Indian Pad News

There is more of Aamir Khan available to his fans than ever — thanks to his blog. But the star asserts he is as private a man as he always was, saying an instant “no” to the question whether he has stepped out of his space that had been closed to the prying public.

Simply dressed in a red T-shirt and blue jeans, sitting crossed-legged in the corner of a couch in his airy bungalow in Pali Hill, Mumbai, he asks for a cup of tea — made to his specifications. Then he begins replying, “Like anyone else, I choose things I want to talk about. There are some things I am comfortable talking about, some things I am not. Beyond that I am fine.”

He also refutes the perception that he doesn’t gel well with his peers from the industry, citing his friendships with the other two big Khans. “I often catch up with Salman, and even Shah Rukh. We live close by, so it’s easier,” says Aamir.

And if he is not a fixture in the Bollywood socialising scene, his reason is simply: “I am like that.” The first one Blogging has become huge in Bollywood now, and Aamir was the first one to take to the medium. It has been a year since he started blogging, and he says he is fascinated by its interactive nature.

“I really enjoy it. I can really have the kind of communication I want. I can express firsthand what I am feeling, thinking.”

The blog, he says, has changed his relationship with fans. “Earlier, it would be only (through) the media, which is an important link still. But now, I have a personal equation with people across the globe. And the most endearing fact is that it’s purely emotional.”

This new-age mode of communication attracts Aamir all the more because his own star-struck days were so different.

“Years ago, I would have never imagined having a personal contact with the stars I admired.”

Shock value
Recently, Aamir posted a blog that said: “Shah Rukh is licking my feet.” The statement caused a stir, though Aamir was only referring to a dog named Shah Rukh.

He says about the controversy, “It was blown out of proportion. In retrospect, I should have realised that this would happen. Seventy per cent of my fans took it in the spirit it was meant to be. Some said I shouldn’t have done so, because they hold me in high regard. And I understand that. But the fact is that we are just the way we are. I am the way I am. I am happy with my sense of humour. If I have upset people — which I didn’t intend to — I am sorry. But I am not sorry for what I did, because that’s the kind of guy I am.”

Smoking gun
He has confessed on the blog that he has started lighting up again. “Whenever my film is up for release, I tend to smoke. This is something I’m not happy about. Once Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na is released, I would give up, hopefully.”

Hopefully? “I will,” Aamir says more firmly. About his vision for his company, Aamir Khan Production, the star says, “I am a very cottage industry kind of guy. I believe in doing what I like.

As a production house, we will only make films we love, scripts we like and movies we are proud of. I may act, or I may not. But the philosophy will be the same.”

An unhappy Jelena Jankovic crashed out of Wimbledon on Monday with a parting shot at the tournament organisers.

Hampered by a knee injury, the number two seed from Serbia slumped to a 6-3 6-2 defeat to Thailand’s Tamarine Tanasugarn on the first match on Court 18.

And it was both the timing and the location of her fourth-round contest that left Jankovic fuming.

The world number three spent Sunday undergoing intensive treatment on the injury she suffered in Saturday’s third-round victory over Caroline Wozniacki.

She had pleaded for a late start on Monday in order to improve her chances of recovering so was upset to discover she had been handed a midday match.

“I was really not happy with the scheduling,” Jankovic said.

“I asked to play a little bit later on in the day, which would give me a few more hours to recover and do another therapy (session) in the morning.”

Jankovic was also frustrated at being forced to play away from the two main courts, arguing her seeding demanded centre-stage.

“I’m asking why is the number two seed playing on Court 18?” she said, pointing out defending champion Venus Williams had been similarly snubbed on Monday.

“It’s also not normal that Venus plays on number two, and then (Anna) Chakvetadze and (Nicole) Vaidisova - who are 18 seed and I don’t know which seed - are on Court Number One. I think it makes really no sense.”

Jankovic said she would not waste her energy making an official complaint to tournament organisers.

Regardless of how it happened, the 23-year-old’s demise created Wimbledon history on Monday.

Since seedings began 81 years ago, never have all the top three women’s seeds all failed to reach the quarter-finals.

But the early exits of Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic and now Jankovic has in theory set up one of the most open championships in history.

However, the prospect of an all-Williams final looms large, with world number 60 Tanasugarn on Monday looking mere cannon-fodder for defending champion Venus ahead of their quarter-final on Tuesday.

The veteran Thai, 31, has finally broken her fourth-round hoodoo, having been beaten at that stage on six previous occasions.

In the first set, she did little more than block Jankovic’s powerful groundstrokes, waiting for the errors to come.

