Published by
Webmaster
at 12:59:49 pm on August 6, 2008
On Monday evening, you head to Riya Sen’s home in Juhu. And chat for an hour before broaching the subject of her relationship with Salman Rushdie. "Nobody understands me and I haven’t spoken about him yet, but today I am in a comfort zone. Let’s talk," she smiled. Excerpts from the conversation: • Let’s go back to that night in Aurus when you first met Salman Rushdie. Who took the first step? Neither Rushdie nor I. Parmeshwar Godrej introduced us and we got talking. I socially interact with 10,000 people and befriend many of them. I never expected that my meeting with Rushdie would be talked about so much. • Define your relationship with Rushdie. We are friends. • Platonic friends? You are mad. • That doesn’t answer my question… Purely platonic. • Can a 26-year-old girl and a 62-year-old man be just friends? I don’t make such high judgments. I just go with the flow. • But you like Rushdie, don’t you? Sure. He is a very nice guy. He is down-to-earth and humble. • Did he flirt with you? Most men flirt with me. • Do you believe in one-night stands? I don’t believe in one-night stands. People think that I am abnormal but I am not. I know that I have this overtly sexy image, but I have never worn a bikini to get a sexy image like so many other actresses did. • You are in frequent touch over the phone with him and he has even invited you over to spend some ‘quality time’ with him? So? • Are you going? No. • So, who are you dating? There are stories that you are dating filmmaker Paritosh Painter. I am single (almost screams). I am dating neither Salman Rushdie nor Paritosh Painter. It is a small world and somebody from Paritosh’s production unit has found out which actor had planted those stories. That doesn’t say much about the person but I won’t take names, as it’s below my dignity. I am single and eligible and I don’t think that I have to settle for a married man. And Paritosh is married. He is also a simple man. • Is Rushdie a simple man? There are stories that he is wooing you to make his former wife Padma Lakshmi jealous and get back at her. I haven’t read those stories.
• But he has talked with you about all his women – Padma Lakshmi, Marianne Wiggins, Elizabeth West, the late Clarissa Luard – hasn’t he? And what does he write in the emails and text messages that he sends you? When I have a private conversation with someone, I don’t disclose that conversation to anybody. We have spoken about almost everything under the sun. When he was leaving India, I also learnt from him that he knew a lot about my mom and dad. • There is a feeling in the industry that you are not interested in work. (Laughs) That’s why I have five films in my kitty! Yes, I have been mired in controversies but I have a very strong backbone and am not going to crumble. • Then why haven’t you done a film with Karan Johar or Aditya Chopra? I am already working with Rituparno Ghosh and Subhash Ghai. Are they small filmmakers? A banner or director does not make an actor. Tomorrow, if I do a film with Karan or Aditya, I will still be Riya Sen. • How is your grandmother now? She is fine now and still looks beautiful. • Are you in touch with your ex-boyfriends- John Abraham and Ashmit Patel? I am in touch with John, off and on. • And Ashmit? I would rather talk about my pets. • Are you in touch with golfer Adam Scott? I don’t count the number of text messages I exchange with Scott and Rushdie. • Parting shot. Are you really not dating Rushdie? Arre baba, Rushdie is not my… (pauses) • Not your type? Whatever. My mother has had the biggest laugh because after me, she was also linked with Rushdie. To tell you the truth, she has never met Rushdie. Frankly, I wasn’t going to talk about Rushdie to the press. In the beginning, it sounded like fun. But of late, it had begun to affect my health. But I chose to talk to you and get it off my chest. Are you convinced now?
• Well, sort of… I hope that this rests my case. Let me go to sleep. It’s 1 am now and it’s time that you went home.
[...] RS Bollywood Online Copyright © work at home sc_project=3641399; sc_invisible=1; [...]
[...] Original RS Bollywood Online [...]