, and to those who think it’s great, well I have to say that you had foresight I obviously did not! And finally, really, thank you for your sweet and encouraging responses to this website – I’m glad you like it, and we can share this space to connect. It’s been my intention to keep it personal, genuine. Do keep writing in.

This year holds a lot of travel, starting with the IIFA Awards in Macau. I look forward to sharing news and views with you on this blog.

Keep writing in. It’s lovely to hear from you.

Love,

It’s true that Adhyayan Suman and I have split

Hello,

Since I promised you’d get the REAL answers about controversies in my life here on this site, I want to let you know that it is true that Adhyayan Suman and I have decided to part ways.

The decision to move on after a year’s relationship was Adhyayan’s, and I was shocked by it. But we’ve parted ways amicably.

We both feel the need to focus on our career at present rather than a serious relationship. My upcoming films, No Problem, Kites, Once Upon a Time in Mumbai will be keeping me busy, and Adhyayan also has a full schedule of shooting and promotions on his hands.

I wish him the best in life.

Welcome to my official blog

This is my first attempt at blogging, and as the last few months of my life have been filled with tremendous professional activity, I thought I’d start with sharing that aspect with you.

My love of style and fashion, found expression in my work through Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion, and working with the talented cast and crew, everyone from Madhur himself, to Priyanka and Mughda, to Rita Dhody, was a real pleasure. The film was a huge success at the box office, and to have audiences enjoy and appreciate something you have worked so hard on, is the ultimate gift for an actor.

In a very different mould, Raaz The Mystery Continues was also a huge box office success. I’m told it was one of the biggest openers of the year. It was sweet to hear that the opening shows on the first Friday, at 9 am were house full in many cities and towns, especially Chandigarh, where I schooled, and had a chance to visit, meet my teachers and the current batch of students, after many years, as part of the movie’s promotional schedule.

I am looking forward with enthusiasm to the release of Kites, a film I’m sure will enjoy watching, and this month I begin on Anees Bazmi’s ‘No Problem’, a real departure from any of the roles I’ve essayed on screen so far. Milan Luthria’s ‘Once Upon A Time In Mumbai’ is the next film in my line of projects and we’ve been studying in depth the look and style of  the 70’s, a period that was vibrant and exciting.

I thank you for extending such great support to me over the years, and for your acceptance of me as an actor. I hope through this blog, I can to keep you informed of my upcoming projects and share with you moments from my personal life as well.

I would love to hear from you as well, and do leave your comments in our Guestbook section.

Stay in touch.

Much love,