The tactic worked, with a break in the sixth game enough to see her clinch the opening set.

More mistakes from her opponent gifted Tanasugarn a double-break in set two.

But it was only when Jankovic clawed one break back that the Thai began to hit regular winners to close out the match.

Of particular concern will be a serve which never troubled the 100mph mark, the slowness of which at one point prompted an audible expletive from Jankovic.

Tanasugarn, who revealed she sensed her opponent’s injury was affecting her, was simply delighted to have reached this far.

“Can I say, wow, wow, wow?” she said.

“I’ve been in the fourth round so many years and I make it this year, so I was very happy.”

As for the prospect of facing Williams, who she has yet to even take a set from in four meetings, she smiled: “I’ve played her many times and she’s kicked my butt.”

For men, wham-bam-thank you maam romps are all in a day’s work. For women, it’s wham-bam-no thank you sir!

Of late, the world at large and women especially have been rejoicing in their new found sexual freedom, courtesy the female condom which has been seen as a step towards women’s emancipation. For the female condom connotes power and the freedom to enjoy sex without fear or anxiety raising their ugly heads the morning after.

Women have also been rejoicing about their sexual prowess and how liberated they have become in the bedroom. Movies like Sex and the City are credited with fuelling another sexual revolution where women are enjoying the same freedom as men.

But according to a new study, most women do not actually want it. They feel bad about one-night-stands, which is usually followed with a morning crammed with a sense of guilt. Most women even feel used and are more worried about what other people will think if they find out.

As a result women, unlike men, find the experience less sexually satisfying. And if at all getting close to a man is on her mind, it’s only if she’s feels that the bond is strong enough to see many a dawns in her life…

According to Professor Anne Campbell from Durham University in the UK, the negative feelings reported by women after one-night stands suggest that they are not well adapted to fleeting sexual encounters. To test the theory, a total of 1743 men and women who had experienced a one-night stand were asked to rate both their positive and negative feelings the following morning, in an internet survey. The results showed that overall women’s feelings were more negative than men’s.
“Deep down inside, finding a secure base is a fundamental trait of a human being. And this need is stronger in females than males and she knows that. She also knows that a free bird does not remain a healthy bird for long, so there is a stronger feeling of guilt among women,” explains psychologist Samir Parikh.

“Girls are born and brought up in a secure emotional cocoon, which if at all they break by getting into an alliance like this, does hit them harder than the man who had an equally big involvement in the act,” says TV actress Karishma Tanna.

According to Dr. Aruna Broota the age of a woman is an important factor to consider in such cases. “For girls in their early teens, who are in no mood to get into a long term relationship, a one-night stand is just a fun thing and they have no qualms while indulging in the occasional romp. But as a woman grows older, a feeling of guilt starts seeping in and they try to pick one man for a long term relationship, out of the many they have had sexual encounters with.”

Unlike men who are more likely to brag about the experience to their friends, women are consumed with guilt that they may have seriously damaged their reputations. According to Dr. Broota, a 19-year-old girl who came to her for counselling was engulfed in feelings of regret and feared what people may think of her: “I need to talk to someone. But I cannot. Sometimes I feel I’m breaking away from my bonds. People might point out at me branding me as bad.”

In fact, contrary to popular belief, the study finds that women did not seem to view taking part in casual sex as a prelude to long-term relationships. According to the research, published in the journal Human Nature, women are not well adapted to fleeting sexual encounters and instead prefer ‘quality to quantity’.

Imran Khan, Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan’s nephew, is set to enter Bollywood with his uncle’s home production Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na, but he doesn’t want to call it his launch vehicle.

“Please, don’t look at it as my launch vehicle… Abbas (Tyrewala) didn’t want to make a hero-heroine-oriented film. He took a lot of care to ensure that my co-stars are not relegated to side roles, you know,” Imran, who was here ahead of the release of his film, told IANS.

Apart from Imran, the film also stars Genelia D’Souza, Manjari Fadnis, Ratna Pathak, Arbaaz Khan, Sohail Khan, Paresh Rawal, Naseeruddin Shah and Anuradha Patel. The romance saga, releasing Friday, also marks the directorial debut of Bollywood scriptwriter Abbas Tyrewala.

Imran says he never thought he will become an actor.

“I never thought of becoming an actor. I had gone to New York Film Academy in Los Angeles and trained as a director. I had always wanted to become a director. Only because Abbas wanted me to act in the film that I decided to act,” he said.

Talking about the film, made with a campus backdrop, Imran said that it was a film made by young people for young people.

