Just wanted to share what I feel right now n hence this piece.. or should I say want to show my gratitude to my friends n fans who have loved me not only in my highs but more importantly supported me in my lows.. or plateaus/preparatory phase ( as my friend Sunjiv Puri puts it ๐)
My bday was celebrated in Barcelona where Manasi n me spent 2 languorous days walking around the gorgeous city n taking in the sights, sipping on yummy sangrias n tasting some really mouthwatering tapas (quimet & quimet on Blai’ street) .. of course a little bit of Zara had to be done, it being my fave brand n Spanish!
And might I mention we stayed at the most gorgeous miramar hotel bang on the ocean with breathtaking sights..
At this point, one might wonder where is the ‘feeling’ or ‘gratitude’ I was talking about … Well, right after my birthday shenanigans, we boarded a cruise to celebrate the nuptials of a friend .. this being what one might call, a bigggg fatttt Indian wedding!! Now as u might figure, the yacht was brimming over with Indians n Pakistanis, amongst others.. At this point I realised what impact one single film can have on an actors brand n standing.. This was the first time since the release of Kaabil that I had left the shores of india to a place where I would bump into Indians from all over the world.. n even though there were quite a few actors n cricketers at this beautiful wedding, I could ‘feel’ the appreciation n praise coming towards me.. n hence the gratitude to all of u .. without going into details of all the countless interactions, id like to share a moment which brought a tear n a smile to my face .. a family of 7 included 3 generations .. grand ma, lady of the house n her daughter (along with her siblings n dad.. ) And all three of them had watched Kaabil n had nothing but praise for the film n my performance.. the grandma who had seen me since swaabhimaan said “I always thought u must be seen more often on the screen (a grouse many have had) and I’m proud of what u have done in this film.. I never thought ‘my raja beta’ was capable of such cruelty !” The lady went a step further in saying she used to bunk tuitions to watch me , albeit secretly as Swaabhimaan was considered to be risquรฉ in their home !!! And that I was her first crush.. And her daughter finished by saying …… you r a ‘hero villain’ ( don’t know what she meant but it felt good ๐๐๐)
So, thank u all for supporting this outsider ( adding my two bit to the nepotism debate ๐) n not giving up on me.. I didn’t give up on me either, because of you.. I mean it with all honesty, not coz it sounds good..
god bless
P.S :ย ย The cruise was in 3 countries .. started in Spain went to France n then onto Italy