Rendezvous With The Cricket Gal....Mandira Babe (NSI News Source Info) 14 August 2008: It’s raining crazily in Bandra and the lush trees overlooking Mandira Bedi’s hauntingly haute abode seem all the more greener. Everything in the apartment screams ‘louche exoticism’—be it the glowing paintings that radiate differently as the light changes or the flotillas of wrought iron candle stands that have been custom-made by the strappy lass herself. Textured walls in burnt orange give a soothing touch to the living room but as Mandira walks in, wrapped in a turquoise blue sari and sequined halter, the room lights up with a new energy...
Your fans loved your long tresses. Why did you decide to cut it short?
My stylist Sapna Bhavnani’s dates were not matching with mine. Every time I had a date she was not in town. I had gone for an event where I met this stylist who had flown in from Paris. He gave me a stylish haircut but it didn’t work for me. Then I went back to Sapna who told me to grow it a little. She somehow salvaged it and gave it an original shape. I am hosting Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar where I wear hair extensions because the Star Plus audience thinks that long hair is beautiful. I get bored with one look and can’t stick to it for a long time. If I were a man, I would keep changing my moustache and beard. Sometimes I get into these serious fitness regimes and try to lose a lot of weight and fit into all kinds of clothes, which I have never worn before.
You have immortalized the sari and spaghetti corsets straps look. Comment. It was my personal wardrobe. One day during conceptualising, I suggested that I would wear saris. Later, designer Ritu Kumar pitched in. I had no inkling that I would be so appreciated. I don’t see myself as a ‘style icon’. I know very little about fashion and art. I have no clue about the new look for the season or which hemlines or cuts are in vogue. But I know what works for me and suits my body type.
At home I dress very casually. Though, when you are outside, people expect you to look good so I have to be conscious about what I wear and how I look. I do a lot of corporate shows, which entail taking as many as 17 to 18 flights a month. At the airport you would see me in jeans, t-shirt and keds. Saris suit me well and I like to experiment with formal clothing.
You injected a lot of glamour into cricket (World Cup 2003 & 2007) but were not seen during the IPL till the last three matches, when you returned with Charu Sharma.
How did that work out? My contract with Set Max was for five years. I had a faltering start and initially, my family and husband were apprehensive about my new role as a cricket presenter. But cricket definitely helped me in breaking the Shanti mould. At the outset, I got a lot of brickbats and there was lot of negativity. I was never meant to be an expert but merely host the shows. I was not supposed to be tested on my knowledge.
I was not called to be a part of the panel as an expert commentator or analyst. I was meant to ask questions which a housewife would want to know. I was not auditioned to be an expert who would know all the statistics. I believe 95 per cent of cricket loving people have no deep knowledge of cricket. Admittedly, some people in the panel were not comfortable with my presence and looked down upon me. But I took all that with a pinch of salt as I had to hang in there.
Your and Charu Sharma came to be known as the “It” couple of Indian cricket. Charu and I were constantly supporting each other. We both pitched in for each other all the time. If I didn’t know anything he would come to my rescue and I would support him whenever he needed it.”
You also courted scathing controversies with the flag controversy (on her sari) and your Omkaar tattoo, didn’t you?Cricket and controversies are interlinked. During that time India had got out of the world cup and I was made an easy punching bag. My tattoo and saris were targeted unnecessarily.
Southern beauty Lekha Washington took your place during the IPL. How did you react to the comparisons between you two? Lekha Washington and Shonali Nagrani were not on the panel. (Lekha only conducted ground interviews.)
Even if that were offered to me, I would not do it. I don’t see Lekha or Shonali as any kind of threat. If I do that job, it would be like going one step down. They just did their jobs like Rakshanda Khan and Maria Goretti have done in the past. I was called in for a panel discussion for a news channel. It is a different feeling when you anchor for a channel that’s actually telecasting the matches. IPL was supposed to be a fusion of cricket and glamour and I regret that when the moment finally came, I could not be a part of it. I have had a long association with Set Max but I feel that the channel changed the strategy by bringing three good-looking men on the panel. May be they wanted to bring in the female audiences. I missed the IPL. I went for many matches in Mumbai, Jaipur and Kolkata. Initially, I supported Mumbai Indians but when they lost, I was rooting for the Jaipur team, which was the most underrated team at one point. Thanks to the brilliance of Shane Warne, they won.