“We made this film keeping in mind that young people should connect with it. The older crowd will get nostalgic… their first crushes, their first break-ups….”

As for his experience in his maiden acting venture, he said: “It is always inspiring to work with people who put in a lot of effort.”

He added that his uncle Aamir’s role in the film was purely limited to being the producer and nothing more. “He was too busy directing Taare Zameen Par when this film was made.”

Regarding the music of Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na, Imran said that A.R. Rahman has given a very young treatment to the score.

“Music is exceptional and I feel it is some of Rahman’s best work,” he said.

Asked about his expectations from the film, he said: “I don’t have expectations, just hopes. We have made a film from our heart, a purely light-hearted film, which we hope people will come and watch. I hope the film touches the viewers’ hearts. Please don’t watch the film from an intellectual’s perception.”

Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by 158 runs in their Asia Cup tournament one-day match at the National Stadium, Karachi, on Monday.

Sri Lanka have now qualified for the final of the ninth Asia Cup tournament.

Scores:

Sri Lanka 332 for eight off 50 overs (S. Jayasuriya 130, K. Sangakkara 121); Bangladesh 174 all out off 38.3 overs (R. Hasan 52, M. Muralitharan 5-31).

What keeps you busy?
Work. I know it is a clichéd answer but it’s the truth. I’ve been working round the clock. It’s been back-to-back for the past few months. But I like it this way.There’s no time for idle talk or to brood.

Has your sexy image been a drawback in your career?
(Laughs ) I’ve enjoyed the sexy image for too long. Now it’s time to go celibate. Jokes aside.

The new directors aren’t interested in the image that’s been projected so far. For instance, Rohit Shetty saw a picture of mine in an Indian costume and cast me as a simple south Indian girl in Golmaal Returns.

Have you enjoyed the tag of a sex symbol?
Abroad, the term ‘sex symbol’ is associated with beauty. Here it’s a bit different. I don’t mind being called sexy but when it’s said that Mallika Sherawat is sexy.. please excuse me. Sorry, I don’t want to be in that bracket.

How do you work on your body?
By the grace of God,women in my family have been gifted with slender frames. But I do work out to keep my body toned. I have never ever been pencil thin, I don’t want to be either. I eat five-six times a day but I’m careful about what I eat. I don’t like bulges, so naturally I make sure I don’t have them.

Do filmmakers always insist that you should wear sexy outfits?
I will not parade in a swimming costume just because a filmmaker wants me to. I wore a bikini in Jaanasheen because I had complete faith in Feroz Khan. I’ve worn a swimsuit in Money Hai To Honey Hai because it is required. Everyone in the film is wearing what he or she would in a pool.

Do you have any 4 am friends in the film industry?
I’ve good friends in the industry. Lara (Dutta), Govinda, Ravi Kissen and Manoj Bajpai. I don’t hang out with them every night. But I can confidently say that they are my 4 am friends. If I’m troubled about anything,

I can call them up any time of the day or night.

Your reaction to rumours about an affair with Govinda.
I don’t deny that I adore him, he has been my best co-star so far. I respect him. I’ve been his fan for a long time. But that doesn’t mean we are having an affair. It was a ridiculous rumour.

You miss not having a man in your life?
I don’t miss a man till I see a couple which is happy together. Of course, I would love to be in love again. There are certain qualities I want in my man.. at least he should have the courtesy of picking up the cheque when he takes me out to dinner.

Which has been the most cheesy pick-up line used on you?
A guy came and said, “Excuse me.. can we be friends puhlease?” I told him to shut up. The one line that really worked. It was romantic, I was asked, “Will you be the mother of my babies?” I said yes. (Laughs ) But see, it didn’t work out because there are no babas or babies.

Would you proposition a man?
Never. I wouldn’t proposition a man till my dying day even if I was attracted to him. Call me old-fashioned but I want the man to make the first move and sweep me off my feet.

Your wish-list for three men who should make the first move.
( Smiles ) Jake Gyllenhaal. And I’m going to get into trouble for this, Shah Rukh Khan and John Abraham.

Isha Koppikar and you have been having problems on the sets of Hello Darling. True?
No. Iwould never carry my personal problems to the sets. I will never give a chance to my director to say that I’m unprofessional. Initially in my career, there were the usual insecurities about what the other heroine’s wearing and howshe’s looking. But I’ve learnt the hard way.. these things don’t matter. I’ve to wear whatever suits my character. I don’t let vanity vans and outfits become issues.. that would be much too petty.