WIND FROM THE WOODS

 

 

Girlfriend has a boyfriend!

After her much talked about break-up with model and actor Upen Patel, Amrita Arora made many more headlines – be it her scandalous and controversial film Girlfriend, her subsequent flops, her dare-to-bare acts or her boyfriend of late, Pakistan born English county cricketer Usman Afzal! Amrita Arora has been very open about her relationship with the cricketer. Afterall, it’s not been once that one has heard the lady talk out loud about how much is Usman in love with her… Hang on lady… give the man a chance to express his love too! Sab Golmaal Hai!

The strong independent streak of her personality that prompts her take on roles most other would shy from was perhaps responsible for her fleeting-yet-unforgettable romance with the West Indies’ Master Blaster Vivian Richards. Neena Gupta, who jolted the nation into a near frenzy when she crooned, Choli ke peeche kya hai, in Khalnayak, was also responsible for shocking the daylights out of the nation years earlier when she had a child out of wedlock with Viv and despite her efforts, the nation soon got its hands on the name of Masaba’s father. Much ahead of her times, Nina sure did manage to bring up a fine young girl in the end... Imran… retired, hurt!

Cricket and controversies seem to be as inseparable on the field as off it. At least that’s what was proven again when Imran Khan, the cricketer turned politician, married Jemima Goldsmith, daughter of the UK billionaire Sir James Goldsmith, a Jew, who was more than 20 years his junior and caused a stir in the Muslim community back in Pakistan! Although, even after their high profile divorce in 2004, Jemima’s on and off relationship with Hollywood hottie Hugh Grant these days, has indeed brought back memories of this most fiery romance from not too long ago. Raising the dreaded finger

And no… we’re not even talking about Greg Chapell’s contentious middle digit! But it was an equally momentous moment that made for quite a mouthful of gossip dipped in ‘green’ chutney, when Kim Sharma was partying with boyfriend Yuvraj Singh in a Mumbai nightclub sometime back. Shamita Shetty, who happened to be in the same night club that evening, started getting too up-close and personal with our cricket star, Yuvi. Kim could apparently, not accept the close proximity the two shared and showed Shamita ‘the finger’ and asked her to buzz off! An answer enough for those who though it was all over between the lovebirds, isn’t it? Cover drive??

The stately and splendid Anju Mahendru, who was as much of a talk in her teens as in her 50s, has certainly metamorphosed from being a mini starlet to present day television’s grand diva! But her bold candour and candid admittance of her relationship with Rajesh Khanna faded away when the time came to talk about her alleged affair with West Indian cricketer, Sir Gary Sobers! Never mind, it is not always that somebody with opinions on almost everything under the Sun is left speechless! When Zaheer bowled a maiden, over!

They must’ve been eluding the media till date, but the on-going romance between cricketer Zaheer Khan and actress Isha Sherwani has not left anyone wondering! Despite all the precautions that the duo has taken, they’ve been spotted quite a few times, together. Now be it the timely planning of their coinciding practice sessions (although at different places) or their very accidental (so to say) presence at social gatherings or their still more coincidental house hunting. Would you say the cat is still in the bag? Not anymore! ‘Mar-rage’, was it?

Speak of Indo-Pak relationships and a big guns and wrong ‘uns aren’t all that come to mind! Cross-border love sagas sell but don’t always end in a ‘happily ever after’. Both in India and Pakistan, hackles were raised when Bollywood siren, Reena Roy’s alleged affair with Pakistani cricketer Mohsin Khan, their consequent marriage and consequent divorce became public! The marriage ended in a blink, also marking their exodus from their respective professions! Guess it isn’t always a happy marriage between cricket and cinema!