What was the experience like hosting Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar? Officially, we were higher than Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain (in TRPs) and that’s like competing with Shah Rukh Khan. We were supposed to end it in the last week of June but we got a two week’s extension and when that happens you know it’s doing good for the channel. The level of singing in the show was unbelievable because each contestant was a runner up or winner from some previous show. Usually in a reality show, you pick up people from scratch and then they are groomed but here, the levels had been very high. All of us, including the judges Vishal, Shekhar and Farah Khan were been amazed by the performances.
The format had a lot of surprises as we went along. There was a beautiful episode on Mother’s Day, which got great ratings inspite of the IPL. The number of SMSs I got was unbelievable. There was sadness and tears depending on how close I felt to the contestant. You would even see Farah in tears. We are women after all.
Did you enjoy being part of this “reality show” format?
Sometimes you have to ask uncomfortable questions. It was my job but when I was off camera, I would tell them that there was nothing personal and this is what was expected of me. There was this contestant who had the entire Punjab voting for him and then when his popularity declined, I had to ask him,
“Do you think Punjab loves you less now? Has the euphoria died out?’
It is not a nice question to hear. With reality shows being the current flavour on Indian TV, I have been approached to be a part of a number of shows. But, I play to my strengths. I don’t think I am a good enough dancer to compete with anyone. People on TV are far better dancers than me. I am not acting on TV anymore but I will never break my link with TV.
Do you think these talent hunts are really as transparent as they appear? (Getting defensive) We did not get to know who the bottom three were till the morning when we started the shoot. The show was a conglomeration of guys from various shows and channels. I saw Ishmit, the Voice Of India winner, in the bottom three many times so it was pretty fair. I have never seen Abhijeet, the Indian Idol winner in the bottom three. It was based on 50 per cent marks of the judges and rest on the audience votes because sometimes the audience falls in love with the contestants regardless of the performance.
You became a part of Deal or No Deal, when Madhavan left the show. How did that work out?Maddy was a friend of mine even before he was doing films. In the past we had worked together in a serial. I never like to replace anybody. I get offers to replace a lot of characters on TV in Balaji shows. Before I said yes to Deal or No Deal, I spoke to Maddy because I at least owed him that phone call.
I am saying this at the cost of me, but he was not a bad anchor and he brought a lot to the table. May be they should not have changed him. They did it one more time with me when they got Rajeev Khandelwal and then the show was closed. I did 30 episodes. I guess a lot of channels these days have no patience and they don’t give a show enough time to take off. If you have a good product, word of mouth would get the viewer there.
How about your association with the saas-bahu sagas?I replaced a character in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bhahu Thi but I found the character too dark and it went extremely negative to the point of being unbelievable.
I told Ekta Kapoor about my feelings and walked off. The character continues even to this day. The problem with our channels is that they don’t know when to stop the serial. The serials keep on dragging endlessly as long as TRPs are good. Shanti ran for three long years but the point when it ended, it still had an eager audience. Shanti was a very coming of age and progressive character but the kinds of characters shown in these soaps are just perpetuating the stereotypes. May be moms-in-law and daughters-in-law have fights in real life but what’s the need to reinforce that image all the time? I would love to be a part of a series like Sex and The City. The very theme of single women appeals to me but the Indian audience needs to be mature enough to handle it.
What is on your plate as of now? I am currently doing a music video for kids for the channel Nickelodeon. It is about summer activities and choreographed by Saroj Khan. My film, Meerabai Not Out is releasing soon, which has Anil Kumble doing a guest appearance. I am also working on a new film, which is a situational comedy. I would like to be remembered as someone who brought a certain amount of energy into people’s lives and not just as someone well dressed. Even if I see myself in two days in the papers, I feel that I should stop myself from attending more events.
How about theatre?I do a lot of theatre and it is an ultimate experience. Despite being unwell you have to be constantly involved with the audience. My play, Laughing Wire ran for 85 days while Anything But Love had a run of more than 100 shows.
Didn’t you meet your now husband Raj Kaushal when you were anchoring for a show (Phillips Top 10)?My husband asked me to marry him within two weeks and it took me another two weeks to say yes. Raj doesn’t accompany me for the matches all the time, but he has been supportive in all my ventures. I guess it takes some rare guts to go to the stadium and enjoy the matches in the sweltering heat. Since now the IPL is over, I can go to watch movies with my husband.
Away from the rough and tumble of cricket and reality shows, the awesome twosome hang loose at their beach house in Madh Island where they soak in some tan by the poolside. That’s life!
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